.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

Now and then I think of when we were together; an opening line that most will identify as the song that sounds a little like Sting and Katy Perry, but in reality is Gotye’s 'Somebody That I Used To Know'. As an art student in Mr Tate's class, we have to put up with a lot of music. Some good, mostly bad, yet, occasionally we stumble upon amazing finds like Lana Del Ray and Gotye.

The artistic essence of Gotye's music video is intriguing. It is simplistic yet it still manages to leave us watching a naked man with shaggy hair sing directly at the camera for four minutes. As he sings, Gotye begins to blend into the background; his flesh tone disappears and instead is replaced by harsh hues of brown, white and grey. Whilst one may question the relevance of the video others may suggest that his progressive fading may be a metaphor for how he is becoming insignificant to the person [that he used to know]. An artist called Cecilia Paredes similarly camouflages human figures and blends them into walls using paint. Paredes brings a jarring reaction; when I first saw the photographs my mind registered that something was ‘not quite right’ but could not place it immediately.

Paredes’ art must be appreciated due to the time consuming nature of each piece and the absolute dedication they must require. Every figure is perfectly executed and positioned. Not to mention the actual subject who has to endure hours of painting and then remain absolutely still for the perfect photo. Other artists who may identify with Paredes’ determination are Liu Bolin and Emma Hack who spend hours executing similar pieces.

Body Painting is a contemporary expression of art that has seen artists straying from the traditional canvas and physically using the human form as a way of expressing their art instead. Body painting, quite literally, takes a step further in the form of Jenai Chin’s shoes of which he designed for New York Magazine’s article ‘You Walk Wrong’. Taking familiar brands like ‘Adidas’ and ‘Louboutin’s’ Chin paints a shoe on skin so intricately that at first glance anyone would mistake it for the real thing. Bizarre and obscure, without reading the article and just regarding the feet as works of art they may evoke a comical reaction at first. However, their message may be quite the opposite. Perhaps Chin is commenting on the material obsession that has taken over the human race. The beauty of the shoes lie within their own ambiguity, after-all they are merely painted feet, ultimately, it is up to you to decide what their significance is.

Paredes, Bolin, Hack and Chin all seem to share one common interest: shocking the public. Though the themes and issues they deal with are not obvious at first glance, they still manage to capture the attention of whoever notices them. To me, this encapsulates all that art strives to be: thought provoking.

This weekend I found myself staring at a man sitting in a room. My mum and I were walking through the DIFC after some Chinese at Royal China, (…and I don’t mean to do Jo’s job but if you haven’t had Royal China yet, you should. It’s actually incredible!) and my mum stops me and says, “How amazing is this?” not seeing anything, I say, “What?” and she points at a balding man sitting on a chair in a room with his back facing us. I couldn’t understand what was so amazing about it, the man had obviously got tired of looking at the art work and decided to sit, or perhaps he was staring profoundly at one of the pieces, either way, I’d seen a man sitting before and could think of far more interesting things for me to be doing on a Friday.

My mum insists, “No. Come closer and look.” So I give in and walk towards the glass and I must admit it takes me a long time to process it but it isn’t a man at all. It’s a sculpture. The body language of the piece is one of the most convincing aspects; he is positioned in such a casual way that yes, to the average eye, they would walk by without even looking up. To me, this is the magnificence of the piece. This goes against what most artists strive for; most endeavour to attract people to look at their pieces, like Pollock with his vivid colours` of splashed paint or Lichtenstein with his enormous onomatopoeic words. The beauty of Marc Sijan’s work lies within its own subtlety, the fact that you can just walk straight past it shows how perfectly executed each figure is. Sijan modestly comments that a work can take up to six months to accomplish and that he usually uses up to twenty five layers of oil paint to create pigments of skin and the various textures and wrinkles on the body.

Suddenly intrigued, I went to another window (the gallery was unfortunately closed) and I saw another figure dressed as a security guard standing next to the door. It was actually quite eerie how realistic his features were, the skin had creases at the elbows and his face had laugh lines and crow’s feet. It was the tiny details that made the figures so effective, elevating them above the famous Madame Tussaud’s wax figures that everyone knows and loves. In this instance Sijan took ‘ordinary’ people and preserved them, giving their lives significance and meaning.

There was something haunting about the way I just stood there waiting for the figures to stand, laugh or even breathe. It seemed strange being able to stare so long and hard at a person and not feel the need to look away due to the constraints of the unwritten law: ‘do not stare at strangers’. I was free to stare at this person all I wanted, free to pass judgments, to establish life stories; it was liberating to be able to observe, what looked like, another human being so closely without seeming crazy.

Sijan is famous to have said that he is, “Seeking to freeze motion rather than to suggest life.” And also commented that, “The sculpture appears passive, but there is much going on inside.” Sijan encapsulates motion and life perfectly and though the sculpture may appear passive, up close it is undeniable as to HOW much is ‘going on inside’. To me, his works are breathtaking and I found that it was absolutely worth spending my Friday afternoon staring at them – even if it was through a window! Now that the weather’s nice, take advantage and walk around, you never know what you might walk past, and maybe even notice.

Ok… Some of you may be thinking ‘Why on earth have these awful posters appeared on the website?’. That is exactly what I thought when I was shown the posters by Mr Bernaz in my French lessons this year. Although I do not believe that in any way, shape or form these posters are true (as Mr Bernaz would tell you, we have discussed them heatedly!), I do think they are hilarious! Upon closer inspection, I found that they actually motivate me more to succeed rather than (as perhaps intended!) feeling like I have lost the will to live!! Let me know what you think…

I don’t mean to boast, but I like to think as far as Art Exhibitions go, I know my stuff. I have been to exhibitions in London, New York, Beirut, Munich (…Just to name a few) But I have to admit, I have honestly never been more amazed than when I went to an exhibition two weeks ago. Where? Right here, in Dubai. I was out to Friday lunch with my family in the DIFC and I happened to stumble upon a magnificent exhibition that I have not been able to stop thinking about.

At first I didn’t even notice them there, they almost blended into the architectural background however, when I did – I couldn’t take my eyes off them. ‘They’ are an installation of sculptures that are balancing on a fine tightrope. The figures are all placed in different, and what would seem, impossible positions that just have you thinking ‘How on Earth…?” It’s not like they are captivatingly beautiful, quite the opposite, some are grotesque; they look like freaks, bending and contorting in ways that look like circus acts rather than classical works of art. Nevertheless, it was my curiosity that had me rooted to the spot and asking myself endless metaphorical questions. Admittedly, it took me about five minutes to figure out that no, there weren’t any invisible strings attached and, no, it wasn’t magnets. It is just a lone little bolt in the fulcrum (the very centre of the sculpture.)

I find it amazing how science and art have been enemies for centuries yet ironically they seem so intertwined. From this installation it is absolutely clear we cannot have one without the other. Jerzy Jotka Kedziora is the Polish artist who has managed to achieve this with absolute harmony. His solid sculptures achieve elegance and a mysterious allure that not a single observer can deny. ‘Jotka’ believes that, “Balance is the fourth dimension of the universe.” And I definitely agree with him, without balance, the world would be chaos.

I pride myself on being accepting of most forms of art however I must admit, one movement I am not too keen on is: Installation Art. However, this exhibition managed to change my whole perception of it. I guess I learnt my lesson, don’t judge anything too soon because you never really know the potential it has to surprise you.

Art is the mirror of a culture and its world view. This statement applies no less perfectly to the art of the Islamic world. Islamic Art represents the Muslim outlook on life, their spirituality and the universe as a whole.

The Muslim belief is of one God – ‘Allah’. He is the All Knowing, Most Merciful and the Loving. The beauty of this simple belief of one Higher Being brings the Muslims together in harmony. This has given Islamic Art its sensational spiritual nature.

In Islamic Art, tessellated shapes are frequently used to symbolize this harmony. Muslims are thought to work together or fit together, similar to the shapes in the patterns. As if to send a message that following Islam is easy and balanced.

The Qur’anic calligraphy found in the mosques is an important aspect of Islamic culture because of the Muslims’ profound love and respect for Allah and the Qur’an. The arabesque and calligraphic character of the words reinforce this spiritual atmosphere the art projects.

History of Islamic Art
Islamic architecture and decorative arts are alive from all over the Islamic world, from North Africa to Asia. Islamic Art can come in the forms of architecture, embroidery, decoration and jewellery. Nowadays the Islamic patterns and designs are also translated onto rugs as well as pouches.

“God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty” –said by the Prophet Mohammed (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) some 1400 years ago.

The United Arab Emirates
As a Dubai resident we are surrounded by Islamic artwork and not only gain appreciation towards it but for the artier ones among us- inspiration. Islamic artwork really portrays this peaceful and truthful nature of the religion. It evokes what it is really about; harmony and balance. From the stunning architecture of the Jumeirah Mosque to the rich dark blue calligraphy found on ornamental plates in bazaars, we always feel rather spiritual when admiring Islamic Art.

By Yasmin Adib