One of my favorite pastimes while in Dubai & Sharjah is to photograph all the photos and paintings of the various Sheikhs in every single building that you enter. They all vary in scale, medium, and content but all are fascinating. I think we should take this practice up in the states, plastering Obama’s photos and paintings behind every single business desk.
Sheikhs wispering to one another..
Sheikhs overlooking the freeway…
Sheikhs at the bank…..
Sheikhs hanging out at the mall…
Sheikhs at art dubai…
And even sheikhs at the Typing Centre!
On an exciting side note I had the chance to briefly meet both the Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi and Sheika Hoor al Qasimi who is also the director of the Sharjah Biennial! Pretty exciting.
Whoa! My fave is the “Sheiks whispering to one another.”
this is ridiculous there is nothing artistic about it !
This post wasn’t so much about “fine art” as it was about the use of art within a countries political structure and culture. I wasn’t suggesting that these should be shown in a gallery or museum to praise the skill or content of the works
Yeah, I agree with Amir- I think it’s an interesting little photo essay on Dubai to give you the flavor of the imagery & sights surrounding the biennial. Besides, as Joseph Beuys says, “Everyone is an artist,” right? Points of interest can be found in most everything, from the mundane to that which is clasically considered “fine art.”