Time: 08:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
Venue: Embassy of Mexico in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
This exhibition unites four very diverse artists from different backgrounds. Dr Najjat Makki from the United Arab Emirates, María José R. Escolar from Spain, Mexican artist José Toledo and American artist of Mexican and Honduran descent Brian Gonzales. All of these artists have in common that they have a strong preference for painting (or printmaking, respectively), yet their works are very different from each other.
To unite these diverse practices, research into Mexico’s history revealed a helpful aide that became the main concept of this exhibition. Talavera Tiles date back to the 16th century and have a rich history of blending, absorbing und modifying styles and designs from Spain, Mexico and Islamic art – bearing this in mind, it could have not been more fitting to integrate the diverse work of the aforementioned artists within a selection of black and white printed tiles, thus uniting them through the rhythm of patterns, rather than through their artistic differences.
Commonly used therefore on walls, façades, and on floors, the effect of multiple Talavera Tiles brings together composite structures of patterns. Multiplicity and repetition is at the heart of these tiles, because only in their united form do they achieve their overall effect.
In this exhibition, selections of square sections of original artworks by the four artists were printed on tiles. Carried out by artist and printmaker Brian Gonzales, Printmaking Lecturer at the University of Sharjah, 500 tiles were printed in this manner, intermixing with black and white Talavera Tile patterns. The exhibition combines therefore floor-based works as well as wall hanging works, reflecting the original works of art as well as their modifications into Talavera Tiles.
This exhibition is hosted at the Embassy of Mexico in Abu Dhabi by HE Francisca Méndez Escobar, Ambassador of Mexico to the UAE, and has been created in collaboration with the University of Sharjah and Maraya Art Centre.
To visit, please book an appointment with Ms. Nawal Boulos, Cultural Affairs Manager: culturaleseau@sre.gob.mx or call (971) 2 511 99 02 and (971) 50 170 46 86.
