In the ten years since her MFA, this artist has had 22 solo exhibitions at museums and galleries around the world. This catalogue marks the occasion of her first solo show in the Middle East, at the Art Gallery of NYU Abu Dhabi—a new exhibition venue dedicated to museum-quality exhibitions and scholarly, timely publications.
Three essays frame Al-Hadid’s work in contrasting perspectives: a global authority on the Northern Renaissance, Reindert Falkenburg, reflects on Al-Hadid’s piece Phantom Limb—itself rich with Renaissance allusions—through the lens of his own training as an art historian; the Guggenheim curator and scholar of Middle Eastern contemporary art Sara Raza writes about Al-Hadid’s work as it intersects with architectural history and contemporary art practices; and finally, Alistair Rider, a historian of modern sculpture, expands the discussion to review her larger practice, in particular as she connects the materiality of her work to the ephemerality of memory and history.
About the Artist
Diana Al-Hadid is a Syrian-American artist whose works of ephemeral materiality have gained international acclaim. At once enigmatic and monumental, her unconventional use of materials such as polymer gypsum, wax and gold leaf are fused with filtered references of visual histories, ranging from Hellenistic sculpture and Greek and Arab mythology to Northern Renaissance painting.
Al-Hadid was among the 18 artists and collectives whose works were included in the ‘Second Hand’ exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre from July 3 to November 23, 2019.
About the Author
Having curated numerous exhibitions, Maya Allison is Founding Director of the art galleries and Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BA in Art History from Reed College and was awarded a research fellowship on curatorial practices at Brown University’s Center for Public Humanities.
About the Publisher
An international publisher known for quality fine art publishing around the world, Skira publishes over 250 new titles each year. Additionally, aside from publishing catalogues for major global events, the company is also, and above all, the most important player in Italy in the fields of exhibition conception and production.
