Celebrating the UAE’s Outstanding Milestones in Arts and Culture

Abu Dhabi, UAE; March 24, 2022:  As part of its vision to document Emirati achievement in art, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) launched two unique publications, Portrait of a Nation II and Art of the Emirates II, celebrating the work of the national and resident artists and art proponents who have contributed to the UAE’s unprecedented rise in the arts scene. Launching the commemorative books during the UAE’s 50th anniversary reflects the nation’s impressive transformation in the cultural and creative industries.  

H.E. Huda Ibrahim Al Khamis, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and the Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, during the launch event said: “Publications remain at the heart of our values and rewarding the creative excellence of the artists and protagonists who have contributed to our nation’s exceptional progress has been at the forefront of the Foundation’s mission since its inception nearly three decades ago. Art of the Emirates II and the companion book to our landmark exhibition, Portrait of a Nation II are a tribute to the nation’s impressive rise in the arts scene and those who have inspired it. ”
Her Excellency continued: “With the launch of these two extraordinary publications, we make a daring attempt to capture the essence of the country’s creative energy as it unfolded over the past half century, contributing to the nation’s rapid development in the cultural and creative industries. Celebrating the launch of the second editions of Art of the Emirates and Portrait of a Nation during the milestone of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee is befitting and reveals what is yet to come as our beloved nation continues to rise, propelling its art and cultural sectors into the global arena”.  

Portrait of a Nation II, the book companion of Abu Dhabi Festival’s flagship exhibition,   documents the more than 100 prominent art works, including 17 commissions, in the fields of painting, photography, 3D installations, and audio-visual creations by the over 60 artists who have shaped the artistic and cultural landscape of the nation and whose influential work is displayed at the exhibition. 

Prefaced by a select group of renowned art and culture figures, the book carefully showcases the art masterpieces in vibrant images, each followed with a description note by curators, writers, and the artists themselves. Additionally, it provides biographies and information about the leading visual artists in the UAE, along with articles crafted by the exhibition’s curators, introducing readers to the exhibition and the UAE’s rich art history.

The second book, The Art of the Emirates II available now on booksarabia.com, maps the UAE’s exceptional booming art scene, and its leading global position as an artistic and cultural hub. The story is told through interviews, roundtable discussions and essays by the people who have built the UAE’s visual art scene and infrastructure from the ground up since the nation’s founding. From the director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi to the UAE’s most well-known living artists, Art of the Emirates II is an unprecedented conversation with the people who are writing the history of art in the Emirates as we speak. The book is edited by Melissa Gronlund, acclaimed author and art journalist for the UAE’s leading daily newspaper The National, as well as a correspondent for The Art Newspaper.
Gronlund was also a guest speaker at the panel held at Abu Dhabi Festival’s flagship exhibition Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives at Manarat Al Saadiyat as part of the book launch, which was moderated by Myrna Ayad, author, art advisor, and cultural strategist and also featured curator Maya El Khalil and Ali Al Abdan, Emirati artist and critic. The panel explored the history of the UAE’s visual arts scene and the artists who led to its development over the past 50 years.
 
The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation seeks to nurture the arts, education, culture and creativity for the benefit of society, sustaining cultural development and contributing to the development of Abu Dhabi's cultural vision.