Reimagining Sharjah through art

Adrian Villar Rojas' "Planetarium" is a site-specific installation commissioned by Sharjah Biennial 12 using an abandoned ice factory in Kalba, a port city on the east coast of Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates. / Courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation and the artist

Sharjah Art Foundation president Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi

By Kwon Mee-yoo

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates

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Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is located north of the glistening city of Dubai. Spanning from the Persian Gulf in the west to the Gulf of Oman in the east, the less-known emirate is culturally rich in both traditional and contemporary ways and the 12th edition of Sharjah Biennial proves how Sharjah develops its identity through artistic discourse.

The biennial dates back to 1993 and is now one of the major art events in the Gulf. Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, commissioned more than half of the art works for the Sharjah Biennial 12 (SB12), giving the artists room to experiment.

"Each biennial has own character and the space is important for Sharjah. The artists come to Sharjah early to research and the project of each artist comes up with the site to make the biennial interesting," Qasimi said.

Papy Ebotani's performance "Fanfare Funerailles (Funeral brass)" suggests a new way to mark the death of a loved one. / Courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation

She also puts emphasis on the educational side of the SB12. "As an art institution, educational effort is inevitable. Our educational program is growing. We have people coming from everywhere

children living near the biennial venue, shopkeepers and sailors," Qasimi said. "We have community-based artworks and artists give lectures and take part in workshops throughout the year. These efforts result in social interaction."

Entitled "The Past, the Present, the Possible," the SB12 is curated by Korean-American curator Eungie Joo. The former curator of New Museum in New York organized this abstract, experimental and site-specific biennial. The UAE is a relatively new country developing fast and SB12 tries to preserve its history while resonating with the contemporary audience.

Rayyane Tabet's "Cyprus" is inspired by the Lebanese artist's attempt to escape from his home country.

"I approached in the context of urban study," Joo said. "It is a city imagining a new city. There is no decisive theme in this biennial, but there are nice dialogues going back and forth between the artists."

The artists let their imagination run big and wild in the city built on a desert. Vietnamese-born Danish artist Danh Vo recreated a section of the Statue of Liberty in a courtyard of the traditional building, while Lebanese artist Rayyane Tabet unravels his memory of an attempt to flee the country in “Cyprus,” an installation of life-size boat and anchor hanging from the ceiling. Eduardo Navarro’s “XYZ” actively engages with the local community as impaired children play games designed by the artist with an emphasis on the sensory.

Danh Vo's "Come to Where the Flavors Are" is a reproduction of part of the Statue of Liberty.

Some artists reflect the geographical characteristics of the area. “At the Risk of the Real” by Cinthia Marcelle from Brazil is closely related to the history of the region

Marcelle was inspired by endless construction sites and made construction workers sift sand to the viewers on top of post-and-beam. Japanese artist Taro Shinoda imagined a beautiful dry landscape garden of white sands in "Karesansui."

Probably influenced by curator Joo’s long-standing interest in Korea, a handful of Korean artists took part in SB12, bridging Korea and the Arabic city. Yang Hae-gue presented "An Opaque Wind" in one of traditional buildings, while artist duo mixrice's video is installed in Souq Al Shanasiyah, a renovated market building.

Im Heung-soon made a video titled "Reincarnation," which juxtaposes Korean women that migrated to Iran after the Vietnam War and Irani women that suffered during the Iran–Iraq War, shedding light on the often-neglected women's sacrifice in the history.

The biennial also features the late Chung Chang-sup's "dansaekhwa," or Korean monochrome painting. Chung explored the identity of Korean abstract art through the use of "dakjongi," or mulberry paper. Kim Beom, who coincidentally learned from the late Chung, displays a wide range of paintings and a video at SB12.

Korean-American minimalist Byron Kim presented a series of his sky paintings as well as an installation "Sky Blue Flag," which aims to connect the representation and abstraction.

Eclectic artworks can be found in various sites of the city. Abraham Cruzvillegas’s sculpture “Reconstruccion2: Here We Stand” can be found in the Bird and Animal market, while Flying Saucer, a former supermarket and restaurant, is colorfully reborn under the hand of Egyptian artist Hassan Khan.

Some works are located in Port Khalid, which is a five-minute boat ride away from the main venue. Korean-American artist Michael Joo recreated ancient irrigation system in a warehouse. Asuncion Molinos Gordo created a fake museum dedicated to agriculture in another warehouse, questioning the hegemonic narrative around food.

Artworks are spread out not only in city of Sharjah, but on the other side of the emirate as well. Argentinean artist Adrian Villar Rojas transformed an isolated ice factory in port city of Kalba on the east coast of Sharjah.

Inspired by the "lack of human presence" of the abandoned factory, Villar Rojas' "Planetarium" explores the delicate balance of the ecosystem through a variety of materials from construction trash and plants to an odd running shoe and shells.

The Sharjah Biennial 12 runs through June 5. For more information about the biennial, visit