Autobiography

Ebtisam Abdulaziz
5 December, 2012 - 16 January, 2013

Ebtisam Abdulaziz's presents a new body of work in her first solo exhibition, that closely follows her previous autobiographical series.
Employing systemic art in her methodology, the works presented, comprise of found objects on canvas, small works on paper and large drawings on canvas depict various ciphers and symbols significant to the artist alone. These symbols act as a documentation of Abdulaziz's daily life in the form of numbers and codes. One painting for example corresponds to the number plates encountered on a road trip from Sharjah to Dubai, while another drawing maps the alphabetical order of a letter she received. Upon contemplation, the viewer is invited to engage mentally as well as visually with the works, in attempts to decipher the puzzle and solve the mystery.

Project Space: Semblance

Maha Saab
5 December 2012 - 16 January, 2013

Maha Saab’s upcoming show, writings and recordings of natural phenomena, found both off the Internet, and in ancient Greek concepts of color will be the point of departure for new works. Forms that slip through color and darkness in space will group together. Additionally, a metallic sculpture referencing a series of “spill” paintings by minimalist painter Morris Louis called “Bronze Veils” will be on display.

Works shown are a continuation of a series the artist began in 2010 made of cut and sewn paper that drew away from the conventions of the square and built in perceptions of materiality and language. With titles such as S.D.S Prop for Science, a reference to a contemporary play on 20th century solar science, Street of Jewelers, a phrase from an Oscar Wilde short story, and Trackers, a partially lost story written by Sophocles, an interest in the uncanny relationship found in de-contextualized lyrics, lines and phrases is made present.

Maha Saab was born in New York. She earned her BFA from Parsons in 2003 and MFA from UCLA in 2007. Recently, Saab had a solo exhibition at Midway Contemporary Art (MN) and was featured in several exhibitions including The Mass Ornament at Barbara Gladstone Gallery (NY). Saab lives and works in Los Angeles.

Falling Leaves

Golnaz Fathi

January 23 – March 7, 2013

Golnaz Fathi returns to The Third Line gallery with a new body of work, Falling Leaves. Using the epic poem Shahnameh by Persian poet Ferdowsi as a point of departure, Fathi interprets the work through a contemporary lens that breathes new life into an ancient practice and story.

Her new work branches out from her usual language based approach, incorporating figurative elements as well, that were inspired from a lithographic illustration of The Shahnameh or Shah-nama (Book of Kings), a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 AD. This distinct departure from her original text based exploration demonstrates Fathi’s inner visual dialogue and interpretation of the poem. The artist relates to the book themes of futile wars as still relevant today in her native Iran, and in the Middle East in general – confirming the notion of history repeating itself.

Project Space: Sulook

Sahand Hesamiyan

January 23 – March 7, 2013

In the upcoming Project Space, The Third Line will be presenting new work by Sahand Hesamiyan. Highlighting the complex relationship between modernity and tradition through architecture, Sulook has its inspiration firmly rooted in the traditional architectural structure of the Orchin Dome, the tomb of Mir Mohammed – a unique variation of domes found in the southern parts of Iran and Iraq. Despite its early origins, this specific dome demonstrates one of the key elements of modernist architecture: a seamless interdependence of aesthetics and functionality. Bridging science and piety, Hesamiyan references the construction of these domes with its intended spiritual philosophy of Unitarianism.

Within this traditional structure Hesamiyan encapsulates a contemporary spin through his choice of media and structural placement. Placing the dome horizontally, he challenges the conventional placement whereas, materials such as plexus, UV powder, black lights and reticular form inject a futuristic feel into an antiquated architectural model. This two-fold shift expands the above themes into a contemporary context and engages the audience through a multidimensional exploration of the space within the sculpture, the exhibition space, and the viewer’s psyche.

Susan Hefuna, Youssef Nabil. Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Laleh Khorramian, Sherin Guirguis & Lamya Gargash

Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East, Katara Cultural Village, Doha, Qatar| 5 December 2012 – 5 March 2013

Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East is a group exhibition featuring over 80 works of art in a wide variety of media by 25 Royal Academicians and 25 prominent artists from across the Middle East. Eschewing the presentation of a single curatorial point of view or theme, this exhibition enters into the spirit of engagement with the international art community and the general public by inviting important artists from different countries to exhibit side-by-side with a selection of prominent Royal Academicians.

Slavs and Tatars

The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia | 8 December 2012 – 14 April 2013

Featuring new and recent works by 75 senior and emerging artists and groups from 27 countries, this exhibition will include Prayway by Slavs and Tatars, a work exhibited at the New Museum Triennial earlier this year. Since 1993, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) has been the Queensland Art Gallery’s flagship contemporary art exhibition and represents the only major series in the world to focus exclusively on Asia, the Pacific and Australia. APT7 presents a broader scope on the region than ever before, exploring themes including temporary structures and transforming landscapes, varied engagements with the city, and the adaptability of local cultures in the globalized world.

Babak Golkar

Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival , Sharjah Arab Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE| 12 December 2012 – 12 January, 2013

Babak Golkar will be presenting a solo exhibition of his series, Parergon, as part of the Islamic Arts Festival. This year's edition of the festival strikes a balance between Islamic foundations, aesthetics and contemporary art. It references Islamic artistic traditions and reformulates them by using innovative modern techniques, media and digital technology.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Hayv Kahraman & Babak Golkar

The Jameel Prize: Art Inspired by Islamic Tradition , Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center, California| 12 December 2012 – 10 March, 2013

On view for the first time in the United States, this special exhibition presents the work of 10 artists selected as finalists for the prestigious Jameel Prize, an international award bestowed by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives. Among the selected artists are Babak Golkar, which works utilise architecture to find the common ground for negotiation between modernity and tradition; Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian whose mirror mosaic works apply age old traditions to a contemporary context; and Hayv Kahraman whose Migrant Series encourages the exploration of long-established practices of Islamic art, craft and design within a contemporary framework. The resulting exhibition demonstrates that artists can and do use these traditions in ways that are vividly relevant to the contemporary world. The prize also fosters a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role today.

Youssef Nabil

Ici, Ailleurs , Friche Belle de Mai, Maison Diamentée Place Villeneuve, Marseille, France | 12 January – 31 March, 2013

Ici, Ailleurs is a group exhibition bringing together contemporary artists from both Eastern and Western hemispheres. The exhibition addresses the question of identity in a highly globalized era, with all the works sharing a common thread: they are narratives that tell existentialist tales of travel and nomadism, unique to that artist. Many of the works further convey the experience of immigration, exile and uprooting. The audience thus engages with the works through a multidimensional scope, is encouraged to study the artwork from a socio-political and geographical point of view thereby drawing conclusions or raising questions about the current state of the world and the fast paced changes it has undergone in its recent history.

Amir H. Fallah

Chockablock, University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach, California | 26 January – 14 April, 2013

The works exhibited in this group show examine the influence of the digital era and the influences of surfing, sampling, and aggregating. The works also discern the creative process and the visual characteristics of artwork, social practice, or performance by the participating sixteen regionally based artists. Amir H. Fallah in particular employs appropriation in his work, which represents differing visual and conceptual elements adjoining one another, without being circumscribed or ranked in hierarchy.

AVAILABLE AT THE THIRD LINE

Khhhhhhh by Slavs and Tatars

A reconsideration of pedagogy, progress, and the sacred role of language via the perspective of a single pesky phoneme, [kh]. Khhhhhhh explores the thorny issues of knowledge versus wisdom and the immediacy of the oral versus the remoteness of the written word thru a fireside chat around sacred hospitality and Velimir Khlebnikov.