Amin Abbas
An engaging and creative ‘Emirati Comics’ exhibition is being held from September 21 to October 12 at the Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi.
The exhibition features the work of 21 Emirati artists, discussing not only the culture and heritage according to their ancestry, but also discussing modern trends of Emirati culture.
Also, the exhibition hosts an Art Market, where artists sell their handicrafts and illustrations.
During the weekend there will be workshops for creating manga, comics and academic talks, and will be held inside a Manarat Museum.
Sarah Nesti Willard, who works at Al Ain’s United Arab Emirates University spoke exclusively to Arab News Japan about the story behind the exhibition.
“This exhibition is part of a doctoral investigation that I started two years ago. The main concept is to investigate the create identities of Emirati illustrators through the exhibition of their art and comics within the region and abroad.
“It is very important to inform audiences and interested people that, in the UAE, there is a strong and developing artistic community focused on graphic art, comics and illustrations, which very much differs from the Fine Art strand.
“These artists form a grassroot community which is growing very fast. My scope is to frame them within the actual context so that their work is recognized on a national and global scale.
“As we move towards a globalized world, the need to ‘glocalize’ one’s culture is paramount, as Koichi Iwabuchi remarked years back, when discussing Japanese pop culture.
“Localized trends celebrate one’s roots and culture and, at the same time, are propelled in a globalized context. The exhibition is celebrative of these artists’ productions and a tool to study how their fame propagates.”
About the challenges during organizing the exhibition, Willard said, “perhaps a struggle – but minimal – was trying to accommodate everyone’s different timings, and try to answer questions to which I did not have the answers, especially during the ‘production phase’.
“However, while the concept was my idea, the Acting Manarat Al Saadiyat Programming Senior Specialist, Farah Majdi Bushnaq, has magically put the whole show together, and Asmaa Al Rumeithi has helped conceptualize main ideas, stirring the community in the right directions. Without these ladies the show would not have happened.”
“One hope is that this exhibition will become a yearly appointment: perhaps, once a year, a group of Emirati illustrators are showcased at Manarat Al Saadiyat. As long as I’m here in the region, I’m happy to help organize the event. Another hope is that the movement continues exhibiting and grows in terms of fame and quality of the artwork produced. It is very important that comics and illustrations keep discussing modern life and trends in the UAE and Gulf region,” she added.
About the response and feedback of the exhibition so far, Willard said, “The response has been great. Many people attended the opening and many more are welcomed to the show. This coming week we have a few schools and universities visiting the exhibit, and the local community of artists is selling their artworks and hand-made objects. The Art Market is available and open to public every weekend, from 5:00 pm onwards.”