Art Dubai Commissions, as part of the extensive not-for-profit programme, gives regional and international artists the opportunity to develop dynamic site-specific works for the grounds of the fair.
Art Dubai Commissions, as part of the extensive not-for-profit programme, gives regional and international artists the opportunity to develop dynamic site-specific works for the grounds of the fair.
Good Morning GCC. 2017. Courtesy of the Artists
In 2018, Art Dubai commissioned the Khaleeji artist collective GCC, who met in the VIP lounge at Art Dubai in 2013, to create an immersive and large-scale interactive installation at the heart of the fair.
Titled GOOD MORNING GCC (.صباح الخير جي. سي. سي), the 2018 edition of The Room recreated a live TV show on site, using the tropes of daytime talk shows commonly featured on TV stations across the Arab world as an anchor for the programming, which included daily segments such as fashion, cooking and health.
A particular highlight was celebrity wedding singer and TV chef Suliman Al Qassar, an icon of food performance and much-loved TV personality in the region, who launched the programme with a live cooking demonstration on the opening night of the fair.
The overall experience of the set was developed over the duration of the fair with daily performances, where visitors was able to interact with props, furniture and scenography.
GCC commented: “We’re interested in how, this year, The Room has been moved from its exclusive space into a more public area. As a result we chose to approach figures like Suliman Al Qassar because of their relatability as regional icons and innovative personalities. With GOOD MORNING GCC, each guest participant has transformed the boundaries of their chosen profession beyond the staid.”
From Wednesday, March 21 – Friday, March 23, GCC’s TV studio set on Fort Island served as a background for a series of after-hours parties, featuring a line-up of internationally renowned DJ’s. The night events took place under the title GCC After Dark.
2018’s edition of The Room was supported by Ixina with Sky News Arabia as the official media partner.
9:30pm
STYLE SEGMENT
Telfar Clemens
For Telfar Clemens, both uniforms, and fashion labels, in general, take away people’s humanity,“The things that separate designer clothes and working people can get ugly. That’s not what we are about.” His collaboration with White Castle, and the capsule collection that came out of it. This is not low or high fashion. It’s horizontal and for the masses.
9:30pm-11:30pm
ASMARA
Asma Maroof aka Asmara is a DJ/ music producer residing in Los Angeles. As one half of the duo Nguzunguzu, she has released on innovative leisure, hippos in tanks, and mostly fade to mind. Also, as a member of the group Future Brown, she’s released on Warp. Maroof also co- writes with vocalists such as Kelela and Dawn Richard.
11:30pm-1:30am
VENUS X
Founder of influential party and movement GH20G0TH1k, Venus has performed around the world DJing events in New York, LA, Paris, London, Tokyo, San Paulo and Shanghai.
7:00-7:30pm
LIFESTYLE AND ARCHITECTURE SEGMENT
Xavier Cartron
Palace designer and architect has an extraordinary roster of clients in the Gulf. A conversation took place with GCC about the way architecture and the built environment is a manifestation of direct impact on culture, and how politics are experienced and symbolized. In particular, the interplays between visible and invisible power in the Gulf.
7:30-8:00pm
BOOK CLUB SEGMENT
Launched a limited edition of GCC’s upcoming book Internal Affairs 2013–2018 as part of the publication series “ ” (quotationmarkquotationmark.com), commissioned and edited by Adam Gibbons and Eva Wilson.
8:00-9:30pm
COOKING SEGMENT
Suliman Al Qassar
A particular highlight was celebrity wedding singer and TV chef Suliman Al Qassar, an icon of food performance and much-loved TV personality in the region, who launched the programme with a live cooking demonstration on the opening night of the fair.
9:30pm-2:00am
DJ HOSH
A resident DJ at Rush Club in Ras al Khaimah, UAE. Since 2003, Hashmin has played in various venues mixing traditional sounds with modern beats. His music are influenced by Middle Eastern cultures.
5:00-5:20pm
LIFESTYLE SEGMENT
Sarah Abu Abdullah
An art fair is rife with hopes and expectations, and Sarah Abu Abdullah casted her divining eye towards the past and future shared her auspicious predictions of the present.
5:20-5:40pm
ENVIRONMENTAL SEGMENT
Sarah Al Ateeqi
Dr. Sarah Al Ateeqi is the Operation Director of Alshaheed Park Museums. She studied Botany and Desert science at Kuwait University, and took her masters and PhD from University of Glasgow in the same subjects. Dr. Al Ateeqi spoke about native plants in the region specific to the identity of the Gulf.
10pm-12am
ABDULLAH AL-MUTAIRI
Abdullah Al-Mutairi (b.1990) is a Kuwaiti-American artist based in Kuwait. He has shown work as part of the art collective GCC, and as a solo artist. His second solo show with Sultan Gallery will be coming up this April 2018.
12am-2am
TELFAR
Fashion designer and DJ Telfar Clemens lives and works in New York, USA. In 2004 he launched his own fashion label entitled ‘TELFAR’. Winner of the CFDA award, Telfar voices out equality, subtlety, and the notion of beauty is deserved by everyone.
6:30pm-7:30pm
BEAUTY SEGMENT
Arabia Felix
In this segment Mohammad Dashti showcased the craft of makeup and it’s ability to transform.
7:30pm-8:30pm
STYLE SEGMENT
Mohammad Diego
Mohammed Diego, of the House of Diego, is a fashion and style icon with an immense YouTube following. He was the program’s master of ceremonies and had his own segment to transform someone from drab to fab.
9:30pm-2am
TOTAL FREEDOM
After years traveling the world, Ashland Mines has settled into a career with the Department of Sanitation New York as a trash collector. Mines also plays and makes music under the name Total Freedom.
3:00-3:30pm
WELLBEING SEGMENT
Ministry of Happiness
The Ministry of Happiness relayed the impact of arts and culture on happiness and productivity.
3:30-4:00pm
HOLISTIC BODY WORKS SEGMENT
Anfal Al Qaisi
Anfal al Qaisi has more than a decade experience in Reiki and holistic body works with specialty in spinal misalignment and pain management. In this segment, she did a radical realignment for one exclusive client.
GCC, an acronym that does not necessarily stand for but alludes to the Gulf Cooperative Council (the intergovernmental political and economic partnership that connects six countries in the region), is an artist “delegation” or collective composed of eight members, all of which have strong ties to the Arabian Gulf region of the Middle East. The group was formed in 2013 at Art Dubai and has since shown at Mitchell-Innes & Nash in New York; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler in Berlin; Project Native Informant in London; The New Museum, Whitney Museum of Art, and MoMA PS1 in New York; Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris; 9th Berlin Biennial; Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE; Fridericianum in Kassel; and the 78th Whitney Biennial.
Collective members: Nanu Al-Hamad, Khalid Al Gharaballi, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Fatima Al Qadiri, Monira Al Qadiri, Aziz Al Qatami, Barrak Alzaid, Amal Khalaf
