Program in March

This March Traffic’s program includes the opening of Satellite—a new studio space for conceptual media artist James Clar, MOP CAP 2011—Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize hosted by Traffic, and Traffic’s participation in the fifth edition of Art Dubai.

14 March | Dubai, Al Serkal: Opening of Satellite, 17:00 – 22:00
15–19 March | Dubai, Traffic: MOP CAP 2011
16–19 March | Dubai, Madinat Arena: Art Dubai 2011, Booth A12

www.viatraffic.org

Satellite

The new studio space developed by James Clar together with Traffic, is set to open in Dubai’s Al Serkal art hub, on Monday 14th March at 5pm, coinciding with the Al Serkal Art Dubai openings.

Clar, who is exclusively represented by Traffic, Dubai, produces work that is a fusion of technology, popular culture, and visual information. It explores the limitations of various communication mediums and its effect on the individual and society. Focusing on the visual arts, his work often controls and manipulates light – the common intersection of all visual mediums.

The move to a new studio will allow for larger scale experimentation and production. Satellite will also serve as an exhibition space for select works; sculptures, wall pieces, and art installations that take advantage of the space. With an open house feel, it gives visitors the unique opportunity to view the artistic process and engage with the artist before the works are known to the contemporary art world. Clar, who will curate and manage the programming of Satellite, plans to invite other artists passing through Dubai to use the space as a kind of satellite studio while away from home, encouraging experimentation in a new environment and collaboration between artists.

MOP CAP 2011
Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize

Launched in 2009, the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize (MOP CAP) has become the world’s leading art prize for Iranian artists. MOP CAP is a global search to identify the most talented emerging Iranian artists and provide an international platform for their career.

This year MOP CAP 2011, to be inaugurated by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan on Monday 14th March at 6pm, will exhibit the works of 24 shortlisted artists, selected from over 90 nominees. The 2011 Shortlist was selected by a jury which consists of leading figures from the international art world: Zaha Hadid, Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh, Shirazeh Houshiary, Idris Khan, Abaseh Mirvali, Mohammed Mottahedan, Hans Ulrich Orbist and chaired by Ali Khadra.
A panel discussion will also take place on Monday 14th March following the announcements of the MOP CAP 2011 Finalists. The panel discussion entitled ‘Cultural Brokering: Location Allegiance and Transnational Identity’, will be led by curator Vali Mahlouji and include participants Hans Ulrich Orbist, Mohammed Mottahedan, Abaseh Mirvali, Idris Khan and Ali Khadra. The panel discussion aims to broach the relevance of national identity not only within international art prizes, but within the global art scene as a whole.

14th Mar 2011, 4pm: Announcement of finalists
14th Mar 2011, 4pm-6pm: Panel discussion
14th Mar 2011, 6pm-8pm: Private view and reception
15th Mar 2011 to 19th March 2011,10am-7pm: Exhibition open to the public

ART DUBAI 2011
Traffic, Booth A12

Traffic takes part in the fifth edition of Art Dubai, set to take place between 16–19 March 2011, at the Madinat Arena, Dubai. Exhibiting artists include Mahmoud Bakhshi, James Clar, Ayman Yossri aka Daydban, Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmed Mater, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Monitor, Hesam Rahmanian, Faisal Samra, Hamza Serafi and UBIK.

For more information and the latest updates, please check www.viatraffic.org
www.magicofpersia.com

Media Queries:
Nina Trojanovic
nina@viatraffic.org

*Image above:
Image courtesy of Traffic.

The State: Uppers and Downers

Works from The Farook Collection

Opening:
Wednesday, 9 February, 7:00pm

Until March 5, 2011

Traffic
179 Umm Suqeim Rd
PO Box 6716 Dubai, UAE
T +9714 347 0209
Sat – Thu 10am – 7pm
www.viatraffic.org

Traffic is pleased to announce its latest exhibition ‘THE STATE: UPPERS & DOWNERS’, featuring works by 23 different artists from The Farook Collection.

The show resumes a conversation initiated by Rami Farook, Emarati Director and Curator of Traffic, about the state of the world today, continuing to observe, document and share. While ‘THE STATE’ – the inaugural exhibition held at Traffic, dealt with the socio-political state post September 11th, ‘THE STATE: UPPERS & DOWNERS’ comments on the current global condition, but from an economic perspective, where the city of Dubai is a focal point.

The financial crisis from 2007 to the present is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Like other world-class capitals, Dubai has felt the crunch of the economic downturn and saw its six-year development boom come to a grinding halt.

Award-winning journalist Jim Krane boldly summarizes Dubai prior to the crash, “…It is capitalism on cocaine, Las Vegas without the gambling. Until its construction boom came to an end in 2009, it was the fastest-growing city in the world. With shimmering skyscrapers hiding gritty 24-hour construction at ground level, its economy outpaced China’s while luring more tourists than all of India…(Dubai) has become an icon of the future, a rising force in the Middle East that impacts on us all.”

Despite the huge blow Dubai’s economy has suffered, it is believed that it will rise again. “Aside from discussing the current economic transmutation and the social transmutation resulting from it, the show also acts as a reminder that all sustainable economies go up and come down. Mark Twain once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme,” and so the cycle continues,” comments Rami Farook.

Artists included in ‘THE STATE: UPPERS & DOWNERS – Works from The Farook Collection’ :

Arwa Abouon – Abbas Akhavan – Rana Begum – James Clar – Shezad Dawood – Cedric Delsaux – D*Face – Cerith Wyn Evans – Lamya Gargash – Abdulnasser Gharem – Mona Hatoum – Runa Islam – Halim Al Karim – Jeffar Khaldi – Dr. Ahmed Mater – Loreta Bilinskaite Monie – Huma Mulji – Robin Rhode – Marwan Sahmarani – Faisal Samra – David Shrigley – Sami Al Turki – Ayman Yossri aka Daydban

Traffic – Created by UAE national collector, curator and art patron Rami Farook, Traffic’s 10,000sqft space offers two gallery spaces – for commercial shows by artists from the region and beyond, and curated highlights from The Farook Collection as well as other private & corporate collections. Other aspects of Traffic include studio space for resident artists such as James Clar, as well as a retail outlet called ‘PRINT’ for contemporary arts publications.

For further media information and interview requests please contact: Nina Trojanovic, Associate Director at nina@viatraffic.org / 009714 3470209

*Image above:
Courtesy of Traffic.

THE STATE and Hit Me With Your War Tune

Traffic, a contemporary art space in Dubai, presents two explosive shows in its recently opened venue in the arts district of Al Quoz.

Gallery I
THE STATE,
Works from The Farook Collection

The inaugural exhibition in Gallery I of Traffic is THE STATE, a dramatic new show featuring a plethora of contemporary artists from the region and the world. Inspired by the post-9/11 world we live in, THE STATE references both the political state as well as our current global condition. The show also sets the agenda for Traffic, pointing towards a focus on collective discourse as well as regional art patronage. Pieces by emerging artists such as Abbas Akhavan and Sara Rahbar, sit side-by-side with established names such as Allora & Calzadilla and Mona Hatoum. Their works explore diverse conceptual ideas and are presented in various media, but all come together to build a highly charged portrait of THE STATE. Curated by Rami Farook, Director of Traffic, THE STATE features 26 works by 16 artists from around the world.

Abbas Akhavan, Sama Alshaibi, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Allora & Calzadilla, Al Braithwaite, James Clar, Shezad Dawood, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Fouad Elkoury, Mounir Fatmi, Daniel & Geo Fuchs, Ramin Haerizadeh, Mona Hatoum, Adam McEwen, Andrei Molodkin, Sara Rahbar.

Gallery II
Hit Me With Your War Tune
by Hesam Rahmanian

Hesam Rahmanian makes his debut at Traffic with Hit Me With Your War Tune, a collection of new paintings that act as a window into a society that, following last year’s events, has been discussed in much detail. His works add colour, both literally and figuratively, to the global understanding of a country that is caught in the midst of various conflicting ideas.

Hesam Rahmanian creates works that encourage social discourse. As an artist born in the US, but raised in and informed by Iran, his work often takes on the turbulent undercurrents at play in his native country. As a child, Rahmanian left the US for Tehran, where in 1991 he apprenticed with the master calligrapher Mohammed Ehsai. He gained a Diploma in Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in 1999 and attended private lessons in drawing and composition from the artist Ahmad Amin Nazar, an experience that exposed him to the work of David Hockney, Egon Schiele and Francis Bacon. Soon after, he headed back to the United States to attain degrees in Applied Art and Graphic Design. With his earlier years spent immersed in drawing and painting in Iran, it was here that he began to explore the worlds of design.

Throughout his exploration of digital media, Rahmanian continued his enthusiastic relationship with paint and canvas. Following a move to Dubai in 2009, Rahmanian took over a studio space with his childhood friends, the noted Iranian artists Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh. Through continuous artistic experimentation and a realisation of his role as an artist in contemporary society, he began to hone his creative voice. His works continued to question hard-line issues such as governmental control and political policy, but they now incorporated satire and wit. ‘Solitaire’—featured in a group show at Galerie Caprice Horn in Berlin—was a direct statement on the powers-at-be in Iran, but was fashioned into a sardonic parody using the imagery of a simple deck of playing cards. This dichotomy between the scathing and the irreverent is a major component of most of Rahmanian’s work.

THE STATE continues until Saturday, 22 January 2011.
Hit Me With Your War Tune continues until Thursday, December 30 2010.

Traffic is open Sunday – Thursday, 10 am – 7 pm. Saturdays, 2 pm – 6 pm.
For more information : info@viatraffic.org
www.viatraffic.org