Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi’s home-grown arts and design centre, has announced its programme for the month of June.
The June’s events include the opening of the new exhibition Lest We Forget: The Universality of Family Photographs, workshops on photography and mixed media, as well as the return of the popular ‘Khayal’ reading session for children, and the two-day Creative Weekend providing insights into Warehouse421’s curated exhibition, Nomadic Traces: Journeys of Arabian Scripts.
In partnership with Lest We Forget, this month will see the opening of Warehouse421’s latest exhibition, Lest We Forget: The Universality of Family Photographs on 12th June, running until 28th July. Created by the Spanish artist, Maria Jose Rodriguez Escolar, and curated by Dr. Michael Bambling, the exhibition unifies disparate photographs taken by unrelated families from the UAE and Spain, exploring the common universalities which are woven through these disconnected fragments of strangers’ lives. It seeks to open a moment of recognition of images that represent relationships which resonate deeply with each individual.
On 15th June, audiences seeking to interrogate the interwoven narrative between the real and the imagined within the art of photography will be able to participate in an all-day workshop titled Drawing from Photographs: Graphite, Charcoal with Glazes, which will be held by the artist behind the Lest We Forget’s latest exhibition, Maria Jose Rodriguez Escolar. The workshop will refine participants’ ability to create evocative drawings inspired by photographs, using mediums including charcoal, graphite and glaze washes for an intensive six hour session. This workshop is welcome to those aged 16 and above.
Moreover, Warehouse421 will be convening a two-day Creative Weekend that will provide new insights into the extensive research and production process that went into the making of the Nomadic Traces: Journeys of Arabian Scripts exhibition, running until 28th July. The activities, which are set to take place 21st and 22nd June, will feature an engaging mix of hands-on workshops and moderated panel discussions that are all open to the public, in order to discuss topics related to pre-Islamic written cultural heritage, and its pertinence to contemporary art and design in the Middle East, the role of writing and calligraphy within Islamic material culture, and the potential for art and graphic design to communicate regional cultural narratives.
In addition, artist Hind Hany will lead a workshop titled All Mixed Up: Mixed Media Portraiture, focusing on creative compositions which use mixed media, stepping beyond acrylic or oil. It will introduce participants to a variety of painting techniques, alongside sharing various textures and medias to help them create their own compositions. The workshop will run for two consecutive evenings from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm on 25th and 26th June, and are open to those aged 12 and above.
For young readers, 29th June will see the final instalment of the ‘Khayal’ series, held in collaboration with Early Starters. For this month, children will be able to hear UAE-based author Christina Gonzales read her book Toby and the Falcon. Toby, a toy poodle, moves from the United States to the UAE and finds a feathered friend to overcome their problems. Held from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, the event will see a number of travel-themed activities inspired by the book and a special meet-and-greet with Toby the dog in real life. Children aged between 4 and 12 are welcome to this free event, if accompanied by an adult.
