"The opening of the Abu Dhabi Art Hub, which is where my residency and exhibition took place, was on the 5th of November and lasted till the 17th of November", recounted Nouf Al Semari. As one of the three emerging Saudi artists that were included in the opening residency and exhibitions at the Art Hub, Al Semari was joined by two other artists from Saudi Arabia: Najla Abdullah and Ola Hejazi. These three Saudi artists were joined by only 2 Hungarian artists and one American artist. Together, the 6 artists worked each on their solo exhibitions which coincided with Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2012.
"ABU DHABI ART HUB is the first live/work community in the United Arab Emirates dedicated exclusively to artists, especially young emerging artists from across the world," said founder and owner of Abu Dhabi Art Hub Mr. Ahmed Saleh Al Yafei. "Our aim is to create a thriving destination for local and international artists, integrate community perspectives into art-related activities and open up a platform for young and emerging talents from across the world," cotinued Al Yafei who is an art aficionado and promoter of The Abu Dhabi Art Hub.
Nouf Al Semari: My solo at the Abu Dhabi Art Hub was titled "Back to Basics". My concept was inspired by the common background that our two countries, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, share. The Arabic gulf countries, or Khaliji countries, share a lovely, deep and rich heritage. This heritage, our ideas and stories, share the same original seed. To me, this heritage and how to document it for the modern-day Khalijis through all aspects of art is what I've tried to accomplish in my artwork. I won't let the fast-paced world we live in steal all our heritage away from us or make us forget about the rich civilization that preceded us.
In my one month residency, I created 11 artworks and 2 installations (one with lights and the other is a video installation).
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