From exhibitions to workshops and more, the latest 421 spring programme offers something truly unmissable
Ever the bearers of wonderful exhibitions, workshops and overall fun and learning, 421 is here with some new additions to their spring 2024 season.
Titled ‘Reverberations’, the spring programme is focused on reframing our worldview and reflecting on the current times.
From an overload of information, live streams and the rise of Artificial Intelligence, alongside the tangible effects of political violence and climate change – the Spring 2024 programme aims to echo and rebuild a community of hope.
Through two exhibitions and a series of workshops and special events that revolve around collective activations, movement, healing and dialogue, this spring programme invites the community to join 421 as we learn to find ways to cope with and understand the world in times of constant change.
Mona Ayyash: The Clock Doesn’t Care
16 May – 25 August
In her first solo exhibition, The Clock Doesn’t Care, Mona Ayyash presents a collaborative video piece with a group of actors, dancers, and performance artists, focusing on small body movements. The work is a study of repetitive non-functional movements, without purpose or productivity. It questions the tension between passing time and wasting time.
Selected through an open call, the artist’s collaborators committed to a long-term creative process where they contributed to the work by filming themselves responding to movement prompts, encouraging them to consider what ‘doing nothing’ looks like.
View this post on Instagram
Ayyash extracts fragments of the collected footage and edits them to be layered one over the other or side-by-side, constantly changing, accumulating, and subtracting. The every day and the mundane are themes highlighted in work, as the bodies are stuck repeating their movements in a loop, going nowhere. The use of repetition attempts to expand time, giving the gesture more space to claim its value.
Without a clear narrative to hold the spectator’s attention, the exhibition serves as a playful inquiry into the objective nature of time. The exhibition’s title, The Clock Doesn’t Care, expresses how time, indifferent to our pursuits, will continue its inevitable move forward without concern or coercion.
The exhibition design imagines a fragmented route featuring viewing platforms and cut-out frames for an immersive viewing experience. Ayyash quietly rejects the notion of stimulation, inviting visitors to engage with boredom through repetition and slowness, encouraging them to let time pass.
On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show
16 May – 25 August
On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show presents the work of graduate students completing the two-year Master of Fine Arts in Art and Media at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).
Marking the third year of collaboration and an expanded partnership between 421 Arts Campus and NYUAD, the exhibition showcases the research and experimentation of the 2024 MFA cohort who visualise questions and ideas in expansive ways that provide valuable insights into our contemporary global condition.
On a Timeline features projects by Sara Alahbabi, Ciel Arbour-Boehme, Zara Mahmood, Fatima Al Romaithi, and Farah Soltani. The exhibition features explorations through drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and mixed media.
WORKSHOPS
Jamming Sessions: Galnish with Elita & Anita
23 May, 6pm to 8pm
Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this spring where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Reverberations’.
Stay tuned for more information on the books for our reading circle and the hands-on activities.
This session is suitable for families with children 6 and over. Parents and guardians are welcome to join the session and support their little ones.
About the instructors:
Yasmine is the Founder of Early Starters. She grew up around books her life as her father was in the publishing business. Her lifelong dream was to open her own independent bookstore that would host the community in more than one way.
Performance Co/Lab
26 May, 5pm to 7pm
Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques. Each session will introduce new and unique exercises throughout the duration of the Performance Co/Lab program. Performance Co/Lab is a bi-monthly gathering facilitated by the community for the community.
Co-facilitators Mary Chase and Carlos Páez González are excited to bring a wealth of knowledge and collaborative spirit to cultivate and sustain a movement-based and performance-focused shared space, through Performance Co/Lab at 421.
Jamming Session: Sri Lankan Flavors
26 May, 12pm to 2pm
Join duo Salmaan and Fazmina this Jamming Session for a Sri Lankan Sunday lunch!
‘Jamming Sessions: Homecooking Series’ is a workshop series led by UAE’s home chefs. Each session features a family duo who teach participants their traditional recipes as handed down through their relatives. The sessions are accompanied by a playlist that sets the scene of a home kitchen.
For more information, visit 421 Online
Follow Yalla – Abu Dhabi Life for all the latest news across the capital and beyond