Exhibition Of The Month: Drawing Time

Bringing together not one but 15 intergenerational artists, if you have time to check out just one art exhibition this month, make it Drawing Time: Duets. Presenting both new and historical works from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection, pieces from the likes of pioneering Sudanese, Oxford-based modernist Ibrahim El Salahi and late South African artist David Koloane have joined forces to seek to re-examine the very nature of drawing as a culturally situated disciplinary practice — one that begins in the mind and extends into myriad material forms. “When I began working at the Sharjah Art Foundation years ago, I asked that we open up boxes that had been hiding, or asleep, to bring them to the light,” exhibition curator and director of collections and senior curator Dr Omar Kholeif tells MOJEH. “We soon realised that most of these works were ‘works on paper’, often luscious drawings which were held from view because paper, as we know, is a fragile medium and must rest after exposure or else its colour may fade. Working to index, categorise, conserve and present these works over the last few years led to the birth of Drawing Time.”

Visitors can expect plenty of colour and texture across pigment and paper, both in physical and virtual form, while the exhibition also examines the idea of pairs and doubles, showing how artists work together, like dance partners, to create something beautiful. “As you enter you will be greeted by a newly conserved work by the late Sudanese artist Omer Khairy, who also went by the double name of George Edward,” explains Dr Kholief. “Audiences will also be exposed to animated scenes and duets found in the works of the late Algerian artist Baya, as well as a domestic painted scene by the Emirati pioneer Hassan Sharif. And those are just a few of the many great pieces we have on show.” On view until 4 August 2024 at Gallery 4 of Al Mureijah Art Spaces, Sharjah. Learn more