Louvre Abu Dhabi's first exhibition of the year will focus on abstract and calligraphic works across various cultures and time periods.
More than 80 artworks from 16 partner institutions are included in the show Abstraction and Calligraphy – Towards a Universal Language, which will open on February 17, with creations by Dia Azzawi, Mona Hatoum, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly.
Many of the pieces will be shown for the first time in the region.
Abstraction and Calligraphy – Towards a Universal Language
Organised in four themed sections, the exhibition charts the development of abstraction in visual art since the early 20th century. Influenced by signs, symbols and philosophies from outside of the western canon, these abstract movements bear elements and artistic techniques from various cultures and societies.
In the first section, the show looks at how symbolic figurative images, including hieroglyphics, inspired artists such as Klee. It also explores how inscriptions and calligraphy have been reinterpreted by artists such as Azzawi and Anwar Jalal Shemza.
The second section delves into signs and their use in the abstract works of Kandinsky, for example, as he sought to express universal ideas. Many artists of the time turned east, to Japan and China, to borrow elements from calligraphers in those traditions.
In the next section, which is devoted to lineaments, the show considers how western artists such as Pollock, Philip Guston and Willem de Kooning turned to abstraction and expressionism as a way to break away from convention and explore the subjective experience.
The final section investigates how calligraphy was influential among both western and eastern artists. This includes works by regional artists Shakir Hassan Al Said and Sliman Mansour, who sought to expand the technique’s use beyond its linguistic purposes.
Additionally, this section includes two original artworks by French-Tunisian artist eL Seed, who lives in Dubai, and Pakistani street artist Sanki King. Both are known for fusing calligraphy and graffiti in their works.
The pair will present large-scale installations that venture into new visual forms and also speak to the museum programming’s theme of cultural exchange.
This exhibition, which runs until June, marks the continued collaboration between Louvre Abu Dhabi and Centre Pompidou. It will also feature loans from Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Musee du Louvre in Paris, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and The McKee Gallery in New York, among others.
More information is available at louvreabudhabi.ae
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
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![Vassily Kandinsky, 'Trente [Thirty]' (1937), oil on canvas. Courtesy Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Philippe Migeat](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/635GF6XYW6LPFG3GOIS4VGZHCU.jpg?smart=true&auth=55ac553d892b6a6ba926fc358e2360ec7e1055f3e2795fd78ef20a5536454469&width=800&height=654)
