'Popular Culture and the City' opens at Manarat Al Saadiyat

Saif Saeed Ghobash, Under-Secretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, opened an exhibition titled, “Popular Culture and the City,” at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.

The exhibition is being organised by the DCT Abu Dhabi and features several artworks from their collection.

Set to run until Oct.5, 2019, Popular Culture and the City brings together exceptional European, American and Middle Eastern Pop Art, reflecting the collective language and identity of our time in a variety of media, including collage, sculpture, painting and installation works. The artists have used the idea of the "city" as their main inspiration, as complex settings fuelled by money, cars, oil, technology and, most importantly, societies.

Works from 14 international artists are being featured in the exhibition, including Alighiero Boetti, Erwin Wurm, Fabrice Hybert, Frank Stella, Hassan Sharif, Jacques Villeglé, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons. Artworks from Keith Haring, Rokni Haerizadeh, Robert Hammond, Robert Therrien, Wafa Hourani and Taysir Batniji are also on display.

Saif Saeed Ghobash with officials at Manarat Al Saadiyat. WAM

The exhibition is also being accompanied with the 'Today is Tomorrow: Photolife Abu Dhabi' workshop, a collaboration between emerging artists and professionals from other disciplines, including philosophers, novelists, poets, filmmakers, musicians, architects, journalists, anthropologists, socialists and environmentalists. Today is Tomorrow invites participants to work together to build an imaginary architectural model by collating photography which combines the oldest buildings in Abu Dhabi with imaginary futuristic monuments and landmarks. The outcome of the workshop will be an architectural mixed-media installation featuring light, sound and video projection.

Ghobash said, "We are delighted to bring together this impressive selection of works by some of the most prominent artists from around the world for this exhibition and its accompanying workshops. The artworks on display from the DCT Abu Dhabi’s collection provide an in-depth look into the complexity and diversity of modern and contemporary urban landscapes."

Photolife is a concept and technique started in 2004 by artist Wafa Hourani, who is also participating in the exhibition. It utilises photography in a variety of ways to reflect the power of illusion and construct a better future through art.

'Today is Tomorrow: Photolife Abu Dhabi' will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat from July 21-25, from 09:00 to 16:00.

WAM