Dubai Ladies Club organizes Concept 5 exhibition featuring 5 prominent Emarati women artists

The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. Amina Al Rostamani, Executive Director of Media, Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority.

The exhibition focuses on the work of five Emirati women who produce art from both traditional and contemporary materials in a variety of different forms, including painting, photography, performance, film and installation. The featured artists include Nayla Al Khaja, Dr. Najat Maki, Nuha Hassan Asad, Sheikha Maisa Al Qasimi and Ebtisam Abdul Aziz.

Dr. Amina Al Rostamani, Executive Director of Media, Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority expressed her appreciation of the works of the various artists featured in the exhibition and said, 'We must encourage and support the young Emarati talent in diverse fields so that they can prove their creative strength.'

Mona Al Marri, Vice President of Dubai Ladies Club said, 'We are delighted to organize this art exhibition which reflects the level of the women artistic movement in the UAE and the difference of the modern and traditional art mediums.'

She added, 'Dubai Ladies Club under the guidance of its President HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, aims at to supporting women artists by regularly organizing art exhibition especially featuring works by women artists. HH believes in the importance of the supporting talented and creative Emarati women artists. One of the significant objectives of the Art & Talents Center is to support the young Emarati talent.'

Dr Najat Makki's work is titled 'Circle'. From an childhood fascination with the moon and the lunar cycles Dr Najat Makki has been fascinated by this celestial circle that became for her a symbol of ' an infinite circular regeneration, of segmentation and fragmentation. This symbol has followed her throughout her life and work. No longer the moon, but a symbol of 'perfection, unity, exactness and completeness'.

Dr Najat links the circle with the collective consciousness relating the circle to the soul. The moon like form in the void of nothingness achieves, through its stillness and beyond its dynamic color, a surface sensation of seemingly motionless sensation like the void of the heavens It has become the very tear in the collective consciousness.

The work of Nayla al Khaja is a tribute to the wide range of her producing and film making including parts of her feature film 'Unveiling Dubai ' premiered at DIFF 2004 and containing parts of her new feature film 'The Loss' 2005. In this film Nayla uses ' very long takes, slow development of story and visuals, based on intellectual development. Metered camera is used with the camera only moving when it is needed to indicate or isolate something on an emotional level.

The excitement she finds in film is the ability of film to capture every single second of expression in a specific time and location. Deliberate framing creates mood in her work especially in the most mundane scenes. Framing can also place elements out of context which is only visible through the lens in a frame but not otherwise. Her framing forces you to see something you might not want to see but remain watching till you find some awkward sense of humor in it or not. What is serious on the surface may be open to elements of ridicule.

Maisa Al Qassimi work is titled -Body…Beauty…Figure…Lines…Mystery. The concept behind this artists work displays an element of mystery and is a celebration of femininity. The lines in a women's body, veiled or unveiled, are uniquely descriptive and hold the same mystery and individuality as the lines on the palm of a hand.

In her use of the body as an image and by her close observations of it's textures, folds and voids Maisa creates images which contain an invitation to the viewer to interact, an invitation to be a part of her world

Ebtisim Abdul Aziz's work is titled 'Four Probabilities'. The work of Ebtasim Abdul Aziz relates to modern science which in this artists view cannot be separated from art.

Four Probabilities forms part of the school of System Art based on precise and mathematical elements correlated by an organization only understood by the viewer if they enjoy the nuances within. Whilst it is a work emanating from hues and aesthetic color mixing it is not aimed at chromatic harmony. It is a discrete repetition that deals with colors shapes and numbers. The work consists of four pieces representing the four probabilities and a fifth piece is the result of the four operations digitally printed on wooden pieces.

The strategy of the work is based on a mathematical system that utilizes the addition of numbers from 1 to 10. The system is based on probability.

This work allows the viewer that takes the time to analyze and contemplate to arrive at its very essence. This work allows an involvement through its aesthetic quality to reach an involvement at a higher intellectual level.

Nuha Assad work 'Corrections and Errors' forms a series of posters based initially on 'found art' pieces of scrap papers in printers. Irreparably over used, these byproduct of corrections and errors in other color printing would be destroyed.

A correlation was made between the error ridden state of the contemporary human being and the errors in these posters. For the artist these posters become a simple interpretation of people's relationship to their environment and the nature of their lives. This common relationship highlights the accumulation of adverse circumstances which could continue until something better is produced. From this seeming chaos of society results posters that in their very obscurity and duplicity of imagery when taken from their original location become arresting and beautiful images. These are images that create questions.

The artist concluded that 'This work started out as a correction yet led to many beautiful and spontaneous errors that now are presented as a work of art'

Edouard Cottin, Piaget Brand Manager - Golden Sponsor - said, 'We at Piaget are delighted to be the overall sponsor for this exciting and stimulating art exhibition. 'Concept Five' is designed to promote contemporary art in the UAE and to provoke public interest, input and debate around new artistic developments. As always promoter of creativity and femininity, Piaget's funding of this exhibition represents one of the best possible means of recognizing and developing the exceptional female creative talent presently manifesting itself in the UAE.'

Gianni Sharrouf, PURITY Business Development & Marketing Manager - Silver Sponsor - said, 'PURITY represents leading and inspiring designers who believe in the highest standards of living. Our kitchen and bath lines creatively combine art design and class to simply express your individuality. PURITY means design and style, a true tribute to those who appreciate art and value exclusivity. Supporting an art exhibition such as 'Concept Five' heralds the beginning of a continuous and invaluable contribution towards promoting interest in local contemporary art.'