Maraya Art Centre contemporary art discussions continue to prove highly popular

Held with the support of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company - Du, the talks gave the audience an unmatched opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the creative process involved from the artists' perspectives.

Featuring Noor Al Suwaidi, Alia Lootah, and Alaa Edris, the most recent discussion in the series was held on December 10. Al Suwaidi explored the inspiration behind her signature kaleidoscopic colourful canvases and variegated works on paper as well as her frequent oscillation between the realms of portraiture and figurative abstraction. She also discussed her role as a pioneer in the field of contemporary arts and the driving force behind her need to constantly expand and refine her artistic style.

Dubai born and raised Lootah took the audience on a journey through the interrogative discourse as to the value of art which forms the origin of each of her projects. Reviewing her artwork, which comprises reworking digital experiments into traditional mediums and materials, she explored the relationship between digital images and their translation in the medium of painting.

Alaa's talk focussed on the often self-reflexive themes she addresses through her work, which ranges between the distinct forms of video installations, photography and projections on three-dimensional surfaces, such as the relationship between tradition and progress, the construction of gender, and the language and signs that identify a culture.

Speaking about the talks, Noor Al Suwaidi commented, "With the contemporary art scene in the Emirates and Sharjah in particular constantly growing, developing, and evolving, it is a highly exciting time for any artist in this region and I am extremely proud to have been able to participate in this highly successful series of discussions. The high level of public interest has been truly wonderful and is a great indicator of the work that is being done to encourage the arts in the region. With the support of organisations such as the Maraya Art Centre, the future of contemporary art in the UAE and the greater GCC is undeniably bright and I look forward to seeing the next generation of thought provoking creative minds make their mark."

The discussion series is set to continue with Sharjah resident and Naples native Paolo Maria talking about the artistic journey that ultimately brought him to the UAE. On the 17th of December the Italian artist and exhibition designer Paolomaria. Paolo will be talking about the evolution of his career from Italy to Sharjah and his involvement in the U.A.E art scene as a member of Tashkeel and as an exhibition designer at the Maraya Art Centre.

Continuing her role as host and moderator for the discussions Ebtisam AbdulAziz has added her own considerable insights and perspectives to the series of talks. Combining the scientific with the arbitrary, Ebtisam is known for creating pieces that juxtapose the scientific with the arbitrary in order to force the viewer to question their assumptions about rules in the natural and formulaic world. She is curator, writer, and multidisciplinary artist both from and based in the U.A.E, whose work incorporates her unique perspective on mathematics and the structures of systems to explore issues of identity and culture through installations, performance pieces, and works on paper.

The Maraya Art Centre continues to play a vital role in educating the public on the growing importance of contemporary art, working towards the evolution of a sense of ownership for the creative processes that encompass all of its fields and aspects.

The Maraya Art Centre is a non-profit art space and cultural platform located in Al Qasba, Sharjah, an initiative by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), with the purpose to promote young artists from the Arab region, and from the international art scene.

The Maraya Art Centre was officially launched in March 2010 as one of the UAE's most spectacular venues for contemporary visual arts.

Maraya Art Centre is a three-storey art centre established over 1500 square meters located in the heart of UAE's cultural capital; and includes Maraya Art Gallery on the third floor, the Barjeel Art Foundation on the second floor, that is the private collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, and Maraya Community on the first floor for programs and educational activities.