ABU DHABI // The influential Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor has described the project to bring the Guggenheim Mueum to Saadiyat Island as "internationally significant", saying it could be the catalyst that enables the Middle East to one day challenge the cultural wonders of Europe.
"It symbolises the fact there is no longer one cultural centre in the world, a position held, at least emotionally, by Europe," he said.
Mr Kapoor, who was born in Mumbai and whose work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, was speaking in an interview ahead of his appearance tomorrow at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Series. Distinguished figures from the fields of arts and academics will talk about the role and aims of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in a programme of presentations and panel discussions starting today.
Mr Kapoor, who will discuss the role of the artist and the process of creating art, said the Saadiyat Island project would bring much more than art to the country.
"It's a great opening up of what we've learned about culture," he said. "It reminds us all that culture reawakens interesting things like feeling like a citizen; it gives a sense of belonging, it renews intellectual endeavour, poetic endeavour. There shouldn't be anywhere in the world where this is absent."
Designed by the architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim will be the largest of a number of planned cultural institutions on Saadiyat Island, the epicentre of the emirate's cultural renaissance. Completion is scheduled for 2013.
The series is part of the ongoing Talking Art programme that brings artists to the city. Among the other artists attending is Jeff Koons, an American whose controversial pop art includes Puppy, a 43ft tall topiarian sculpture of a West Highland Terrier made from a variety of flowers, and a life-size gold-leaf-plated statue of the singer Michael Jackson cuddling his pet chimpanzee. The Palestinian installation artist Mona Hartoum is scheduled to give a talk on Monday.
Mr Kapoor, who has lived for three decades in London, is renowned for his enigmatic sculptural forms. His work is displayed around the world. He defended Abu Dhabi's decision to import art and established brands, such as the Guggenheim and the Louvre.
"In a place like Toronto, just say, where they have had two revitalised museums in less than five years, it's just like this part of the Arab world," he said. "Canada has its culture, but not all the art in those museums is Canadian. The idea that one would only be interested in art because it comes from where you are is ridiculous."
Often larger than life, Mr Kapoor's sculptures tend to be monochromatic, curved, and composed of reflective materials.
"The artist is a particular kind of thing," he said. "Art is not a linear process, but it's one through which things are discovered rather than objects being made. The job of the artist is excavating slices of life."
On his agenda for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Series is a discussion about the process through which an idea is carried to term. A better understanding of the artist and the artistic process, he said, can lead to a stronger appreciation of art.
"The process is a long-term engagement with certain issues that slowly come to have physical form."
One of his best known projects, the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park, is one such example. Discussions about this installation began about seven years before it was completed.
"It's truly a 21st-century object in that it's impossible to make," Mr Kapoor said. "Making it happen was having a vision, holding on to that idea. And it's the same with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi."
He sees Saadiyat Island in the same way he approaches a big project or idea: ambitious, larger than life, possible.
"What's important in this context," Mr Kapoor said, "seems to be the mood in which a cultural endeavour can change the way we see the world. In its own way it's like the art equivalent of putting a man on the moon. It's taking the human spirit forward."
@Email:jhume@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
