Munira Al Sayegh - Leading to the Middle

Curator's Essay as part of Rays Ripple Residue

On view till April 26, 2025

A ripple effect is the continuing and spreading result of an event or an action. When looked at visually, a ripple effect always has a core actor that anchors the chain reaction. This anchor is the sole, the center, and the initiator. Following the visual pattern, found within a ripple, a map is drawn, one that points to a core, and all that reaches outwards from it. Ultimately it annunciates a reverberation that is continuousin its nature, expansive, and felt. In this vein the exhibition Leading to the Middle, identifies various chain reactions, and their causes over the last ten years. It hones in on the various people, places and publications that allowed for creativity to burgeon as these cores, or causes, and their extensions through varying younger practices, and perspectives that took from the sound of the initial drop that allowed for the ripple to begin. The exhibition title proposes a movement that probes through layers, introducing a motion which pushes
forward, and through, to a space that is nested within. Thus framing the nucleuses, as (some) of the most important forces that shaped my personal understanding of the creative landscape, allowing my practice to be one of many that followed suit. The exhibition highlights pivotal moments within these years in the United Arab Emirates, through my personal perspective as an active observer, and participant in the creative field.

 

The nature of a ripple is delicate, webbed, and time sensitive; it is a sudden interruption of stillness that lives on. A cocoon of sorts forms around the movement while the core spreads outwards and a growth of the creative community is depicted:– a safe space that echoes in its sound of growth, togetherness, and continuity. Leading to the Middle visualises a lived truth, one that was steady, and at times small, but intentional, contrasting the usual headlines of fast,
big, top-down approaches to culture and creativity that dominated the stereotypical or mainstream narratives, popular both locally and internationally, about the UAE. The exhibition highlights these sensitivities through three key actors or anchors: places, people, and publications. Within places, it highlights the beginning years of Art Dubai, and in particular the Artists-in-Residence Program in collaboration with the Delfina Foundation, Bait 15, and the power of
recurring exhibitions like Emirati Expressions that was organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism. It also presents the practices of artists such as Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and the late Tarek Al-Ghoussein who were important creative actors from the past ten years. The third and final part of the exhibition is a space for independent publications, such as WTD, and E11, highlighting the role of research and writing as significant pointsof reference. Throughout the exhibition the ethos of the grassroots communities and practices from the last decade is firmly threaded.

 

Although not a permanent space, the reverberations of Art Dubai were plenty when looking at the last decade. An art fair to some, and a gathering space for many, every edition of Art Dubai, which took place in the spring, brought with it a moment for local, regional, and international creatives to convene. Every year the fair culminated in new collaborations, discussions and conversations that were shaped by the fair’s themes or frameworks. The Artists-in-Residence Program (A.i.R) Dubai, which was a collaborative effort between Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Art Dubai, and Tashkeel, brought together Emirati and international artists and curators. It gathered expertise and resources from arts organisations in the UAE and the UK to support international exchange through artistic research, production and residencies, and promoted international discourse and exposure in the UAE through open studios, educational activities, and new commissions as part of Art Dubai Projects.

 

My first curatorial job was as assistant curator of the program in 2015. The space allocated to the residency was in a traditional heritage home in old Dubai, then known as Al Bastakiya, now known as Al Fahaidi. Of the participating artists, was Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, who occupied the roof studio, a small indoor room right after the steps up, with ample outdoor space. Ibrahim introduced the history of the conceptual art movement led by the late Hassan Sharif, through stories of his practice, and its growth. Here, he shared insights on a ripple effect he had experienced through Sharif and their wider community. In parallel, I was experiencing a new ripple that he had instigated through these retellings. He spoke of the Sand Castle, an informal gathering that took place in an outdoor meeting point which brought together writers, visual artists, thinkers and their likes for an evening of exchange that enriched all the practices which were being brought to life throughout the night. He recounted many stories, and my awe focused on the importance of the bind that these creatives shared. There was a spillover of thought, which resulted in a cross-pollination of production between the group. A style was born, and through the past decade that same style became a vital reference point to the making of the lived contemporary art history. Throughout this time, he would talk about the importance of instigating dialogue, between all that surrounds a person and him or herself. There was a togetherness that seemed vital with a foundation based on discussions. Ibrahim produced two works during this residency, both based on ideas of exchange.

 

In the exhibition Rays, Ripples, Residue, his work on view, titled Fresh and Salt, was made during this time. Ibrahim collected black stones that he purchased
in the surrounding souk which originated from a fresh body of water. Meanwhile he also collected coral stones from his hometown Khorfakkan which were bound by copper wires. Initially, I would watch him quietly, until eventually once a good number of these bound stones had amassed. I asked him why he chose the copper, instead of another threadlike material. He continued to answer that copper is an instigator, and regardless of the visible, and molecular differences
these stones have, when they are paired together in this way, a conversation is forged, one that erases the boundaries of labels, and introduces the possibility that comes with the nature of hybridity. As a pioneer, Ibrahim has shaped many generations of artists. In its initial community driven approach, Art Dubai quickly became a place that fostered depth within the creative community, from one spring season, to the next.

Consistency through annual visual exhibitions, creates a continuity of thought and practice. An annual or recurring exhibition maps
the subtle changes that amount from year to year within creative
practices that are rooted to a particular place and time. Exhibitions
of this nature begin to become spaces that punctuate a cultural
landscape. Within themselves they become hubs that carry narratives
and ideas that mirror their surrounding landscapes and climates.
In 2009, Emirati Expressions, a recurring commissioned exhibition
by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (then called the
Tourism and Culture Authority), was introduced under the creative
leadership of Stephen Shore, JR, and the late Tarek Al-Ghoussein.
Initially established as a group photography exhibition by Emirati
artists, surrounding a particular theme, the exhibition evolved into one

that allowed for all practices, responding to a curatorial prompt. In its
fourth edition, the exhibition, titled Emirati Expressions IV: Convention
of Arts, was looking into the social and cultural clubs of Abu Dhabi, as
anchor places of gathering, exchange, and reach, since the initiation
of the United Arab Emirates for various demographics. The exhibition
showcased 15 artists, who researched the many clubs that dotted
the capital Emirate, including places like the then closed Cultural
Foundation, the India Social Center, and the Officers club, amongst
many others. These social clubs were safe spaces for people to
gather, creating ample social ties, and allowing for cultural discourse
to crossover. They occupied different neighborhoods of Abu Dhabi,
and became core places for those that undulate in and around them.

 

This exhibition showcased the dynamism found within social and
cultural fabrics, another example of ripples taking place. Continuing
in on these ripples become the responses of the participating
artists, redressing these places through the particularity of their
own perspectives. As one of the commissioned participants, Lamya
Gargash photographed these places of gathering, in their unoccupied
moments. The result captured a rare emptiness of a space that in
its natural state would have been heavily occupied. The works are a
series that depict moments of stillness in an otherwise loud and busy
space. Under the umbrella of “place”, Gargash's series brings to life
the impact of social spaces and their reach while also highlighting the
importance of a recurring exhibition, on the contemporary cultural
scene.

 

In 2017, Bait 15 launched. A villa transformed into an art space in a
quiet Abu Dhabi residential neighborhood, founded by the artists
Hashel Al Lamki, Afra Al Dhaheri, and Maitha Abdulla. The house
was initially occupied by the artist Mohamed Al Mazroui, a painter,
sculptor and poet. Alongside this, plenty of conversations took place
inside those walls. In its launch, Bait 15 transitioned from a private

to a public space, from a home for one, to a home for many. A creative
space in its essence, it quickly became a staple communal stop for
any and all creatives and those who surround them. With the three
founding artists having their permanent studios there, the rest of
the house was utilized as an open space for the budding creative
community. The house became a core instigator, setting off a series
of ripple effects. It emerged as part of a chain reaction sparked by
the impact of The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship
(SEAF). The collective was later joined by Zuhoor Al Sayegh in 2020,
who was also part of the fellowship program. The program fostered
spaces for gathering, production, exchange, and togetherness, and
even after completion, the artists sought to continue building a
similar environment for the creative community. The house introduced
a new and dynamic pulse to the United Arab Emirates.

 

In 2019, the NOW section was introduced by Art Dubai, as a means to
show the public a more nuanced narrative around the UAE’s creative
landscape by highlighting grassroots-led initiatives, creative spaces,
and collectives that were not governmentally or commercially
initiated. The goal of this new section in the fair was to propose a
counterweight to the narrative around the art scene, being something
that is imported, or seasonal. The first edition titled, UAE Now, which
I founded and curated, attempted to bring to life these shared spaces
and therefore showcase the importance of these emergent voices.
The exhibition highlighted the depth of these organisations and their
place in the evolving landscape, bringing to the fore the contribution
of grassroots platforms and the underground in creating new ways of
thinking, both as theory and as artistic movements. The participating
platforms include Bait 15, Banat Collective, Jaffat el Aqlam, PAC
(Public Art Collective), and Daftar Asfar. Each platform was invited to
activate its allocated space to showcase its practices in an inclusive
and interactive manner, fostering opportunities for cross-pollination

between the participants and Art Dubai’s audience. Although each of
these self-organizing platforms had their own dedicated booth, they
shared a central programming space that encouraged active dialogue
and featured talks, workshops, and performances. This central space
by Bait 15, acted as a main host for these aforementioned programs,
surrounded by the other participant’s stalls. The founders of Bait 15
were prompted to explore the idea of what it meant to create a safe
and welcoming space, and what that could look like in translation. They decided to create an intimate and inviting installation which
was simply a queen sized bed with a white base and an uncovered
mattress, on a carpeted floor. A neon sign hung on a farther wall
that read Bait 15 lit in a particular shade of green. This bed became
a nucleus of the ripple effect taking place within that particular
segment of Art Dubai. It hosted talks that were both preplanned and
organic, anchoring all those that were in their surroundings within
this open space. The exhibition here at 421, Leading to the Middle,
recreates the Bait 15 bed with the same neon sign, depicting that
intimate, unassuming middle point.

The second line of the triangle, anchors people and highlights them
as core game changers to any ecosystem. People can become places
too, in the sense that they can be grounds that are fertile and allow
for growth for those they are surrounded by. The intellectual and
creative weight of certain people becomes extremely important as
they teach and influence generations, and in turn learn from them.
Here, a person can single handedly become a catalyst of development
and expansion; a sole or singular contributor to a major ripple effect.
As earlier mentioned, there have been beacons that illuminate the
paths for many, such as the late Hassan Sharif, to his surrounding
community and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, to the present generations.
Alongside them is the late Tarek Al-Ghoussein, a teacher and friend
to many, who also instigated a ripple effect that continued to expand

even after his passing due to his wealth of knowledge, generosity, and
care. Al-Ghoussein’s life is central to the Leading to the Middle and in
many ways, remains the middle, centered space that I return to within
my practice, and was the impetus for this section of the exhibition.
The anchoring body of work that is shown, is a part of his Odysseus
series, the final series he worked on, and the final series he had
exhibited before his passing. This exhibition was showcased at 421,
then known as Warehouse421, in 2018. This solo exhibition was titled
after the series, introducing an audience to his latest body of work,
a photographic undertaking that had the intention of mapping out
all of the two hundred plus islands of Abu Dhabi. The works aimed
to bring to life a social understanding of these islands, and the role
of body and place. The images were hung simply, between the same
walls where they hang today. Bringing this body of work back to
421 allows for a full circle moment that articulates Al-Ghoussein's
impact. By presenting this photographic series in conversation
with work by a new generation of artists who have been studying
his practice closely, we can see his ripple effect clearly. The artists
presented as part of his ripple effect are Adele Bea Cipste, Lamya
Gargash, Auguste Nomeikaite, and Khaled Esguerra, although this
is not a comprehensive or final list of all the artists influenced by
Al-Ghoussein. Multidisciplinary artist Adele Bea Cipste’s series,
Exercises in not seeing, aims to immerse the viewer in a state
reminiscent of experiences in natural environments. As a student in
her undergraduate years at New York University Abu Dhabi, she was
taught by Al-Ghoussein, and during this time his perspectives quickly
became foundational to her practice. With a focus on the sea, inspired
by this latest series of photographs, Cipste continues to consider
the subject of body and place. Lamya Gargash was also a student
of Al-Ghoussein, during his tenure at the American University of
Sharjah. Although initially mentioned under the umbrella of exhibition

as place, Gargash’s practice can extend into this web of intricacies.
Al-Ghoussein shaped her conceptual thinking and her work pointed
to various elements from his practice. Auguste Nomeikaite, was also
taught and influenced by Al-Ghoussein. Nomeikaite shows a series
titled On Foraging: From the Field, a photographic series initially
commissioned as research for On Foraging: Food Knowledge and
Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE’s Landscape, a 200-page book
and large-scale group exhibition of the same title first shown at the
Expo 2020 UAE Pavilion (2021) and later at 421 (2022). The series
observes the agricultural environments across the country, mapping
places and the social structures that evolve from them. Alongside
this series is a newer work by the artist titled Feral Matters (MiZa
Emerging) based on the artist's research that looks at the reclamation
of nature within an otherwise urbanized environment. The exhibition
also includes the work of Khaled Esguerra, who is the only artist in
the group who was not formally taught by Al-Ghoussein as a professor
but still recalls Al-Ghoussein’s practice. Esguerra’s practice binds
the politics of place, with an emphasis on understanding private
spaces, and their evolution. The work references Al-Ghoussein’s Al
Sawaber series, a photographic documentation of the evolution of
a government housing complex. The showcased series titled, 1501,
308 Al Hisn Street documents the artist's body rooted into the empty
apartment he and his family once occupied.

Finally, the exhibition features a selection of publications that are
central to this movement and expanse. It is in the act of studying and
writing that practices remain alive and within reach for generations
to come. The publication becomes a place to understand, to
answer questions, and a place to instigate curiosity. Punctuating
the exhibition are independently published texts including E11,
Brownbook and WTD, which highlight the role of writers and
thinkers in the arts ecosystem alongside their visual counterparts.

 

Furthermore, publications such as Hassan Sharif Works [1973-2011],
I am the single work artist, Between Sunrise & Sunset, But We Cannot
See Them, 1980 - Today, and Tarek Al-Ghoussein, In Absentia, help
further understand key practices, that have been discussed above
in this essay, as core actors to growth, expansion, and creativity.
This section of the exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves
into the presented set of publications in a moment of encouraged
curiosity.

Leading to the Middle is an exhibition that explores the depths
that come in the intricacies of human relationships. The exhibition
portrays the spillovers between people, places and publications, and
how at times they could be understood interchangeably. The physical
behavior of the ripple effect leads the conversation throughout the
exhibition while rooting these three sides through visual references.
It aims to direct the viewers' physical movements throughout the
space, by anchoring the exhibition with a center point that grows out.
The metaphor behind the ripple is one that celebrates the impact of
a single action onto many through time. It highlights the importance
of networks and their delicateness. Through an autobiographical and
spectatorial approach this exhibition defines various pivotal moments
that have shaped the last decade of the art ecosystem.