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INT. The Body - Sunrise, the solo exhibition of Emirati visual artist Maitha Abdalla is on view at Cromwell Place, London, 10 - 16 October 2022. The exhibition marks the culmination of Abdalla’s three-month An Effort residency supported by Abu Dhabi Arts & Music Foundation(ADMAF).
The An Effort residency that Abdalla participated in is founded around narratives. An Effort supports artists who, either through their messaging or their process, seek to connect and engage with their audience and wider community in a unique way.
The programme engages artists at different stages of their careers with a particular focus on those artists who explore connection. Endeavouring to provide a new space of belonging, the residency and studio is a space for the selected artists to research, discuss and create; each program is a collaboration between the artists and the residency committee.
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“The first few weeks brought me back to basics. I spent hours sketching out my characters, focusing on construction to better understand movement and form. I found myself fixated upon the rooster. In local culture the call of the rooster signals that angels are close by, my grandmother would tell me this as a child and the rooster - as an embodiment of spirituality - preoccupied me for years. It became a regular motif in my output that I have taken the time to really unpack and develop during this three month period of immersion; you’ll notice that the rooster recurs in the paintings that will be exhibited at Cromwell Place as well as its counterpart - the donkey which is said to perceive demons."
- Maitha Abdalla
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"Regional folklore, passed down from generation to generation, regularly informs my work. These tales are often verbally communicated rather than documented by the written word; the residency offered me a chance to share these narratives and open up new dialogues surrounding them with a new community. It’s always so interesting to see how those from other cultures connect with these stories and relate them to their own experiences.
An Effort offered an immersion into the local art scene as well as connection to former An Effort residents. I was, for example, able to collaborate with a previous resident, a sculptor who helped me to explore the potential of translating my sculptural works into new mediums and consider the way that new technologies might enhance my output, I think this freedom and opportunity for collaboration and experimentation will deeply benefit my practice.”
- Maitha Abdalla
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“The Abu Dhabi Arts & Music Foundation is committed to investing in the talent and creative potential of Emirati artists and empowering them to realise their dreams and ambitions. We are pleased to support Maitha Abdalla as the first Emirati to be invited to the residency programme at London’s An Effort Art and to nurture and develop the passion she has shown for the arts from an early age. Maitha’s solo exhibition is an exceptional opportunity to introduce London audiences to her unique practice and foster cross-cultural understanding by giving insight into the UAE’s thriving art scene.”
- Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Arts & Music Foundation (ADMAF) and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival
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Maitha Abdalla : INT. The Body - Sunrise
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