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Mina Zayed is no longer what it was, and it’s not yet what it is intended to be. It lives, as photographer Finn-Murray Jones describes it in an essay, in “suspended existence”, hovering between its past as a key trading port and its future as a commercial and tourism hub.
In the Warehouse421 exhibition Mina Zayed: Reflections on Past Futures, 11 artists explore this liminal state, the port’s surrounding infrastructure and the communities that give life to the neighbourhood. At the heart of the show is the examination of place – how it is created, recreated and defined, and by whom.
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Can you name a few Filipino artists living in the UAE? If you are at a loss, a new artist collective hopes to change that, starting with its first exhibition in Dubai.
Sa Tahanan Collective – “at home” in Tagalog – is run by Augustine Paredes and
Anna Bernice De Los Reyes. It aims to direct more visibility towards Filipino talent, and also help those individuals find each other.
The ethos was just wanting Filipinos in the Middle East, particularly artists in Dubai, to take up space, and introducing Filipino artistry and creativity to this city
Augustine Paredes
“The ethos was just wanting Filipinos in the Middle East, particularly artists in Dubai, to take up space, and introducing Filipino artistry and creativity to this city,” Paredes says.
Do You See Me How I See You? features 11 artists from places such as the UAE, the US, Switzerland, Philippines, Kuwait and India, namely Ahmad Bouholaigah, Ashay Bhave, Augustine Paredes, Esmat Rabi, Layan Attari, Maxime Cramatte of Satwa 3000, Mohamed Khalid, Rakan Ghresi, Rami Farook, Sultan Khamis Al Remeithi and Benton himself. Their works range from video and photography to installations and sculpture.
Benton, who is American, had put together the show after meeting with Rami Farook, a fellow artist and art collector who runs maisan15. Farook was looking to put on an art exhibit in the space that would be curated by an emerging artist, curator or critic. Benton fit the bill and conceptualised Do You See Me How I See You?, making it the second official exhibition at the space.