• COLOUR AND MATERIAL • CURATED BY VENETIA PORTER • IMMORTALISING AL-MUTANABBI STREET •

• CHRYSTYNA SALAM’S WORLD OF CERAMICS • IN DISCUSSION WITH MUSTAPHA AZEROUAL AND CAROLINE TABET •

THE COLOURS ISSUE

LBP 15·000 / AED 37 / QAR 37

ARTS / STYLE / CULTURE FROM THE ARAB WORLD AND BEYOND

# 32

#boghossianjewels

www.boghossianjewels.com

Selection mag juillet 2015.indd 1 16.07.15 12:52

#boghossianjewels

www.boghossianjewels.com

Selection mag juillet 2015.indd 1 16.07.15 12:52

Unit B11, Alserkal Avenue, Exit 43 SZR, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, DubaiT: +971 4 3236242 dubai@ayyamgallery.com www.ayyamgallery.com

Untitled, 1986, Mixed media on canvas, 122 x 207 cmMoustafa FathiTowards the Absolute of Nature

5 October - 12 November 2015

Unit B11, Alserkal Avenue, Exit 43 SZR, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, DubaiT: +971 4 3236242 dubai@ayyamgallery.com www.ayyamgallery.com

Untitled, 1986, Mixed media on canvas, 122 x 207 cmMoustafa FathiTowards the Absolute of Nature

5 October - 12 November 2015

For its 32nd edition,

Selections magazine is

delving into the world of

colour. Since it is such an

inherent component of an

artist’s consciousness and,

perhaps more importantly,

his or her unconscious

experience, we invited a

diverse body of artists from

very different backgrounds

to share with us how they

employ colour and how they

perceive its relevance to their

work. Special thanks goes to

Valerie Reinhold for curating the theme of this issue,

and for her selection of the following artists to cite as

the ambassadors of colour: Jacob Hashimoto, Anish

Kapoor, Nadim Karam, Maha Malluh, Farhad Moshiri,

Nabil Nahas, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Sydney Regis,

Hadieh Shafie, Hoda Tawakol and Marcel Wanders.

Selections would also like to extend a special thank

you to Venetia Porter, curator of the Islamic and

Contemporary Middle East Department at the British

Museum, for kindly sharing her knowledge in a

dedicated section of the magazine.

Elsewhere, there are plenty

of highlights waiting to

be discovered this issue,

including features such as

Immortalising Al-Mutanabbi

Street, which explores

bookseller Beau Beausoleil’s

collection of original artwork

celebrating Iraq’s literary

culture, and others on

Chrystyna Salam’s vast world

of ceramics and a discussion

between two Lebanese

photographers.

On the front cover you’ll find one of Sadik Kwaish

Alfraji’s works on paper, made with black ink and

charcoal and recently acquired by the British Museum.

Our desire to look beyond what is presented in a

matter-of-fact way in order to give the work its full

scope of acknowledgement has certainly coloured

our perception of monochrome and, likewise, with this

issue, Selections invites you to broaden your spectrum

of colour.

THE COLOURS ISSUE

EDITOR’S LETTER

6

10

India Stoughton graduated from the

University of Edinburgh with an MA

in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.

Having travelled extensively in the Middle

East, spending time in Morocco, Turkey,

Jordan, Iraq and Qatar, as well as Syria,

she is currently based in Lebanon, where

she has written for publications including

The Daily Star, Canvas, The Outpost and

The National, among others.

Dr Zoltán Somhegyi is a UAE-based

Hungarian art historian, holding a PhD in

aesthetics. Besides being an Assistant

professor at the University of Sharjah, he

is a curator of international exhibitions,

a consultant of Art Market Budapest –

International contemporary art fair, and

author of books, artist catalogues, and

more than two hundred articles, critiques,

essays and art fair reviews.

Rajesh Punj is a London-based art critic,

correspondent and curator, with a specialist

interest in Asia. He has previously written

for international art publications including

Flash Art International in Milan, Deutsche

Bank Art Mag in Berlin, and Elephant in

London, among others.

Danna Lorch is a Dubai-based writer

focusing on art and pop culture from the

Middle East. She blogs at ‘Danna Writes’

and serves as Contributor to ArtSlant.

Recent publications include The National,

Jadaliyya, Contemporary Practices,

Canvas, and Vogue (India). Danna holds a

graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies

from Harvard University.

Maria Cristina Didero is an independent

design curator and journalist contributing

to Domus, Vogue Casa, Flair, Loft, and

Apartamento. She has been in charge of

the Vitra Design Museum for Italy for more

than 10 years and sits on the board of

Veritas auction house in Lisbon, is a patron

of Design Days Dubai, and curates Design

Talks for Miart Milan. She has been Director

of Fondazione Bisazza since 2011.

Valerie Reinhold is Amsterdam-based art

consultant. She holds degrees in art history,

art market as well as in finance and uses

her cross-field expertise to assist collectors

and artists. Having lived in many countries,

Valerie appreciates art that goes beyond

cultural differences, at the same time

acknowledging the importance of cultural

identity. She is also a frequent speaker on

topics such as art investment, women in

art or the values of art and has contributed

to various publications, including Famous

City Amsterdam.

CONTRIBUTORS

11

Born and raised in Tehran, Pendar

Nabipour is a Rotterdam-based artist

and curator, who focuses on interactive

situations using sculptures, installations,

and performances. He also has a strong

interest in social phenomena and memory,

and the role of artists in their process.

Ahmad Minkara is a Lebanese-American

doctor and writer. He has lived between

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the

United States.

Over the course of a 20-year career,

Marwan Naaman has written for the likes

of Fodor’s, Businessweek, Monocle, Harvey

Nichols and eHealth Insurance, in a variety

of fields that range from lifestyle, travel,

design and art to finance and medicine. He

spent 12 years as Editor-in-Chief of Aïshti

Magazine (later renamed A Magazine),

which he launched, transforming it into the

most successful luxury lifestyle publication

in the Middle East.

Kasia Maciejowska is a London-based

writer and editor who spent a year with

us in Beirut editing Selections and the Art

Paper. She has an MA in Design History

& Material Culture from the Royal College

of Art/V&A Museum, and a BA in English

Literature from the University of Oxford. Her

regular subjects are the visual arts, interior

design, and contemporary culture. She has

previously written for The Times and Ibraaz

among others.

Akili Tommasino is a scholar of twentieth-

century avant-garde art and advocate of

emerging artists. A former Fulbright Fellow

at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Tommasino

is currently completing his doctoral thesis

through Harvard University while working

as a curatorial assistant at The Museum of

Modern Art, New York.

CONTRIBUTORS

12

CONTENTS

ART PAPER

18 – 39 Local, regional, and international news, reviews and interviews

ART

40 Moscow’s contemporary art hub

Selections talks curation, context and drawing in a crowd with Kate Fowle, curator at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

48 Sculpt me a fable Sculptor Mireille Honein

rarely chooses to tackle the same subject matter or use the same material twice

52 What days may come Nearly a decade after

launching Ayyam Gallery, Khaled Samawi gears up for new challenges

54 The dangerous book Hadieh Shafie discusses the

secret stories that lie tightly-coiled within her sculptures

58 A fantastical reality Turkish artist Taner Ceylan

explains why his paintings are more real to him than daily life

62 Colour and material Selections explores the role

of colour and material in the work of 11 contemporary artists in a special section curated by Valerie Reinhold

STYLE

86 Rolex’s investment in the arts The Rolex Mentor and

Protégé Arts Initiative pairs emerging artists from all over the world with established leaders in their fields

90 An explosion of brilliance Vivid colours are at the

forefront of this year’s jewellery trends, adding a splash of colour to every ensemble

LITERATURE

96 Immortalising Al-Mutanabbi Street

American poet and bookseller Beau Beausoleil celebrates Iraq’s literary heritage through a vast collection of original artwork

DESIGN

100 Just Lust in Brussels Belgian designer Xavier

Lust exhibits his creative experiments with metal at the Botanique museum

104 A passion for pottery Chrystyna Salam gives

Selections a glimpse into her extensive private collection, which includes a stunning array of ceramics

ARCHITECTURE

108 Radical wrapping Installation artist Christo’s

latest work, The Floating Piers, transforms the Italian Lakes

CURATED BY

112 Hooked on Islamic history Venetia Porter, curator of

the Islamic and Middle East department at the British Museum, tells Selections how she came to fall in love with art from the region

115 Curated by Venetia Porter

PHOTOGRAPHY

133 Experimental images Mustapha Azeroual and

Caroline Tabet discuss medium, material and photography in the digital age

14

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL MASTHEAD

Editor-in-ChiefRima Nasser

EditorAnastasia Nysten

Copy EditorIndia Stoughton

DesignerGenia Kodash

IllustratorYasmina Nysten

Production EditorRayya Haddad

Production CoordinatorLida Kabbara

Contributing WritersMaria Christina Didero, Danna Lorch, Kasia Maciejowska, Dr Ahmad Minkara, Marwan Naaman, Pendar Nabipour, Rajesh Punj, Valerie Reinhold, Dr Zoltan Somhegyl, India Stoughton, Akili Tommasino

ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION

Advertising & Editorial Inquiriesinfo@selectionsthemagazine.com

Distribution

lebanonMessagerie du Moyen Orientde la Presse et du Livre s.a.l.

qatar

City News Publishing

united arab emiratesJashanmal National Co. L.L.C.

PrintingChamas for Printing & Publishing s.a.l.info@chamaspress.com

Responsible EditorFatma Koteich

BPA Worldwide Consumer Magazine

Membership Applied for December 2014

Selections magazine digital edition is also

available for iPads and Android tablets

selectionsthemagazine.com

THIS ISSUE’S CONTENT CURATORS

Art news from New York — yasmina nysten

Art news from Sharjah — dr zoltan somhegyi

Design — anastasia nysten

Colour and Material – valerie reinhold

Curated by (coordinated) – ahmad minkara

Style — marwan naaman

The Colours Issue #32

cover: Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, 2014, From Ali’s Boat 1 book,

Indian ink and charcoal on notebook

paper, British Museum. © the artist

08

The Lightbulb, 100 × 65 × 60, bronze, 2015 , courtesy of Artspace Hamra

18 History in the making

20 Conflict as culture

22 Emotional mapping

24 Celebrating terracotta

25 Leila Heller’s Dubai haven

26 Colour studies

27 Existence in exile

28 Consumption on camera

31 Fighting fair

32 Championing African art

34 Art at the crossroads

36 Dubai art agenda

39 Sombre stories

Ahmed Al Bahrani,