The Bassam Freiha Art Foundation is the first and only private art foundation in the Cultural District
Now open, the massive Bassam Freiha Art Foundation is the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District.
The non-profit institution is founded by philanthropist and art collector His Excellency Bassam Freiha, becoming the first and only private art foundation in the Cultural District.
Dedicated to showcasing global art collections, BFAF, located on Saadiyat Island, will offer audiences the opportunity to discover rarely seen works drawn from private collections locally, regionally and internationally.
In addition to its exhibition programme, the foundation will cultivate an extensive and inclusive programme of cultural and educational initiatives.
Bassam Freiha Art Foundation aims to showcase exhibitions curated around highlights from private collections, so naturally the inaugural exhibition, Echoes of the Orient is along those lines.
The inaugural exhibition will feature works from the orientalist movement from His Excellency Bassam Freiha’s private collection juxtaposed with 19th century photography, and works by renowned contemporary and modern Arab artists.
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Curated by BFAF Director of Exhibitions Michaela Watrelot, Echoes of the Orient offers a window into the West’s dialogue with the East. Centred on the theme of femininity as envisioned through the orientalist art movement – from candid representations of odalisques in the harem to depictions of maternal affection – the exhibition navigates the complex interplay of reality and fantasy which has historically defined orientalist art.
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Parallelly, another exhibition titled Reclaiming Visions will run in the foundation’s annex gallery. The show will feature the photographic work of US-based Iraqi-Palestinian artist Sama Alshaibi from her Carry Over series alongside poetic sculptures by Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi, in dialogue with 19th century portrait photography from the Orientalist art movement by Alexandre Leroux, and Aram Alban.
The exhibition critically explores the exoticised representations of Arab women in historical images and navigates the nuanced interplay of history, power, and representation to ultimately reclaim the narrative.
Don’t miss out on either!
For more information, visit bfaf.ae
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