WOVEN IDENTITIES AT THE PROJECT SPACE AT NYUAD

The Project Space at NYU Abu Dhabi announces its next show, Woven Identities

The Art Gallery at NYU Abu Dhabi is having a new show at its auxiliary venue, The Project Space. Titled Woven Identities, this exhibition examines how we adapt or conform to our immediate environment, and explores the transient lifestyle in the UAE.

Opening on Wednesday, July 5, and running through Saturday, July 22, the duo show will feature modern contemporary installations expressing renewable themes in art by Dubai-based emerging artists, Stephanie Neville and Jeff Scofield.

Scofield and Neville explore a subjective narrative with the environment in conjunction with society, where the individual is led through an adventure towards self-identity. Scofield says: “By weaving together natural materials and found objects, we construct visual narratives through a tactile process of collecting and assembling, thereby giving new meaning to materials.”

The exhibition explores the interconnectedness that binds us in the context of transience and flux, which define our shared experiences in the UAE, while sustaining one’s personal identity. Neville further explains: “This construction is likened to the essence of fabric— the warp and weft of individual threads combined to strengthen and unify, while also providing malleability and adaptability.”

The visual investigation is made through various applications of woven materials. Attention is paid to expressing the intrinsic nature of these materials, such as the durability of textiles and the fragility of the separable threads; the delicateness of individual sheets of paper juxtaposed with the power of words; the mutual reinforcing of industrial materials such as metal wires and wooden blocks; as well as the organic expression of natural elements manifested in cotton, felt and threads.

Having previously collaborated at an Artist in Residence program at the Liwa Art Hub, both artists investigate the use of salvaged and upcycled materials. A dialogue exists between their individual styles, highlighted by an interest in installation art and contrasting yet complimentary explorations of materials at large and small scales.

For event schedules and exhibition hours, please visit The Project Space’s official site for details: https://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/arts-center-project-space.

Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 5 at 5:30 PM. Free and open to the public.

The Project Space, NYU Abu Dhabi (inside the Arts Center) | Woven Identities | July 5-22, 2017

Credit Image on Top:
Jeff Scofield, Money Cascade (2017),
Paper currency notes hung on cotton ropes
300 x 500 x 20 cm