NARRATIVES OF THE PAST

A painting by Yemeni artist Hakim Al Akel which offers a detailed visual account of Arab history over the past 2,000 years is now on display in the Sharjah Art Museum. The Symbolic History of Arab Joy (Arabia Felix) is a work from 1994 and consists of four panels painted in a mural style depicting religious symbolism beginning in the BC era, moving through the pre-Islamic and Islamic ages and then into the contemporary sphere. It is a seminal work that was Al Akel’s university graduation project from the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow, where he specialised in murals. Last year, the painting was acquired by the Barjeel Art Foundation and it is among 30 new pieces acquired over the course of 2020 which have now been added to the ongoing exhibition Memory Sews Together Events That Hadn’t Previously Met.

Al Akel is among three Yemeni artists from the foundation’s collection to be displayed at the Sharjah Art Museum and acts as a pivotal part of the exhibition which aims to give viewers insight into the way artists across the Arab world have responded to socio-political events in the 20th century.

Also added to the show is Lebanese artist Nadia Saikali’s Empreinte Autoportrait, Ile Sanctuaire (Self Portrait Imprint, Sanctuary Island) from 1986. It is an abstract work that was acquired directly from the artist during a visit to her studio in Paris. Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, is continually expanding his collection to give a breadth of narratives from across the Arab world and beyond. The team also dedicates time to filling gaps in the collection as well as preserving and restoring images. An untitled piece by Algerian artist Djamila Bent Mohamed, created in the 1970s, has recently been restored at the foundation and joins the large exhibition which takes over one wing of the museum. Other important pieces among the new acquisitions include: Darkness and Light by Lebanese artist Nabil Kanso, a heavily daubed oil on canvas from 1986; a 1961 piece by Palestinian artist Abed Abdi titled Refugees; and Nabil Anani’s Falasteen, pertinent to the ongoing Palestinian struggle.

The exhibition, which closes in 2023, is a broad retrospective of the region’s history through the eyes of artists, art schools and movements. It offers a unique experience to consider the events of the past century and the role of memory.