Art gets smart

In what ways do you hope to advance the arts and culture industry in the region?

Al-Shroogi:The idea with Cuadro was to go beyond being a gallery; we want it to be an arts centre and give something back to the community. There is 1300ft² of exhibition space, a lecture hall for 100-120 people; a video screening room for 45-50 people; and a resident’s studio.

I also think that until we have the real museums in Dubai, we as galleries are the custodians of the arts, so it’s up to us to be able to conserve our artwork, so we have a dedicated art restoration room and a full-time restorer starting in January, who will take on local apprentices.

Al Falasi:I think the DIFC speaks for itself; you’ve witnessed all the activities and initiatives we have been involved in.

We have three galleries that have opened up at The Gate Village and three set to open, plus we try and encourage more exhibitors and private exhibitions, and work with Art Dubai and the DCAA.

Collins:The Majlis Gallery wasn’t really set up as a commercial organisation; I think the intrinsic value of what we have to offer here is this environment of art in the Bastakiya rather than it being a fully commercial enterprise.

And that fulfils us; so here we stay despite the strictures of having survived so many different kinds of challenges; the structure itself, parking etc.

There’s always been an ‘on the edge’ about the Bastakiya; it’s always been hanging on with our fingertips, hoping that what we are doing is going to have some significant relationship to the survival of this area as a cultural area.

Fortunately, with the support of the government, and all of our colleagues and our clients, we’ve nearly got to the top of the mountain.

Al Nabooda:The DCAA is here to address everything this sector needs to flourish. We are a government employee; we don’t say we know everything, but we know how to get things done and delivered right and where we have always been successful is to work with the expert who knows his field.

We know it’s going to take decades to realise this trend and what we feel is best is to keep growth organically taking place in Dubai; we’re just going to speed it up Dubai speed.

This is a point where we are proud about Dubai; it’s not that we’re coming and engineering culture, it’s just been overshadowed before. Regarding the Bastakiya, we want it to be the most comprehensive cultural destination in the world and want this to be an open-door museum. I think the struggling days are over.

We want to address local talents and look at the teething issues culture is facing in Dubai and that’s why I’m here at this roundtable, more to listen than speak, and rest assured, my notes will be taken very seriously and immediately we’ll look at how to realise these things. We’d rather walk and then talk. What are you doing in terms of education at your facility or initiative?

Trelford:At Art Dubai, we’ve realised what an important component education is in the arts industry here. We set up the Global Art Forum (GAF), which is a three-day forum where speakers from around the world debate the arts industry in the Middle East.

We also have regular education programmes throughout the year, run an internship programme with local universities and run a charitable programme for children called Start. We run a summer school at The Jam Jar in Dubai and also have a base in Oman and Jordan for workshops.

Thompson:Our education department at SMD is probably the busiest department because we’ve gone from having nothing to a having dedicated team; we had tour guides at the museum for 10 years but no actual education department.

Last year we built an indoor excavation for children, so they can learn the principles of archaeology thorough actually excavating, digging up pots and recording them, so that’s very successful. And then we’ve got family workshops every weekend at a different museum in Sharjah and we have gallery talks twice a month for adults.

All the schools have a workshop programme so they come here during school hours with teachers. It’s really active and it’s really exciting because before SMD was set up school buses would come to the museum but the children weren’t engaged and having fun.

I think our education drive is making it easier for people to experience a museum and it’s going in the right direction; we have return visitors who are telling their friends so word of mouth is good.

Weber:At The Third Line, we see our role as providing educational opportunities and the chance to talk and connect with emerging artists. It’s important to offer events, like film screenings, not only because you’re able to do that very important educational aspect, but because there is no art house cinema in Dubai, so people who are interested in cinema and then hear about a film we are showing will also be introduced to The Third Line as a gallery.

How else can the industry encourage more people to get involved in the arts?

Collins:I’m wondering about this word ‘fun’; we’ve all been terribly serious. That’s the essence of a lot that we’re talking about. This is the leisure industry; we’ve got to make people relaxed and happy. Art galleries are not just for serious intellectuals.

Al-Shroogi: No matter what we say, the art gallery can still be a bit of an intimidating place – walking in can be difficult for some people – so we try as much as possible to be as friendly as we can and non-intimidating to our visitors.

Epaud:If you want Dubai to be one of the top centres for art in the MENA region you should see more art in the streets.

In Jeddah, there are 680 sculptures from some of the top artists and of course the local and regional ones. We need to look at how to make art more present throughout the city.

Al Tabari:A great idea would be once a month or once every two weeks to send out an email shot and get people to come to the DIFC. We’d have some catering, maybe a musician, and all the galleries would be open as normal but this would be a way of encouraging people to come. We could also have some artists that display their work outside.

Another thing that is good is for galleries to bring in moving exhibitions.

Thompson:The Tate Gallery is bringing an exhibition to Sharjah next year; that’s getting a lot of exposure.

Bashar:We’ve had people coming in and saying ‘I’m going to have lunch in front of my painting, is that ok?’ They come in with their lunchboxes, it’s not their painting, they haven’t bought it, but they’ll have lunch in front of their favourite painting and that’s fine.

Trelford:That could possibly be the beginning of lunchtime lectures in art galleries and museums.

How can the arts sector best help artists in the region?

Collins:With the fact that so many galleries are now setting up in one place, there will be a temptation by artists to test the market in different sources. At the moment there is a very good clear definition of the galleries that exist and who they work with and I would hate to see that destroyed. We’ve got to become a self-governing industry. Al-Shroogi:The galleries really do play an important role, to get the artwork viewed is great, but they need to commercialise it. I don’t think the arts centres or cultural foundations will really fill that niche; yes the artwork will get viewed but then the artist really needs to make a living.

Al Nabooda:I totally believe it has come to the point to talk to the parents first. It’s not just about being a doctor or a lawyer, you can be an author or an artist and we can guarantee you a career.

We’re looking to establish something in Dubai for the rest of the region eventually to come here to get educated in the cultural world and experience it hands on in the Khor Dubai project.

Weber:There needs to be an artists’ investments programme to support artists creating works.

Collins:But why should the art industry be helped more than any other? We’ve got to prove that we are worthy.

Al-Shroogi:That’s something that I want to jump right into. We keep talking about funding and we keep looking to the DIFC and the DCAA, but I think we’re at a point right now where we shouldn’t be looking at government funding anymore. We need to look at private funding; we need to look at corporate funding.

I’m from Bahrain initially and I still do a lot of work there. A good example is the Bahrain Contemporary Arts Museum – it’s a beautiful building designed by Zaha Hadid.

The government provided the land, but the entire project is privately funded. It’s got corporations and private individuals pouring money into it and now we’ve got a museum we can be proud of.

What do you think of the cultural projects planned for the region?

Collins:There is an obvious need for a national gallery. We don’t need to import cultures from around the world, although it is always good to have art from everywhere, but we need a grassroots gallery that provides these educational facilities, workshops, craft shops but also houses a national collection of work. It’s all here, it just needs a home, and a home that can be shared with the whole community.

Al Nabooda:The vision is to make Khor Dubai the most comprehensive cultural destination; you name it, it will be there.

Our agenda will be released very soon.

For the banks of the Creek, imagine a Creek safari where you live on the Creek in a floating hotel and spend five or six days there; this is what we have for the cultural tourist. We want to give it a cultural flavour and are talking to all the travel agents and tour organisers.

Weber:We can look at Doha, where we h ave Third Line’s second gallery space, as a good example. To see what’s happening with the new Museum of Islamic Art in Doha; they’ve done a really wonderful job of collecting modern and contemporary art from across the region.

I hope that the projects planned for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah can really correspond to this and have contemporary works that can be inspired by what’s happening in Doha. Art and culture expert profiles

Alison Collins, owner, The Majlis Gallery, Dubai

Design consultant Alison Collins came to Dubai in 1976 and has since established and evolved The Majlis Gallery in the heart of Bastakiya in Bur Dubai. The roundtable was hosted at Majlis this month, reflecting Collins’ use of the gallery as a meeting point for like-minded people.

Saeed Al Nabooda, chief projects officer, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCAA)

A proud UAE national, Saeed Al Nabooda has a varied background in marketing, accounting and managing Dubai’s festivals. He established the DCAA in 2007 on behalf of His Highness with the vision of shaping the twenty-first century for culture and arts in the region. One of his main projects is the development of Khor Dubai.

Maitha Al Falasi, acting director, Art and Culture, Department, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

Head of the art and culture department at DIFC, Maitha Al Falasi has been responsible for overseeing the launch of The Gate Village’s three galleries last November, and has three more galleries opening imminently. In her role, she liaises closely with the DCAA, Art Dubai and The Gate Village.

Bashar Al Shroogi, managing partner, Cuadro Museum and Fine Art Gallery, DIFC

A teacher of ethics, Bashar Al Shroogi holds degrees in art history and architecture. He has experience as both an art dealer and curator of shows at international galleries and forums, but decided to set up Cuadro with his family with the aim of going beyond a gallery and creating an arts centre. Dr Emma Thompson, research and projects manager, Sharjah Archaeology Museum

As an archaeologist, Emma Thompson first visited Sharjah in 1995 on an excavation as an undergraduate and then returned in January 2007 teaching students herself.

This was when the Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) was being established and Thompson will be working with the Archaeology Museum for another six months cataloging the collection, training the staff and planning for another museum too.

Bertrand Epaud, general manager, Opera Gallery (Located at DIFC)

A varied career has seen Bertrand Epaud study international management, history of art and oriental languages; work as a trader of non-porous metals; lead expeditions in the Sahara Desert and the Himalayas; and work as an economic reporter around the world.

His first role in the arts industry was developing a new department at Paris Opera House and he became involved in Opera Gallery – which is opening 10 venues across the world – through being a customer and building a friendship with the chairman.

Epaud has since launched Opera Gallery in Monaco before being appointed to open the Dubai gallery at DIFC in November 2008 and looking to develop further in the Middle East.

Darren Lyon, creative designer, Tenten Creative

An artist, interior designer and furniture maker based in Dubai, Darren Lyon is a champion for artists’ needs with a passion for advancement of the arts sector in the emirate.

Laura Trelford, education and project manager, Art Dubai

With a traditional background in arts history, Laura Trelford says her interest in art has become more contemporary over the years. After working at galleries in Venice and London, she met John Martin, founder of Art Dubai, and now runs the education programmes for the fair, which will be held at Madinat Jumeirah from March 18 to 21.

Maliha Al Tabari, managing director, Artspace, The Gate Village, DIFC

Having grown up in Saudi Arabia, Maliha Al Tabari moved to the US to study art and art history, before moving to Dubai to work as an artist. On seeing a gap in the market for a contemporary arts gallery, Al Tabari set up Artspace at The Fairmont Dubai in 2002. She has recently moved the gallery to The Gate Village at DIFC.

Katrina Weber, events, marketing and communications manager, The Third Line, Dubai

With a degree in peace and justice studies, Katrina Weber joined The Third Line gallery in Al Quoz to marry experience of working in event organisation and education with the arts.