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Great Wave of Dubai (2012) > 130 * 80 cm >Digital
Print
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Meem
Gallery is proud to present Mohamed Kanoo’s second solo exhibition at the
gallery, displaying his recent work. Fun
w/Fen presents the artist’s humorous interpretation of topical issues
including religion, culture, politics and popular culture. The exhibition
features works such as Abayya Army and the Red Balloon, Noor (Light), and Henna Stop Sign. Many of his recent works also pays homage to a
number of artists Kanoo draws inspiration from, such as in works like Allah, which presents four small incisions
on a large silver canvas, an immediate interpretation of the pioneering
conceptual work of the 1950’s
Argentinian born artist Lucio Fontana; AraMao, which is based on Andy Warhol’s famous portrait of Chairman
Mao; and his personal interpretation of Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa, where he
replaces Mount Fuji with Dubai’s Burj Al Arab. Kanoo’s first solo exhibition held
at Meem Gallery in 2009 displayed his Shemaghart collection.
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Fatima Henna Hand Stop Sign (2012) > 50 * 50 cm > Silkscreen
Print on Wood
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Mohamed Kanoo
Mohamed
commenced painting informally in Abu Dhabi in 1989. Using self-taught modern
techniques of Roy Lichtenstein, Mohamed paints in the contemporary Pop art
style of Andy Warhol. His first work, executed in this style, was a portrait of
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President and Founder of the United
Arab Emirates, an ever present spiritual inspiration to his work.
Mohamed's
works have developed over the years and he has recently started experimenting
with other media for his more abstract contemporary pieces. He currently has
several categories within which his works can be divided: portraits,
automobiles, abstract, applied media, landscape, photography and calligraphy
art.
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A Question of Identity (2012) > A
series of postcard sized digital portraits of contemporary and historical
figures
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He
first exhibited his work in 2004 as part of the Cosmos: A Written Word; Arabic Calligraphy Through the Ages
exhibition at the Richard Meier designed Museum for Applied Arts in Frankfurt,
Germany. Further exhibitions include Debut
in Dubai in 2005; an exhibition of his Sehmaghart concept at Galeria
Metropolitana, Barcelona, 2007; Language
of the Desert: Contemporary Gulf Arab
Artist Exhibition, Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, 2007; and his solo show 3 Icons, Abu Dhabi, 2007. An earlier
version of Mohamed’s work Henna Stop Sign
(exhibited in Fun w/Fen) featured at
Sotheby’s during Shubbak (July 2011),
London’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab
world. His more recent exhibitions include Korean
Eye: Energy and Matter, a joint show held in Abu Dhabi (March-April).
Mohamed
is one of the founders of Abu Dhabi’s first art gallery, the Ghaf Art Gallery
(established in 2006), where he has curated many exhibitions. He has given lectures
on art and culture internationally and has contributed a paper for ‘Global Art’, published by Hatje Cantz
in 2009, edited by Irene Gludowacz, Silvia von Bennigsen and Susanne van Hagen,
where he looked at the opportunities and dangers of globalized art.
His
artistic philosophy is often termed as “being in transition,” an unintentional
description of his efforts that he holds very close to his heart. He feels an
artist must be continually changing, improving, growing, expanding and should
never be caught in a repetitive rut.
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Red Baloon and the Abayya
Army (2012) > 130 * 80 cm > Silkscreen
Print on Canvas
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He
has also been challenged by perceived artistic prohibitions of his Islamic
faith. Following the tragedy of
9/11, and the resultant negative cultural confrontation by the West, he has
focused on achieving a successful artistic platform that presents a position
from which he can reflect more positively an alternative view of contemporary
Arabia.
Mohamed Kanoo
Fun w/ Fen
15 May – 5 July 2012
Meem Gallery > Dubai
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