Art Fair ~ Abu Dhabi

Road trip!!!  That's right ~ 4 crazy women from Dubai hopped a bus and headed to the Art Fair in Abu Dhabi!!!  

Upon arrival in the city, we hit three exhibits.  First, in the Fairmont Hotel, we enjoyed the work of three distinctive artists.  Each woman, using a different medium, expressed her feelings about living in the UAE.  My personal favorite was Emily Gordan.  She was a multi-media artist who layered her work under a special resin.  It was vibrant, colorful, and of course: blingy!!!

 

The second artist used what looked like water-color.  And just a hint of bling (not sure if the sparkles are glinting in this picture)!

The third artist had a different 'slant' on the UAE ~ 

Another mixed-media piece ~ I couldn't help but think of my friend, Kathy McConnell, when I looked at these pieces ... 

At the second gallery, we saw a series inspired by the Formula One races and speed! 

But even racing has to have .... Bling!!!! 

This was my favorite:

Our third gallery stop had some very interesting pieces. In the entryway was a painting by a Canadian woman who has made her home in the UAE. Absolutely LOVED her work: 

If you look closely, you can see an Arabic word in the negative space between the shattered crystals: "Truth" 

Unlike our Art Bus tour of Dubai last year, this tour in Abu Dhabi was not all about hopping on and off the bus. After these first three gallery stops, we headed to the fantastic Manarat Al Saadiyat: a gorgeous venue under a copper, sand dune shaped roof, where they even rolled out the red carpet for us!

Housed under the 'dunes' roof were the works of what seemed like a gabajillion artists with displays ranging from oils and acrylics to cast iron sculptures to video productions. This simple video piece had quite the soothing effect (and I could be wrong about what it is exactly.... maybe it was computer generated... not sure, but they were all very cool!) ~ 

I had mixed feelings about this work of art: I loved that beauty is all around us in the nature, but I was a bit disturbed thinking of all the butterflies that gave up wings for this wonder.... 

And here are the four Lovelies ~

This man's work was a feast for the eyes ~ I loved the enamel work ~ 

And lots of modern art in the UAE ~ 

This woman was showcasing photographs of Indian holy women ~ women who thereby simply 'don't exist' because it is not believed that women can be moved by the spirit.... 

As a woman who loves texture, I was drawn to this 'paper' creation. It reminded me of the lovely work I collected in Colombia ~ 

And because this exhibit was in the UAE, and everything in the UAE is bigger than anywhere else.... there had to be a GIANT photobooth!!!! See the poster-sized picture spitting out at the top?

Next are my two favorites for the day. First, an elegant, sensual painting all in black. ALL in black ~ no shading or tinting. The 'picture' is visible only because of the way the light plays on the artist's brush strokes!

And finally, the piece de resistance! As I came around a corner and headed toward the 'painting' at the far end of the walkway, I noticed that it was... moving! As I swayed from right to left, the walls in this painting actually moved with me!! I walked closer and closer, mesmerized by the movement, until my nose almost touched.... the pyramidal protrusion on this three-dimensional sculpture!!!!!!! It was an optical illusion that held my fascination for the rest of the day!!!!! 

I tried to take of video... not sure if it conveys what I felt: 

Oh, if only I had $98,000 to spend.... 

Here's one hot, tired, (almost) patron of the arts!

Dinner for Two over Eid

I didn't travel anywhere for Eid al adha, but I did do things around my own neighborhood. Like going to the Dubai Mall with Christina for a day of book shopping, designer clothes gawking, and dining with a view.

The only problem, we discovered..... IT'S COLD IN DUBAI RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!

But, as the brave women we are, we trudged ahead. And look who we met along the way? Sculpted by Syrian artist Lutfi Romhein, ‘Together’ features two sculptures – that of an Arab man and an Arab woman, chiselled to perfection. They represent the Arab dignity and individuality.

"Together"

But this was our destination on this chilly November day:

Maybe because we live in the desert, or may be it's just a mall thing, but water features are big here. Here is one of the BIG water features of the Dubai Mall [warning: viewer may experience vertigo.]

But here is the BIGGEST water feature at the Dubai Mall (and the one I secretly came here to take in):

The Dubai Aquarium!

The aquarium at the Dubai Mall

See that huge ray? He was the largest ray in the tank, and he was beautiful!! I loved the way the edges of his.... um, whatevertheyarecalled, rippled as he glided by. I could have watched him for hours!!

And here is my favorite fish ~ not sure what he is, and the photo does not do justice to his coloring. This big fish was a lovely bluish-green color. LOVED this one!!!

Eventually Christina dragged me away and we did some book and clothes shopping. It was hard work, though, and so we decided to stick around the mall for dinner. On the terrace. Overlooking the souk and under the Burj Khalifa and in view of the water fountain show.

See here we are at our table under the Burj...

Oh, wait. Didn't get it all ~ here:

And as we dined, we were serenaded by music and a fountain show ~

And as the sun set...

This video clip is from YouTube, but as you can see, it was shot right from our dinner table!!!!

Good night, Dubai!!

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi

Well, it took me a year, but I finally made it up to Abu Dhabi to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This mosque was built under the guidance of HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Artists from many countries incorporated designs from various religions when designing the Grand Mosque. It is also unique in that it is open to the public, so Christina, Kelly & her mom, and I went to check it out!


The Grand mosque is built on a bit of a hill so that it is the first thing you see when entering Abu Dhabi, and the last as you leave. It is quite impressive.









Our hilarious guide, Abdullah, showed us around ~



In keeping with Islamic tradition, there are no pictures of people in the designs, but instead some of the most beautiful and intricate arabesques and caligraphy ~






Oh, and flowers ~ Did I mention the flowers? Everywhere! On the columns and on the walkways!










But the beauty doesn't stop at the doors ~







There are more flowers inside! On the floor and on the walls!


















Even the chandeliers are reminiscent of flowers ~






Before praying, however, Muslims participate in a ritualistic cleansing. And in this mosque, the Ablution Room is just as gorgeous as any other part ~





And outside the doors ~ more flowers!





Once cleansed, a Muslim can enter the prayer room ~ In this mosque, the main prayer room can hold up to 7,000 worshipers ~






On this wall are the 99 names that can be used for Allah. And on the right is the pulpit in which the Imam stands when delivering his 'sermon'





More flowers on the columns in here too!



On special occasions, when the main prayer room will be filled, only men go in there and then women are able to pray in this smaller room. About 3,000 women can fit in here. This room is particularly lovely. The flowers of the carpet are mirrored in the floral design on the ceiling!









Oh, did I mention that we all had to dress in abayas and shaylas for our tour?




Although many Muslims now rely on such conveniences as iPray to make their required 5 prayers a day, this mosque has a flowery clock that shows not only the names of each prayer, but the time for each, as dictated by the position of the sun in the sky.