Deconstructed Stairways to heaven - Vincent Dubourg

The '3 Storey Staircase' private commission by Vincent Dubourg,
represented at Carpenters Workshop Gallery
by a to-scale maquette. Photograph by David Brook

Wallpaper magazine displayed a photo of this staircase designed by the artist Vincent Dubourg, commissioned for a home in London by an Arab lady. As a discreet art patron, no name appears in the article. Vincent Dubourg talks about his experience in the project: how he was set free from guidelines and could work as an artist to produce the stairways as he wished. Sprouting from the wooden floor and reaching to the top as an organic element it looks like the staircase has lived there before the house was built. Although the tree feeling is quite vivid, the material used as steel and metal gives a dissonance in the biological alive sensation; but pulls out a futuristic and robotic effect. Impressive.


Wallpaper article (link)
Vincent Dubourg website (link)

Sinan Hussein - in Kuwait

Sinan Hussein, the dreamer who escapes the ugly world through his paintings, has more than 20 of his works on show at the Boushahri gallery in Kuwait until the 11th of march 2011.
One of his works, "the wedding couple" was sold at the JAMM auction of february 2011 in Kuwait.
An Iraqi artist, he has been around in Kuwait for a while, after a time in Jordan and previously in Baghdad.
As much as he considers his time in the faculty of art at the University of Baghdad as being useless and how he believes his teachers needed training and revamping, Sinan shows a mastery of the basics: color, composition, texture, subject, research, point of view... And that must have been acquired quite early in his training.

Although he has exhibited more abstract work previously, this particular show is about a world of spirits, without arms, sometimes without ears, eyes or mouth. His spirits are to scream out the lack of humanity in the human world of today; yet their screaming is done in the softest toned way, in a sense of peace, playfulness and lightness.
His spirits vagabond from a closer human figure barely touching the ground to a bubble of dream in the dream. Their side twisted head seem to show a surprise or disbelief in what they see. Some have halos around their heads maybe to relate to other iconic figures in the world of art. One of his works is entitled: My Jocanda, as if he pays a tribute to past masters. The space on the canvas that surrounds the spirits are worked intensely from color to texture to elements as if the spirits needed the best of care and profound assistance and support.

Sinan sees that they contain the humanity that he cannot find elsewhere. He could be a medium through which they express their agony: a way to remind all of his fellow humans to reconsider their own lost humanity.
He paints a world trapped in canvases and hardly accessible from the real world. He might be labeled as a caricature / light figures / rosy world - artist. It needs an in depth look at his figures and discern the pain through the lightness, as a refined process for expression far from those abrupt, loud noises we got used to in the arab world of art.

Sultan gallery in the 50-20 mood

works by Abdulla al Awadi

works by William Andersen

Sultan Gallery hosted last week a collective exhibition with the Title: Kuwait 50 20. It is the month of celebration in Kuwait for their independence, their liberation. Among other artists were Abdulla al Awadi, professor of Architecture at Kuwait University and William Andersen, professor of Art at American University of Kuwait.
William's works were a grid of 50 by 50 pieces of 8 star shaped plaster with a significant photo collage on the subject, Kuwait. The images were about history, politics, islamic references, major moments that make the Kuwait of today,  major events of the region, wars, elections all on a background of islamic patterns or geometrical patterns.
Abdulla's work were canvas printed of intricate geometrical shapes produced with smaller images of kuwait. One canvas had the word Kuwait twisted in another pattern of calligraphy over the global production.
The correlation of these two works is quite striking. Both works have gone far in the details of research, finding history through icons or images, debating on the format, pondering on the significance of a country and how to present it. Their works are quite advanced which indicates an in depth understanding of the medium.
Although they remain at the surface of images, it is part of a general trend in Kuwait to keep the image of the country at the facade only. The decorative part is emphasised, keeping deeper subjects further away.

Thomas Modeen had few other works displayed, It was a delicate paper cut ripple effect of white on white in a near A4 size. Could it have anything to do with the 50 20 title? nevertheless it was a pleasant interpretation of texture and paper.

The giant blackberry phone was another striking artwork, maybe an installation, maybe a tribute to the importance in kuwait of  social networking, chatting and connecting at all times with friends, facebook and google.

Kuwait Auction - JAMM - Abdel Aziz al Mudhaf

Abdel Aziz al Mudhaf 's painting was sold during the JAMM auction in Kuwait. He's a young artist just graduating from American University in Kuwait.
His art is daring, bold with a cry of expression beyond the pain and repressed feelings. It was one of the few works that went beyond the decorative and expected.
He has produced in the same theme some works exhibited in Kuwait and in Dubai.
The buyer of this artwork must be a courageous collector and an audacious believer in supporting emerging artists. 

Auction in Kuwait - JAMM- Fareed Abdal

Interview with a Kuwaiti artist, Fareed Abdal, during the auction in Kuwait.
Fareed is an architect, professor, artist, photographer, jewelry designer and has many unspoken areas of interest... His artwork was sold at the JAMM auction of this year.

- What do you think of this auction in Kuwait?
"Any activity that can unleash creativity in our society is a good activity. It allows us to develop visual depth. We all have subjective opinions on what art should be, who is an artist and how should he be. Whether the artist is young or older, starting now to create or have a track record and maturity in art; It doesn't really matter.
The artist is listening to his inner journey, he will not be fooled by judgement of others. It is better if the art is celebrated but artists have their own story to be told.
There might be a need to have a more rigorous judgement and critique.

- How do you sparkle creativity in younger generations?
"Art is a form of meditation, a contemplation and reflection. It is the necessity to share each's point of vue, his angle of life and each is different. Practice often becomes the theme and becomes an obsession. Anything will be a source of sparkle...
Matthew Fox said: "Do not confuse beauty with beautiful. Beautiful is a human judgment. Beauty is All. The difference is everything. "

- Does Kuwait need an auction house, is there not enough galleries?
" I could build assumptions and see the negative side of auctions as it is known worldwide: It's like a stock market, you raise prices of shares and promote speculation.
The good side to an auction is bringing an understanding about the culture value. The value of a painting is different from its cost. Kuwaitis are sophisticated buyers in business and they are well aware of cost in many things. But the added value of development, of an extra mile or an extra artistic input is not yet appreciated. The power of aesthetics is an added value.  It is a new language of creativity and this auction will trigger debates about prices, value, added value, creativity.
That is quite healthy
We need to increase the number of people who recognize the added value.

- Is there a culture of auctioning in Kuwait?
" Not in the visual art maybe, but in our own history and culture we do a lot of auctioning, from the fish, to camels, to goats, to cars.. these are commodities and objects.
Historically, we even had  auctions on appreciation of beauty with arabian horses solely about aesthetics and beauty, so different from warrior, race or work horses.
So yes, we do have a  culture of auctioning in Kuwait in all of its meanings...

- What was behind your art work for sale in this auction?
" It's a work of calligraphy of a Quranic verse, but I like to flirt with the Sacred and the Holy and see what comes out of it. I confront the verse against other religious frameworks, against water on paper, against the structure and the imposition of a framework by preconceived ideas of sacred. I see the universal everywhere and I am part of the Divine's creation as equally as anything else."

- Nearly all works have been sold, is it a successful auction?
"I measure success not by sales but by the intention:
The auction is donating a percentage of the profit to a charitable cause: "Bayt Abdallah" a hospice in Kuwait for children with life threatening diseases, open to any child in Kuwait, regardless of origin, nationality or religion.
This cause celebrates every moment of life, to help out children in distress.
I find it special and different from other auctions, artists are part of collective effort to help out. and that is beautiful."