HassanSharif 1951

#HassanSharif (1951–2016) – a pioneer of conceptual art and experimental practices in the UAE – overcame the rigid limits of artistic disciplines and approaches, experimenting with performance, installation, drawing, painting, and assemblage. His series ‘Objects’, first conceptualized in the 1980s, features sculptures made of inexpensive and mass-produced goods sourced from local markets, including spoons, towels, floor mats, and electronic wiring. Sharif, who begun his artistic career drawing caricatures and cartoons, witnessed the transformation of Dubai from a nomadic Bedouin society into a hub of consumerism. Works such as ‘Rug’ (2016) – created from strips of household linen, dipped into tempera paint, woven and braided – reflect and critique the modern culture of mass production and consumption in the Middle Eastern metropolis. — Hassan Sharif, ‘Rug’, 2016, via Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (@galleryivde) | Feature 2019 #artbasel2019 #artbasel