‘This is Dubai on show to the world and why not?’ An interview with Massimiliano Lodi of DCAA - May 2008
An art consultant for ‘Dubai Next: Face of 21st Century Culture’, Massimiliano tells us about the inaugural exhibition by the Dubai and Culture Arts Authority and how it aims at promoting Dubai as an ‘art hub.’
ChinarTree: Massimiliano, we’re here to talk about your upcoming show, which is on at the same time at as Art Basel, called ‘Designing Dubai..’
Massimiliano: Actually the title was just changed to ‘Dubai Next: Face of 21st Century Culture.’ There was a brainstorming moment when everyone decided it must be changed! The decision was by Rem Koolhaas, Jack Persekian and Michael Schindhelm.
CT: So you recently joined this team at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority?
M: Well as you know the authority was formed 2 months ago and I joined the team very early on as a consultant for them. It’s quite a complex situation as there are not many of us there. It’s quite an eclectic bunch. Everyone is doing everything but in quite a positive way. I was expecting a bit of confusion at first but it’s quite amazing, and along with the artistic director Michael, it’s a very strong team.
CT: How did the idea for this show come about?
M: This exhibition aims to show the Dubai as an ‘art hub.’ You have cities around the world that are indentified as art hubs whether it be New York or Paris or London, so why not Dubai? This is the first project they’ve chosen at an international level, alongside Art Basel. The Vitra Museum near Basel itself, is also very important. It is just across the river Rhein in a little town bordering Germany and Switzerland.
CT: Is there a particular reason that Europe has been selected as the destination of choice?
M: Well it is really about ‘promoting Dubai’ as well as the Emirates. We want to make this link with Europe so it becomes a recognized centre of contemporary art.
CT: Will we get a chance to see the works here in Dubai?
M: Yes, it’s possible. This exhibition was born as a site-specific exhibition for the Vitra Museum. It is gaining the interest of a lot of art personalities, so there is a lot of talk around this. It is very possible we may have a travelling exhibition. I won’t be surprised to see it here in Dubai, but also the States. That is the level we are talking about.
CT: Can you tell me a bit about the artists that have been chosen?
M: The exhibition itself is about a ‘double-look’ at Dubai: promoting Dubai and looking at Dubai in a visual way. The curatorship was basically split between two curators, Jack Persekian and Rem Koolhaus - both strong personalities.
CT: That must have been interesting!
M: It was very interesting and we had to also face this clash of 2 different personalities, in a nice way of course, it was always in a creative way.
Jack Persekian as you know is very well established here, he’s the Director of the Sharjah Biennial and has very strong knowledge of the artists in this region. Jack thought of including five UAE artists, Jalal Abuthina, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Lamya Gargash, Mohammed Kazem and Reem Al Ghaith.What was very interesting was that these Dubai based artists didn’t know each other and yet there were distinct similarities in their work. All of them work with photography and visually share these large expanses in their work, massive uninhabited areas. They were surprised by this.
Rem Koolhaas then selected Charlotte Koolhaas and Reineke Otten as non-UAE artists and used their interpretation of Dubai to contrast the UAE artists’ work. Their concept was based on ‘streetology: the portrait of a city’. Their image of Dubai was totally different. Every inch of their work is filled with energy, movement and colour. So in that sense it was a winning combination because it has come out really strong.
CT: And have the European artists worked with or collaborated at all with the UAE artists?
M: No they haven’t even seen each other’s work, so it will be very interesting to see the artists’ reaction to each other. The exhibition is almost like two different concepts, side-by-side. The location for the exhibition is also a unique space. The museum used to be a garage for fire trucks: the first project by Zaha Hadid.
CT: So how does this all relate to the title, ‘Dubai Next’?
M: Dubai as a place is not still, it is in progress. The title refers to Dubai as a work in progress.
The idea of identity and heritage here is quite strong and I think it is quite complex what is happening here. As opposed to Europe where one talks about history and politics, in Dubai it is about renewal. People are thinking about who they are, what they are achieving now and how this country intends to keep going! It’s alive!
I feel this exhibition has a kind of assertive sense; it’s like a statement, ‘Why not?’ This exhibition is something we have proposed and we are not buying the space. We are just providing a cultural product that should stand for itself. This is Dubai on show to the world and ‘Why not?’
CT: Thanks for your time. We look forward to meeting you after Art Basel to hear the reaction to the show.
DUBAI NEXT: Face of 21st Century Culture is an exhibition by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in cooperation with the Vitra Design Museum.
Forestation, Vitra Campus, June 5 – September 14, 2008.
