DUBAI- : Adding one more collaboration with an important cultural entity, Alserkal, and in the spirit of Expo 2020 Dubai, Swatch showcases artwork by 10 of its former Swatch Art Peace Hotel residents at a special anniversary exhibition. Created 10 years ago in Shanghai, the “hotel” was envisioned as a space for artists to develop their creative expression. In celebration of its first decade, the exhibition opens in Dubai, as Swatch is the Official Timing Provider for Expo 2020 Dubai.
The 10 artists featured are as eclectic as Expo 2020 itself: Alec Von Bargen, a visual artist from the USA; Benedikt Partenheimer, a photographer from Germany; Donal Turner, a French artist and illustrator who has created a special diary about the Swatch Art Peace Hotel; Jordi Fornies, a Spanish visual artist, musician and composer based in Singapore; Katharina Lehmann from Russia, a visual artist based in Germany; Lei Lei of China, an experimental animation artist; Mujin of China, an independent film director and video artist; Ouma, a Japanese visual artist; Sarah Song, a new media artist and “techspressionist” based in Hong Kong and Shanghai; and Julian Palacz, a digital and conceptual artist based in Austria. The exhibition features diverse pieces, ranging from large-scale installations to curated illustrations.
Enhancing Swatch’s presence at Expo 2020 Dubai and the link with Alserkal Avenue arts district, five local UAE artists were selected to design artworks for the Swatch X You customization platform:
- Ebtisam Abdulaziz, a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose design “United Insights” represents her celebration of the UAE’s golden jubilee.
- Khalid Mezaina, an illustrator and textile artist whose digital illustration “Doors” is inspired by the intricate patterns found on the metal doors of traditional UAE homes.
- Noor Al-Suwaidi, who has created an abstract depiction of how we find love in places, people and nature with “Always Time for Love”.
- Diaa Allam, a calligrapher, muralist and live art performer whose artwork “This Time Shall Pass” is a timeless reminder that even unprecedented events will come to an end.
- Khalid Al Banna, a textile artist who adopts elements of Islamic art and geometry in “Dynamic of Motion” in order to convey the relationship between Emirati culture and Islam.
After the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, the PSA in Shanghai, the Fondazione Feltrinelli in Milano, and the MAXXI Museum for XXI Century Arts, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel comes to Alserkal Avenue. In parallel, a virtual exhibition of Swatch Art Peace Hotel art traces is available on www.swatch-art-peace-hotel.com as part of a global program developed by Swatch to partner with major cultural institutions around the world. The 10th anniversary year of the brand’s artist residency comes to an end with the prestigious and unique collaboration with Alserkal.
The exhibition will run until March 31, 2022, coinciding with the end of Expo 2020 Dubai. The Swatch X You artworks by the UAE artists will also be available until this date.
