Sans Style - Tareq Al-Kandari at the Sultan Gallery...

Close-up of the central installation...

Visited tonight an exhibition which like I haven't seen in Kuwait before. Taking place at the Sultan Gallery and showing the work by architect/ developer Tareq Al-Kandari (brother of the artist Ghada Al-Kandari) the exhibition consists of a composition of paintings, two black painted monoliths of stacked concrete bricks, a four tier wood and plexi-glass assembly (on top of a square, flat black, carpet), three video screens explaining the conception of the exhibition, and some guiding floor markings.

View of the exhibition from its entrance. The artist/ architect can be seen on the left of the image...

The text accompanying the exhibition outlines it in the following fashion:

"in an architectural context, an archetype is a generic idealized model of an object or basic element from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated. the basic elements in this case are wall, floor, column, and a very special cube. grounded by facts and superimposed with expression, sans style represents an architectural vision of a place common to us all without the stylized instances that have developed over time.
the exhibit is a collaboration of several mediums including paintings, installations, and audio-visuals resulting in a complex experience of the senses. a total temporary retrofit of the gallery will take place to further enhance this ambition."

Detail of one of the paintings...

Without 'spoiling' (to those who haven't as of yet visited the exhibition) what the aforementioned archetype is referring to, the exhibition performs as an architectural-folly, of sorts - providing an inspired, well researched, erudite 'indulgence' (none of the pieces seem to be for sale) which clearly applies the iconography and sensitivities of an architectural approach, but hasn't been limited by its, occasionally restrictive, pragmatism. The exhibition represents and celebrates the fundamental and manifest 'spirit' of a particular architectural entity that usually manages to escape such analysis. It forms a spatial experience that is 'occupied' rather than just viewed, where the experience of the various elements are perceived more through casual kinesthetic (ambulatory) awareness, motion and flow, instead of the usual sequential 'stop-and-observe' pace of a gallery visit. It also, in its realization, provides an inspired assimilation of the craftsman's unifying dictum which states, "one can do thinking without using ones hands, but not use ones hands without thinking", something quite evident in the precise and refined execution of the exhibitions various pieces.

Let's encourage and cultivate more events of this calibre in Kuwait...

The exhibition finishes at 2 PM on Thursday, June 28th...

The sand-blasted plexi 'porticoes' of the central installation...

Exporting POP: A Western Fantasy Exhibition at the Al Sabah Collection at the Al Corniche

View of the Exporting Pop Exhibition at the Al-Sabah Collection at the Corniche Club (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

If, in short, Pop-Art entails the, almost Duchampian, reconfiguration of common signs and objects from the popular and commercial realm into a domain where the 'aesthetics' of such icons can be viewed, valued and considered according to a separate set of standards and merits distinct from their common context, what does such an approach encompass when applied to the Middle-East? In a region where the appropriation of popular iconography has been the norm rather than the exception, and where such copying of various more known trademarks (anything from Disney or Southpark characters to the logos of more high-end Italian fashion labels) have been applied without much risk of getting prosecuted for copyright infringement, the notion of Pop-Art gains a slightly different 'twang'. A locale where the expression and emphasis on originality hasn't gained the same revered position as it has in the West, and where the celebration of popular culture (and one could argue that the overbearing prevalence of popular culture in the region often manages to exclude any alternative, perhaps more 'high-brow or discourse based, means of expression), with their usually a bit skewed and heavy-handed representations of Mickey Mouse, Batman and copies of products ranging from DVDs to Gucci bags, (that can be viewed at many a local shop-front and for sale along sidewalks) has been the accepted standard and a common presence in the streetscape since the local rendition of the high-street has been around (the souk/ bazaar).

Here the idea of using elements from popular culture, a rendition of the notion of simulacra, needs to be reassessed as almost a copy of a copy - a form of meta-simulacra – that has in the process become saturated with some of the inherent qualities of the Gulf and the Middle-East. This almost evolutionary transition has resulted in a contemporary arabesque of intertwining ideas and adaptations that, due to their context, morph familiar, usually universal, elements into an interpretation that gains a strange new aura and character of its own.

Thus, in the context of the above, considering the notion of Pop-Art, and viewing some more recent renditions of related concepts here in Kuwait, becomes an interesting and thought provoking exercise in its own right.

Foreground - A sculpture by Phillip Maberry, exhibited at the Exporting Pop Exhibition at the Al-Sabah Collection at the Al-Corniche Club (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

The exhibition at the Al-Sabah Art & Design collection at the Al-Corniche Club provides thus an interesting marker in the contemporary cultural history of Kuwait. This exhibition, along with a select number of more recent parallel morsels of worthy cultural endeavours, is beginning to suggest that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Kuwait, as a (world class) cultural entity, is starting to come to its own.

For too often in the past, whilst visiting an exhibition or cultural event in Kuwait, a somewhat condescending [under]tone has prevailed the casual commentary that accompanies such events, i.e "the work is interesting (for Kuwait)", or, "the technical execution of the work was superb (for Kuwait)"... This template of "acceptable" work is usually based on the following five maxims:

A) It's a painting - as sculpture, photography or conceptual work (installations or performances) seems to be less well received...

B) It is of a subject matter from the (quite recent) pre-industrialized past, such as pearl-diving, rug-weaving, pottery, etc.

C) The work is large, but not too large (size matters). What is important here is not necessarily the message, technique or theme of the work, but how appropriate or how well it befits a particular space or interior...

D) It uses bright and bold colours...

E) It includes (Arabic) writing or calligraphy (or at least a suggestion of it) somewhere in the work...

Now, there is much great artwork made in Kuwait that touches upon one or more of the maxims above. The aim here is not to suggest the above elements should be excluded from consideration, but that there is space to widen the repertoire of what practising contemporary art or design related pursuits entail in the region.

A work by Sandra Bermudez (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

Henceforth we need to stop perpetuating such [quasi]patronizing avocations. We need to be critical, but do so without malice or cynicism. Pass judgement, but justify our impressions. Widen our realm(s) of what the practice of art embodies in the region, but do so without slipping into (bad) pastiche, and apply forethought and wit in our appraisals (as writing about these things is a challenge in its own right)...

Foreground, work by Jesse Small; background, portraits by Cecilia Jurado (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

What makes this exhibition so interesting is that, whilst ticking all the boxes of an established 'ism' (as Pop-Art it uses references from popular culture - 'tick'; most the work includes an inherent humorous component - 'tick'; it almost transcends into the realm of design by being easy on the eye and non-threatening - 'tick'...) it still manages to reflect, and provoke questions regarding, the role and distinction between popular and 'high' art in the region. By exhibiting work by, what seems according to the catalogue to be predominantly New York based artists, it nevertheless, perhaps partly due to the rich and varied background of these artists, manages to touch upon issues that seem relevant to us here in Kuwait. Perhaps it is this notion of 'multi-culturalism', which applies to New York in a completely different fashion than in relates to Kuwait (New York being a 'blending-pot' of cultures, whereas in Kuwait the segregation between nationalities/ cultures is somewhat more apparent and enforced), that still applies as a connective tissue between various social and cultural stratum? As a matter of fact the work does deal with a number of 'difficult' (particularly to the Gulf related) issues, but these are introduced through a somewhat benign shroud of innocence which manages to obscure the more polemic suggestions the art poses below its 'prettiness' and humour.

Left, work by Philip Simmons; right, work by Chad Curtis (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

By this exhibition (along with some of the other more recent cultured events of late) the standards have been set for future cultural endeavours in Kuwait. Why not begin considering Kuwait as a harbinger and catalyst of worthwhile activities rather than being dependent on those created elsewhere? Lets begin taking pride in ideas and products produced locally. Develop a dynamic discourse around the various intertwined disciplines that relate to our needs, interests and doings. Let's make Kuwait a place where people come to learn, rather than the other way around.

Why Not [Here] No.3 - Formatting Education/ Debating Aspects of Higher Education in Kuwait and the Gulf...

View of Izmir from the IUE campus...

It seems like most private institutions of higher learning in Kuwait, or even the Gulf, are affiliated, both in approach and name, to foreign institutions on entities. One assumes the main reason for taking such an approach is to gain immediate validity, as well as logistical know-how (but with more emphasis on the initial assumed justification) for a new, budding institution. It saves time, and presumably years of concerted effort, on establishing a favourable reputation of ones own. Purchasing the name and rights of a trademarked American, English, French or Australian university (or linking the institutions name to one of these countries) is a convenient short-cut to collegial serendipity and credibility. This form of institutional packaging has also, of course, been done successfully with most types of retail outlets (franchised from international chains such as Boots or Starbucks) as well as more high-end cultural institutions (such as the Guggenheim – as in Bilbao, Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi, or even the Sorbonne, currently being built in Abu Dhabi), usually at a great expense, and it has, admittedly, had the desired affect – these ventures have received their fair share of both local and international publicity, be it only for the sheer audacity of the architecture or the costs involved.

Football pitch on the campus of IUE...

However, as advantageous such 'clip-on' endeavours might be, applying a formula that works in New York, Sidney or Paris might not necessarily suitable for a Gulf vernacular, where the cultural, social semantics and logistics are set according to quite unique and different foundations and patterns of behaviour. These range from issues such as the separation or distinction between the genders, to more subtle, more internalized and idiosyncratic, social distinctions within a society, such as the roles between locals and expatiates or the 'bedoun', or any of the alternate cultural hierarchies and chains-of-command (the key role religion plays in the set up of the nation, the way reputations and loyalties are interlinked between extended families, etc.). All such factors will impact, and occasionally clash, with the imported cultures of the institutions brought in from abroad. A successful enterprise of this scale will inevitably require time, patience, and bundles of perseverance and lateral thinking to survive and succeed. 'Tagging on' to someone else's reputation might seem like a worthwhile idea, but there's something to be said for building up, from scratch, a establishment of ones own. Allow it to develop organically into something distinct and a bespoke reflection of its own unique conditions and setting.

Do such institutions lack the confidence in setting up something which foundations stand on their own merit? Could one claim that such an approach is reflective of an inherent lack of imagination in defining an original set of academic criteria of ones own?

IUE glazed elevator shaft...

The Bauhaus, Vkhutemas, Black Mountain College, Architectural Association, SCI-Arc, are all institutions (the latter two still existing) that defined an unique approach to their particular disciplines. They all also celebrate(d) their individuality, their specific approach and philosophy, and pursued their particular plan-to-action according to ideas that usually were catalysed by perceived shortcomings in existing educational templates. Some of the aforementioned institutions didn't last much more than a decade or two (the Bauhaus, Vkhutemas, Black Mountain College), but are still revered and referred to in most textbooks related to the topic. Others are still going strong (the AA, SCI-Arc), and have by now, as in the case of the AA, been around for over 160 years. What they all have in common is a surprisingly diverse assemblage of characters, both students and tutors, who collectively developed a richly diverse setting for syncretic discourse. They questioned and adapted new stands of thought and novel paradigms of conception which inevitably enriched the way our doings and surroundings - the values and concepts we use to define them - could be conceived and perceived. This process of constant questioning and critical thought, derived from the sincerest form of curiosity rather than cynicism, is imperative in the betterment of our both cultural and built vernacular. It is this role, as an entity of both empirical but also inspired conception, an university should occupy. Perhaps the advantage of doing so through a private institution is that the usually more generic requirements of a state run university curriculum can be circumvented and alternative pedagogical routes can be explored.

The campus Amphitheatre, with trees sticking out from between the bleachers...

These musings came about whilst visiting the Department of Architecture of the Izmir University of Economics in Izmir, Turkey, a less than decade old institution that is fiercely dedicated to establishing its own brand, or take on things, rather than adopting someone else's. What struck me about this institution, located in a country and city I never visited before, was, in spite of its newness, how dynamic, aspirational and 'together' it was. The chain-of-command between the departments and individuals in those departments was clear and benign; required actions, be these regarding invoice payments or the realization of new facilities, were done on time or even ahead of schedule; the provisions of, and interlinks between, the different facets of the school and fulfilling the needs of both students and staff were efficiently resolved and always in process of being improved. Workshops exploring various more progressive approaches of architectural conception were standard. This was all achieved quickly, efficiently and within budget. The campus had a very amicable ambiance about it, and the staff and students I met all seemed to have a dedication and loyalty for the place.

The cable-car accessed mountain south of the IUE campus...

This emphasis on individuality and initiative to take action and responsibility of ones own would benefit all stratums of endeavours in Kuwait, regardless of discipline...

Pieke Bergmans at the Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery...

A quick sketch (from memory) of one of the designs in the exhibition...

The latest exhibition at the Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery in the Al Corniche Complex is by the Dutch designer Pieke Bergmans, who's exhibiting, what she describes as, 'Design Viruses' - blown crystal 'bubbles', or vases - which are applied, whilst still hot and malleable, onto restored Middle Eastern mother-of-pearl furniture, consequently burning the furniture and marking the pattern and shape of the furniture onto each crystal 'virus'. For this exhibition these 'viruses' have been set onto a number of side tables, various chairs, as well as a large cupboard, displayed evenly around the gallery space.

The exhibition introduces an interesting dichotomy - by making utilitarian objects unusable, and, in the act of burning and disfiguring these precious pieces, blatantly disregarding something usually considered valuable, what discipline - design, art, craft (or anarchy) - do these works actually belong to? Perhaps this question is somewhat of a moot point, as simply engaging with the process of manipulating and adapting these particular pre-existing pieces according to the methods determined by the 'Design Virus' (as outlined in the hand-out) should suffice, however, using one craft - glass-blowing - a very hands-on set of synchronized skills that require years of training to master, to 'disfigure' another craft - carpentry - which in its own right demands thousands of hours to get to grips with, is a bit strange, and it would be nice if the act, which could be described as a form of 'benign vandalism', would be justified a bit more. So perhaps the relationship between the crystal and the piece of furniture is less 'viral' and more about a parasitic, or even symbiotic, relationship, making the combination less confrontational and more about exploring a syncretic or evolutionary design process. It would also be interesting to find out how this relates to other works in the genre, such as Maarten Baas' 'Smoke' series, where he burns and scorches existing furniture classics, or even some of the work by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, where, in his 'Four Movements' collection, he cuts up, and re-assembles, a set of classical Chinese furniture into unusual and unexpected compositions, in the process revealing and granting them a set new suggestive functions that weren't there before.

Thus, at some level, and in comparison to the aforementioned examples, perhaps the work didn't go far enough. Even in comparison to some of the designs included on the designer's web-page, the pieces in the Al-Sabah Gallery are almost timid - their viruses engage with their hosts, but seem to do so in a fashion that only nudge, instead of fully integrate, with the furniture. The viruses only rest on/ by/ inside the furniture instead of changing them, adapting and morphing them into something beyond their origins.

Expanding the notion of craft would also have been interesting in this context. Glass is a fascinating material. Fresh out of the kiln, it's a viscous paste, like thick honey, that's a true challenge to control and shape. It can weigh and behave like liquid rock, or be blown into the thinnest and lightest of bubbles, that will fly off by the slightest of breezes. During its process of fabrication, it can also be deceptive, radiating a slow orange glow whilst still fresh out of the kiln, that quickly fades into its usual clarity surprisingly quickly, it still, however, remains scorching hot, and malleable, for quite a while. On the other hand, once annealed (cooled down) the glass becomes hard and brittle like rock, and very demanding to work with. This stage provides a different set of opportunities, usually through the application of more precision based mechanical tools (compared to the more hands-on means used during the hot stages). The combination of these two, unexpectedly contradictory, stages of the glass fabrication process, is also where some of the intrinsic beauty and potential of glass and crystal rests. It is here where also the opportunities lie in this case. Why was crystal used instead of regular glass? Why clear instead of coloured glass? Why not any secondary shaping/ polishing/ grinding/ etching/ adapting of the glass to match or contrast with the host piece of furniture? Was the lack of finishing and control intentional? It would have been nice to see evidence of more reflection and adaptation that is made bespoke for the included mother-of-pearl furniture pieces.

However, in the end the Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery has to be commended for bringing this type of work to Kuwait, providing the general public with a venue where anyone can be exposed and engage with design and art work that pushes and explores the boundaries of the various related disciplines. To its credit, the work does contain chunks of the '7elo-factor', as the work can be classified as aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes just liking something, without covering it with several plys of analysis, is perfectly OK, and needs to be applauded for the sheer enthusiasm and drive involved in their realization...

Samples of the 'Design Viruses' (photo from the Al-Sabah Art & Design Collection web-page)...

Ghada Al Kandari has a Blog...

A recently completed painting (image by Ghada Al-Kandari)...

Ghada Al-Kandari, one of Kuwait's more interesting and talented contemporary artists, has started her own blog. Predominantly a painted, Ms. Al-Kandari is known for work that explored and is driven by often very personal, even painful, themes.
Click here for a link to a recent article about the artist in Artvark.

The above painting in process (photo by Ghada Al-Kandari)...