Doorway to New Worlds of Art
Manuel Chavajay, from the series, “Saq Tak Achik.” Untitled, 2023. Oil on canvas, 140 cm x 200 cm. Credits Extra Gallery.
The transformative power of healing comes to life in Art Dubai’s 2024 Sanación edition of its art section Bawwaba (which means ‘gateway’ in Arabic). Curated by Emilliano Valdés, Chief Curator of the Medellin Museum of Modern Art and Associate Curator for the 10th Gwangju Biennale, this edition poses possibilities for a world where the positive rays of individual healing shine ever so brightly on the world around us—creating a better society and a more hopeful collective future. The exhibition—as do all of Bawwaba’s editions—emphasizes this concept through the fresh perspectives and works of ten artists based in the Global South, from countries such as India, Argentina, Guatemala, Palestine, and many more.
The Ithraeyat Editorial Team spoke with the curator of Sanación about these limitless possibilities, and with Pablo Del Val, Artistic Director of Art Dubai, about Bawwaba’s wider role in amplifying fresh voices in the global art space.
Abul Hisham, Silent whispers (Tryptic), 2023, Acrylic on linen and wood, 190 x 180 cm. Courtesy of the Artist and Secci.
Valdés explores the intersection of personal growth and collective healing, as well as the role of art in that equation. “I have been on a personal journey of discovery and search over the last several years, as I think many of us in the world have been as well,” he said, beginning to respond to why he decided to choose healing as a central theme for Bawwaba’s 2024 edition.
“I think we are finally, as a society, realizing that violence, trauma, and many other issues in life are not okay, and that we need the space to deal with and address these issues in life,” he added. “Life is incredible, but it is also challenging and full of hurt. I think art can help us live better, more fully, and more at peace with ourselves and others.”
The invitation to curate this edition came to Valdés at a time when he was intensely and carefully thinking about this idea of personal growth and its effect on the bigger and much wider circumstances around us. “We are at a moment where paradigms are shifting, causing us to evaluate how we live, what our values are, and what is important. I wondered if the work of these artists, which speaks of spiritual growth and societal change—can help us go through this gateway,” he said.
Mirna Bamieh. Sour Things: The Kitchen. Details. 2023. Courtesy of NIKA Project Space. Photo by Ivan Erofeev.
The closest translation of Sanación in English is healing; a translation —as Valdés notes— that does not encapsulate the wider, much more holistic connotation the Spanish word holds. “I decided to keep the Spanish title due to its more holistic meaning, and also because this section focuses on art from the Global South, so why would it be translated to English, you know?”
The curator explores the relationship between individual inner healing and universal outer healing, but not in the superficial way widely promoted today, where internal transformation is said to automatically have an impact on the outside world. The exhibition attempts to explore internal healing as a source of healing for the world at large through active practice and application and by using art as a vehicle in that process.
Valdés refers to a saying that is commonly misattributed to Gandhi: “Gandhi never actually said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. He said something much more profound, nuanced and closer to the universal law of ‘as above, so below’.
“If you are empathetic, compassionate, respectful, and love your own self, you will be able to project that onto others. I don’t think it’s possible to affect that kind of change in the world if you don’t do the work.”
Nicolas Janowski, Zorro, 2014. Archival Print. 70x105. Courtesy of the artist and Invernizzi Art Lab.
As with every other edition of Bawwaba, Sanación features artists hailing from across the Global South—providing viewers with a gateway to their ideas, emotions, and much needed new and diverse perspectives. “The works of artists in this region are not as revered as those by artists in Europe, for example, and it’s not because they are less than them. It’s because they need a stronger structure to support them and make sure they are well-represented.
“We can do this by working hard at supporting them and making them a priority in this space,” Valdés said.
One of the exhibiting artists from Palestine, Mirna Bamieh, explores fermentation in her artwork; a metaphor for caring for and preserving national heritage by creating spaces for discussions that could hopefully, to a certain degree, help solve or progress social and political issues. Meanwhile, Reinata Sadimba, a Mozambican artist, finds healing in ceramics, and uses them to cope with her own personal trauma.
“Art, in this way, can be thought of as therapy. I think there is resistance to the idea of art as therapy, but I think there are many ways of seeing art. If it can be used as an instrument to address something, then we should allow that,” he commented.
Assume Vivid Astro Focus (AVAF). Parada Vertical. 2023. Acrylic on duplex corrugated kraft paper. 203x172x4cm. Courtesy of ©avafstudio and Baró Galeria.
Bawwaba is Art Dubai’s section for underrepresented artists. Beginning in 2019, and completing four editions thus far, the section has brought renowned scholars and curators from around the globe to celebrate art from the Global South. In the last several years, and with the advent of technology and increased social awareness, there has been a push towards cultivating a world where art is no longer dominated by the works of Western artists, nor beholden to Western ideas of what contemporary art should look like.
Pablo del Val, Art Dubai’s Artistic Director, said: “Many of the artists in Bawwaba are exhibiting at a major art fair for the first time, which brings fresh perspectives and narratives to the market, and they often become points of interest and discovery for collecting audiences.
“In many ways, this section is emblematic of our commitment to showcasing the underrepresented, injecting dynamism and continually adding to the canon of contemporary art.”
Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai. Capturing a Moment is a Skill to be Learnt from the Light (Ek pal ko qaid karne ka hunar roshni se koi seekhe). 2023. Papier-mâché, acrylic and graphite on Manjarpat Fabric. 47 x 40 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blueprint12.
Reinata Sadimba, Untitled, 2023_Installation With Three Masks In Ceramic And Graphite, 58.5x43.5x4cm, Courtesy of Perve Galeria.
Manjot Kaur. Riding on the Clouds with My Beloved. 2024. Gouache and watercolor on wasli paper. 18 x 25 inches. Courtesy of LATITUDE 28 and the Artist.
Laxmipriya Panigrahi. Land of Happiness I. 2022. Watercolor on paper. 60 x 36 inches. Courtesy of the Artist and Anant Art Gallery.
Debashish Paul. 2024, Kolkata. Acrylic and ink on paper. Overall size variable. 8.3 x 5.3 in approx. each, Suite of 8 works. Courtesy of the Artist and Emami Art.
