Over a nine-month residency programme, eighteen artists were engaged in rich monthly debates with curators and researchers that helped to shape a diverse assemblage of artistic approaches from inception all the way to their final form as artworks. The ultimate identity of the exhibition was formed according to these juxtapositions and similarities among the artists, as well as the exchange of ideas, methodologies, and visions.
The dual concepts of modernism and the contemporary will always be a topic of debate with regards to the boundaries between the two. In their search for answers, and by resorting to contemporary ideas and tools, resident artists also created artworks that drew inspiration from pioneer modern Arab artists, thereby exploring various changes in artistic methodologies over time. Some of the contemporary artists’ ideas came as an extension, as well as an answer to works by those pioneers, while others appear to question or be in contrast to the modernists. However, all newly executed artworks identify with the masterpieces from the Mathaf collection, and constitute beautiful counterpoints that incite the imagination.
This exhibition was curated by Dr. Bahaa Abudaya.
