Current Exhibitions
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE
A SHADOW OF A SHADOW
28 SEPT – 8 DEC 2024
A master draughtsman, illustrator, filmmaker and sculptor, William Kentridge is also a prolific theatre-maker who has collaborated with local theatre groups and world-renowned opera houses. The first exhibition to focus solely on Kentridge’s theatre practice, A Shadow of a Shadow surveys 23 performances created by Kentridge from the late 1980s to the present. The exhibition title is taken from a shadow play by Ibn Daniyal, the thirteenth-century Arab playwright and puppeteer who invented irreverent characters often defying authorities and the status quo. Presenting drawings, puppets, props, costumes, animations and stage backdrops, the exhibition explores how Kentridge’s artistic practice revolves around different theatrical projects that consistently critique the different manifestations of authoritarianism through time.
The exhibition is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, and Tarek Abou El Fetouh, Senior Curator and Director of the Performance Department, with May Alqaydi, Assistant Curator, and Khalid Mohammed, Curatorial Assistant, Sharjah Art Foundation.
(Source: https://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/william-kentridge-a-shadow-of-a-shadow)
ANTONIO DIAS
THE SEARCH FOR AN OPEN ENIGMA
28 SEPT – 8 DEC 2024
The Search for an Open Enigma presents work by Antonio Dias (1944–2018), an artist who relentlessly transgressed material and conceptual boundaries, tackling complex sociopolitical issues across diverse mediums. Drawing upon Hélio Oiticica’s 1969 analysis of Dias’ practice, the title embraces the versatile, ever-changing and subversive nature of his artistic oeuvre. The exhibition pays homage to Dias’ category-defying tendencies through a vast selection of works that encompass his artistic trajectory from its beginnings in the 1960s until the early 2000s.
The exhibition is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, with Reem Sawan, Curatorial Assistant, Sharjah Art Foundation.
(Source: https://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/antonio-dias-the-search-for-an-open-enigma)
VANTAGE POINT SHARJAH 12
28 SEPT – 8 DEC 2024
The 12th iteration of Vantage Point Sharjah, the Foundation’s annual photography exhibition, opens on 28 September. Derived from a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, this year’s title, If I Were Another, addresses intimate individual experiences and the weight of collective memory, proposing empathy as the core lens through which we perceive others who may hold different identities, histories and sensibilities.
Five emerging photographers, selected through an international open call, will present their body of work with production support from the Foundation. Selected artists will also receive access to workshops and mentorships devised to foster their development as photographers.
BOUCHRA KHALILI
BETWEEN CIRCLES AND CONSTELLATIONS
7 SEPT – 1 DEC 2024
Following its 2023 presentation at MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona co-produced with Sharjah Art Foundation, Bouchra Khalili: Between Circles and Constellations opens in Sharjah this September. Amplifying the voices of migrant and disenfranchised communities, Khalili makes manifest micro-histories erased by the nation-state. Featuring a selection of her most significant projects over the last two decades, including the regional premiere of The Public Storyteller (2024), the exhibition highlights the urgency of documenting stories of collective emancipation and advocates for what the artist calls 'radical citizenship'.
Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation and MACBA, the exhibition is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, with Amal Al Ali and Meera Madhu, Curatorial Assistants, Sharjah Art Foundation. The presentation at MACBA was curated by Elvira Dyangani Ose and Hiuwai Chu.
EMILY KARAKA
KA AWATEA, A NEW DAWN
7 SEPT – 1 DEC 2024
Ka Awatea, A New Dawn is a survey of the work and practice of artist Emily Karaka. Karaka is a largely self-taught painter, an abstract expressionist, a colourist and an occasional assemblage artist. Her work is personal, passionate and anchored in the politics of the culture clash within Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the legacy of colonialism and its ongoing impact on Māori people and culture. Ka Awatea, A New Dawn, the first major exhibition of the artist’s oeuvre, brings together a selection sampled from her 47-year career alongside new work commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation.
The exhibition is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, and Megan Tamati-Quennell, co-curator of Sharjah Biennial 16, with Amal Alkhaja, Assistant Curator, Sharjah Art Foundation.
(Source: https://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/emily-karaka-ka-awatea-a-new-dawn)
About Sharjah Art Foundation
Located in Sharjah’s historic Art and Heritage Areas, Sharjah Art Foundation activities and events take place throughout the year and include exhibitions featuring the work of Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings and artist talks as well as extensive art education programmes for children, adults and families. The Foundation hosts the annual March Meeting and every two years presents the Sharjah Biennial.
Opening hours: Saturday – Thursday, 9 am – 9 pm
Friday, 4 pm - 9 pm
Address: c/o Sharjah Art Museum, PO Box 19989, Al Shuwaiheen, Arts Area, Sharjah