‘My Existence, That Absurd Thing’ Opens at MamarLab in MiZa, Abu Dhabi

By Sophie Mayuko Arni

Published on November 21, 2024

Opening to the public tomorrow in the district of MiZa, Abu Dhabi: a must-see group exhibition, “My Existence, That Absurd Thing” curated by Talal Al Najjar hosted at MamarLab organized by Thaer Select produced by plataforma2.

Featuring paintings from artists Harry Lynch (a.k.a. HazzA), Angel De Leon, Sara Kamar, Samo Shalaby, all painters, the exhibition is a first in many ways. This is the first exhibition by Moustafa Thaer’s Thaer Select at MamarLab, and the first time some of the participating artists whocase their works in the UAE.

Centered on the central idea of absurdity and the human condition in the anxious virtuality, this group show is one of the most anticipated satellite program to this year’s Abu Dhabi Art fair – we are currently seeing an art frenzy in Abu Dhabi, with the opening of the first Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial.

1. HazzA, Parrabox, 2024. Acrylic & Charcoal On A2 paper (42 cm x 59,4 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Thaer Select.

The exhibition opens to the public on November 22, with a public talks program hosted by MidEast Art and Global Art Daily. Located in the MiZa district, this full day of programming is meant to be a gathering of minds active in building an ecosystem for the Gulf art scene, from the ground up.

2. Left: Samo Shalaby, Citrine, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Thaer Select.

Thaer Select is a platform for emerging artist, launching with this exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The platform will exist through group shows of up-and-coming artists, satellite pop-ups running concurrently to art fairs around the world at guest venues including galleries & art labs. With a regional and cross-continental focus, Thaer Select will introduce a fresh opportunity for young collectors in the UAE to acquire works of art from emerging artists, curated by the doers and makers of the maturing Gulf art scene.

3. Sara Kamar, I Know What I Feel (2023), acrylic and oil on canvas. 150 x 120cm. Courtesy of the artist and Thaer Select.

Once nascent and buzzing in its own niche, the Gulf art market has now reached a level of inclusion for a greater demographic. An example is the introduction of Editions, Art Dubai’s new sister fair dedicated to editions and collectibles. Collaboration seems to be the future – collaborations across self-run platforms, whether they are digital or physical, thinkers, curators, collectors, designers, and of course, artists.

On curating this exhibition, Talal Al Najjar, an accomplished artist in his own right, shares, “I like to think about figurative paintings in this kind of environment: what do we make of ourselves in this age of cyber connectivity. I like to think of the traditional medium of painting and especially figurative paintings, and how artists manifest and investigate their thoughts on our contemporary era in this traditional medium.”

I was quoting Sartre to think about nausea in this virtual age, in this age of anxiety.

_{- Talal Al Najjar}

4. Angel de Leon, Untitled, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Thaer Select.

Quoting Sartre in the beginning of the curatorial statement, the show seems to be taking a stab at post-existentialism, in a time of pure buzzing cross-collaboration in Abu Dhabi. “My Existence, That Absurd Thing” mirrors a lot of themes in Najjar’s work: the human existence in the age of anxiety, in our post-internet multilayered life. Figurative painting is at the core of the exhibition yet the result is another hyper collaborative exhibition, such as the one he curated at ICD Brookfield Place “Postmordial Soup”.

I like the idea of existential angst and how it’s manifested in the traditional medium of figurative painting, especially in this day and age. How is our hyper virtual world manifest in this traditional medium.

_{- Talal Al Najjar, curator}

Hosted at MamarLab, a new venture by Salem Al Suwaidi and Rashed Al Mulla with a permanent space in MiZa, Abu Dhabi, the exhibition resonates from the bottom up: a grounded anchoring experience for the blossoming contemporary art community of Abu Dhabi.

As we start we roll-out MamarLab’s programming, our aspiration is to position the space as a resource, an incubator, and a facilitator.

_{- Salem Al Suwaidi, Co-Founder of MamarLab}

“Our goals are rooted with creating accessibility for our community, whether it be via exhibition, symposiums, archive, publications, pop-ups, and so on. At the root of this ethos is the passion to connect, to create a corridor between practices, and to uploft our ecosystem,” shares Al Suwaidi.

Public Opening and Public Talks Program hosted by MidEast Art and Global Art Daily

November 22 at MamarLab (Unit 12 Al Funs St - MIZA - Mina Zayed - Abu Dhabi)

Roots and Networks: Platforms Running through the UAE
7-7:45PM^{Hosted by Global Art Daily

Moderator: Sophie Mayuko Arni

Panelists: Gaith Abdulla (Bayt AlMamzar) & Salem AlSuwaidi (SWALIF Collective/MamarLab)}Sophie Mayuko Arni (Global Art Daily) leads a discussion with Gaith Abdulla (Bayt AlMamzar) and Salem AlSuwaidi (SWALIF/MamarLab) on the importance of grassroots platforms in the Gulf art ecosystem. They explore how community-driven initiatives create vital networks, fostering collaboration and cultural growth within the region’s dynamic art scene.

Emerging Markets, Emerging Collectors: The Gulf's New Wave - 8-8:45PM^{Hosted by Global Art Daily

Moderators: Sophie Mayuko Arni

Panelists: Moustafa Thaer (Thaer Select), Elina Sairanen (Wusum Gallery), Océane Sailly (Hunna Art)}A discussion between Moustafa Thaer, Elina Sairanen and Océane Sailly will delve into the trends shaping Gulf’s young collector market. They examine emerging collector profiles, evolving preferences, and strategies for attracting the next generation, highlighting the unique characteristics that define the Gulf’s art landscape.

My Existence, That Absurd Thing
Curated by Talal Al Najjar
Organized by Thaer Select
Produced by plataforma2

Artists:
Harry Lynch (a.k.a. HazzA), Angel De Leon, Sara Kamar, Samo Shalaby

Graphic design by Yumna

Private Opening: November 20, 2024
Public Opening and Public Talks Program hosted by MidEast Art and Global Art Daily: November 22
Exhibition Days: November 22-28
Address: MamarLab, Unit 12 Al Funs St - MIZA - Mina Zayed - Abu Dhabi. Google pin:https://maps.app.goo.gl/EfQpDbUPhonGSXZG9?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Contact Thaer Select and MamarLab for opening hours

MamarLab is an arts and urbanism research space. Inspired by the Arabic word for "pathway", Mamar serves as the dynamic intersection of ideas, people, and projects. It aspires to be a vibrant space dedicated to incubating practices and fostering intellectual exchange, through exhibitions, publications, residencies, and programming. MamarLab aims to build an accessible library, collection, and archive of all matters related to culture and urban planning, supporting in the collective building of art and architecture histories of/from the MENA.

Harry Lynch, better known by his artistic pseudonym HazzA, was born on October 30, 2000, in Knokke, Belgium, and is currently based in Bruges. HazzA's work spans painting, sculpture, and drawing, showcasing his versatility and creativity across various mediums. He is most recognized for his surrealist paintings, which center on his alter ego placed within imaginative and dreamlike scenarios.

Angel de Leon (b. 1995, Barcelona) is a Spanish painter and sculptor whose work explores the intersection of reality and fantasy, life and death, humor and the absurd. His work been exhibited in galleries and art fairs across Europe. Since 2020 he has been running plataforma2, a contemporary art project space located in the heart of Barcelona. The gallery promotes emerging and established international artists, and it is committed to showcasing the most innovative and provocative artworks of our time.

Sara Kamar continuously navigates between traditional and contemporary mediums, blending them to create dynamic works that give visual form to her concepts. Despite the diversity in her work, a singular thread runs through all of it: empathy. Kamar aims to connect with her audience not only through the narratives embedded in her art but also by sparking meaningful conversations that foster a deeper understanding of the human condition. Through her work, she hopes to cultivate a shared sense of empathy, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own experiences and engage in dialogue about the complexities of life.

Samo Shalaby is an Egyptian-Palestinian fine artist based between Dubai and London. Growing up in Cairo and Dubai before pursuing his artistic education at Central Saint Martins, Samo was exposed to a myriad of artistic expressions, styles, and forms of art-making that have shaped his unique creative oeuvre. Exploring fields such as stage design, costume design, and jewelry, Samo began integrating strands of theatrical essence into his work, infused with a distinct dramatic flair. His artistic explorations traverse the styles of antiquity, surrealism, and the grotesque, filtered through his own contemporary and personal lens.

Talal Al Najjar is an artist from the Emirates, based between Los Angeles and Dubai. Driven by researching, archiving, and distorting, his interdisciplinary practice recontextualizes material culture, artifacts, and imagery, tinged with irony. Defamiliarization and the uncanny prompt new anthropological and material questions in his work, utilizing an absurdist-alien lens. He produces sculpture, video, sound, CGI animation, painting, and installation, in addition to writing, curation, and other media. Primary concerns include ideas around simulation, postproduction, poor images, counter-futurisms, and the contention of postmodern conditions. He received his MFA from ArtCenter College of Design (2023), and his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2021). He has exhibited work in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

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‘My Existence, That Absurd Thing’ Opens at MamarLab in MiZa, Abu Dhabi

I was quoting Sartre to think about nausea in this virtual age, in this age of anxiety.

I like the idea of existential angst and how it’s manifested in the traditional medium of figurative painting, especially in this day and age. How is our hyper virtual world manifest in this traditional medium.

As we start we roll-out MamarLab’s programming, our aspiration is to position the space as a resource, an incubator, and a facilitator.

Public Opening and Public Talks Program hosted by MidEast Art and Global Art Daily

November 22 at MamarLab (Unit 12 Al Funs St - MIZA - Mina Zayed - Abu Dhabi)

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 08 –– SELSummer/Fall 2024

E-08++ Summer/Fall 2024

About ––

Interviews ––

Open Call ––

Newsletter ––

Chronological Archive ––

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB Summer 2020

E-01++ Fall/Winter 2020-21

🎙️GAD Talk Series –– Season 1 2020

E-Issue 02 –– NYC Spring 2021

E-02++ Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO Fall 2021

E-03++ Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST Spring 2022

E-04++ Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE Fall 2022

E-05++ Fall/Winter 2022-23

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJSpring 2023

E-Issue 07 –– AUHWinter 2023-24

E-07++ Winter/Spring 2024

🔍 Legal

‘My Existence, That Absurd Thing’ Opens at MamarLab in MiZa, Abu Dhabi

I was quoting Sartre to think about nausea in this virtual age, in this age of anxiety.

I like the idea of existential angst and how it’s manifested in the traditional medium of figurative painting, especially in this day and age. How is our hyper virtual world manifest in this traditional medium.

As we start we roll-out MamarLab’s programming, our aspiration is to position the space as a resource, an incubator, and a facilitator.

Public Opening and Public Talks Program hosted by MidEast Art and Global Art Daily

November 22 at MamarLab (Unit 12 Al Funs St - MIZA - Mina Zayed - Abu Dhabi)

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 08 –– SEL
Summer/Fall 2024

E-08++
Summer/Fall 2024

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB
Summer 2020

E-01++
Fall/Winter 2020-21

E-Issue 02 –– NYC
Spring 2021

E-02++
Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO
Fall 2021

E-03++
Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST
Spring 2022

E-04++
Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE
Fall 2022

E-05++
Fall/Winter 2022-23

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJ
Spring 2023

E-Issue 07 –– AUH
Winter 2023-24

E-07++
Winter/Spring 2024