Shaikha Al Muhairi, Library Management Department Director, Culture Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, takes us through their latest exhibition.
There’s a new exhibition in town, and the chance to rediscover stories from your childhood with it!
Cultural Foundation has brought the magic of folktales to life in Abu Dhabi with their latest exhibition, ‘Folktales Reimagined’. Running until 16 November, explore illustrations created by 10 Emirati, five Italian, and five Mexican artists who have each reinterpreted the others’ cultural folktales.
It’s the best time to be inaugurating the exhibition too, says Shaikha Al Muhairi, Library Management Department Director, Culture Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi.
“The schools are on, so we get to bring the kids to the libraries and promote high-quality literature. This is a good time for us to contribute to the field with high-quality literature and high-quality children’s illustrations because there is a lot of commercial stuff going around,” she adds.
As a librarian, Shaikha Al Muhairi is extremely picky about the quality of stories that children are exposed to a lot. That said, she firmly believes that the higher the quality of the work, the smarter and more imaginative kids will become.
The Cultural Foundation is constantly providing free acces to some epic exhibitions that tease the minds of both kids and adults alike, including the likes of Comic Craze Vol 3. Nothing is dumbed down, even for the kids. On the contrary, the aim remains to empower and uplift minds.
Additionally, the space is perfect for students and adults looking for a serene spot to study or work as well, with 24×7 services expected to be introduced across locations soon.
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While the library department and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi have always collaborated with the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), this project is special as it revolves around the sharing of culture and folktales.
For Shaikha Al Muhairi, it’s been interesting to watch the reimagined illustrations, to say the least.
“Beyond illustrating for children, the exhibition allowed the illustrators to explore how other cultures operate. I read the folktales from our culture, these creatures are really scary for us. But they’ve drawn them in such a nice way, I want to drink tea with one of them,” she says with a laugh.
With school visits and workshops being planned, it’s a visual treat indeed to view the reinterpretations of artists across the globe.
She adds, “The artists involved in the exhibition are already established as children’s book illustrators, for example, Abdullah has contributed to Open Sesame, which is the Arabic version of Sesame Street.”
The exhibition is sure to strike a chord with all, a perfect celebration of cultural diversity in Abu Dhabi. While the stories are native to Emiratis, you’re sure to find resemblances to the folktales you’ve grown up with as well.
The personal factor is what makes the Folktales Reimagined special too, for Shaikha Al Muhairi as well.
“For me, it is very interesting because I remember my great-grandmother telling us these stories. They would say, ‘If you go to the sea, Baba Darya will eat you up.’ It’s quite a sophisticated concept. So the kids themselves being exposed to this will help us help them increase their imagination and understanding of other nations and how people see what we see when we think about it,” she says.
For more information, visit culturalfoundation.ae
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