Footnotes 2015, Maraya Art Centre

In honour of our fifth year running, presents the second instalment of aide-mémoire, a show that highlights the multitude of stories that encompass an exhibition. Aide-mémoire, which translates from French as an aid for memory, centres on the ways in which we see, remember and record personal encounters. Many of the works featured envision different ways stories, whether they are our own or someone else’s, can be recorded and fictionalised through aesthetic creation.

Who Tries to Escape to his Becoming – Suite (2012)
by Abdelkader Benchamma

Paysage et décor sans Lumiere (2012)
by Abdelkader Benchamma

Sculpture #8 (2011)
by Abdelkader Benchamma

Mes Amis (2005)
by Adel Abdessemed

Rue de la Liberté, Tangier (2000)
by Yto Barrada

I Carry My Flame (2011)
by Ali Cherri

Paysages tremblants (Beirut) / Trembling Landsc… (2014)
by Ali Cherri

Wanderers (2011)
by Jumana Manna

Already Been in a Lake of Fire (1999 – 2002)
by Walid Raad

Buddy Bear (2013)
by Khaled Jarrar

Volleyball (2013)
by Khaled Jarrar

Heap (2014)
by Mohammed-Said Baalbaki

The House My Father Built (2010)
by Sadik Al Fraji

You Never Left (2010)
by Youssef Nabil

Absence (Diptych) (2010)
by Nedim Kufi

Source Lumière (2011)
by Ziad Dalloul

Infinity ∞ (1991 – 2001)
by Mona Hatoum

Witness (2009)
by Mona Hatoum

You Are Still Here (2013)
by Mona Hatoum

One Hand Cannot Clap Alone (2010)
by Mohammed-Said Baalbaki

Three People (circa 1950s)
by Seif Wanly

Nabih Awada’s Letters from Family and Friends (2007)
by Akram Zaatari

Telephone Books (2010)
by Yto Barrada

Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Established in 2006, Maraya Art Centre is a non-profit creative organization located in Sharjah, U.A.E. Maraya Art Centre offers innovative programmes through its multifaceted initiatives, and public outreach activities including workshops, lectures, talks and other art related events.

Maraya Art Centre strives to support emerging artists and designers in a comprehensive way, providing opportunities for continual growth through research, exhibition and project development across its initiatives including: The Maraya Art Gallery, 1971 Design Space, Maraya Art Park, Maraya Residencies, Jedariya and Maraya Project Space.

The Centre hosts a growing recourse library and video archive open for the public.

Barjeel Art Foundation
Barjeel Art Foundation is an independent, United Arab Emirates-based initiative established to manage, preserve and exhibit the personal art collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi. The foundation’s guiding principle is to contribute to the intellectual development of the art scene in the Arab region by building a prominent, publicly accessible art collection in the UAE. Part of this objective involves developing a public platform to foster critical dialogue around contemporary art practices with a focus on artists with Arab heritage internationally. The foundation strives to create an open-ended enquiry that responds to and conveys the nuances inherent to Arab histories beyond borders of culture and geography. By hosting in-house exhibitions, lending artwork to international forums, producing print and online publications, and fashioning interactive public programmes, the foundation strives to serve as an informative resource for contemporary art by Arab artists both locally and on the global stage. In addition to building an informative database of artists, the foundation is seeking to develop an educational programme that both understands and involves the local community. By establishing partnerships with arts and cultural institutions internationally, the foundation looks to create opportunities to encourage public awareness of the importance of art to the community.
Collection
In line with Maraya’s mission to nurture local and regional talent through its residency programs and commissions, the centre has been building its very own art collection since 2010 in order to establish and cultivate the development of emerging art from the Gulf.

The collection comprises of notable works and purchases that have been commissioned by Maraya for exhibitions at the centre. It has also proven to be significant in terms of showcasing local artists’ talent and progress over the past few years, as the multitude of institutes, art fairs, open calls and residency exchange programs that have been introduced into the UAE have all played an important role in promoting the careers of local artists.