Presenting the works of the first edition of Application 001, pilot art residency program, this exhibition at Al Riwaq Art Space looks at four different points of view on “rites of passage”.
A rite of passage is commonly understood as a ritual, event or experience regarded as a major milestone or change in an individual’s life. Religious and cultural traditions are often defined by certain rites of passage, involving separation, transition, or more ambiguous social pressures that underline our manner of living.
Participating artists in this exhibition are Ali Hussain, Ishaq Madan, Shaikha Al Salman, and Hisham Sharif.
Ishaq Madan’s work revolves around his exploration of socioeconomic barriers and societal expectations through the interpretation of Jan van Eyck’s painting Arnolfini’s Portrait.
Shaikha Al Salman’s work explores the economy of love and labour at the intersection of service and giving on the weekly pilgrimage to her grandmother’s house.
Hisham Sharif explores through the medium of painting, primarily monochrome, a world very different from lived experience. His unique perspective on the familiar, mundane, and fundamental events is acknowledged as rites of passage.
Stepping away from his previous painting and printing practices, Ali Hussain collaborates with the familiar mechanisms that occupy our daily spaces. The unique mandalas are born through both the accidental and necessary elements of making a work of art, each work expressing both the pain of the individual and society’s response to this pain.
Press release from Al Riwaq Art Space.
