From risoprints to AI images, Made in Tashkeel returns with a mirthfully dizzying display

The exhibition is running at FN Designs in Dubai’s AlSerkal Avenue until August 27

Made in Tashkeel is running at FN Designs in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue until August 27. Pawan Singh / The National

The 14th Made in Tashkeel exhibition is presenting works by more than 100 artists associated with the art institution.

Many of the artists are presenting more than one work, meaning the exhibition at FN Designs in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue is brimming with art. The walls are decked floor-to-ceiling with paintings and photographs, risoprints and AI-generated images. Installations are sprawled across the floor, whereas smaller sculptures are curated on top of the centre tables. There is a sense of awe at the sheer number of works exhibited, not to mention the wide array of mediums they cover.

The exhibition is an annual mainstay event by Tashkeel. It is especially significant for emerging talents in the country, giving them a chance to present their works and gain much-needed exposure. Like every year, there are gems to be discovered and promising talents to look out for.

The exhibition is a gesture of “appreciation towards our members and participants in our workshops,” says Karam Hoar, marketing and communication specialist at Tashkeel.

There are several works produced by longtime members of the institution, including Emirati artist Badr Abbas, whose paintings touch upon Dubai motifs with a cubist’s flair and incorporate characters dressed in traditional attire alongside urban elements including sign posts and storefronts, all playfully deconstructed and arranged.

Boushra Almutawakel is exhibiting a series of introspective photographs, self-portraits that are superimposed with red acrylic paints. Mohamed Ali, meanwhile, shows a selection of his astrophotography, capturing celestial bodies and nebulae with stunning detail.

Mozhdeh Zandieh-Grayson is presenting an installation piece that reflects upon the concept of hope, with white pebbles clustered in a path towards a curving mirror. On the other side of the mirror are a series of smaller black and silver stones, alluding to realised and withered aspirations.

Mohamed Alastad is also exhibiting a piece titled Burqa. The Emirati artist is known for his unique artistic method, which involves burying tarps with metals along coastlines, letting them impress textures and colours over a period of time, before unearthing them. Alastad utilises the same technique in Burqa.

The exhibition is also dedicating a wall to art that explores Palestinian identity. Embroidery motifs are prevalent across several works, which range from the abstract to the figurative. There are also prints and mixed media artworks, as well as AI-generated images, including one by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, who is the director and founder of Tashkeel. The image features a woman dressed in traditional Palestinian clothing holding a watermelon.

“Of course, with the current situation, we are trying to shed some light on what's happening in Gaza,” Hoar says.

Sheikha Lateefa has several works in the exhibition, a fair share of them generated by AI. In fact, there are more than a dozen works in the exhibition that have been produced using AI. The works have come about as a result of a collaborative programme between Tashkeel and Museum of the Future, which took place in October.

The aim of the workshop, Hoar says, was to recognise AI as an artistic tool and not so much a threat. “It [explored] how art can be generated via AI,” Hoar says. “People are [somewhat] afraid of AI, but it’s really a tool. It doesn’t control you.”

Many of the risoprints displayed have also been produced as part of workshops hosted by Tashkeel. Risoprints are made using a special machine, which is something in between a photocopier and screen printer. Risograph machines print one colour at a time, requiring pages to be manually refer into the machine. The results can be surprising but nonetheless visually striking.

The risoprint workshops at Tashkeel are recurring, with another one to be offered sometime in July. “The magic about risograph is that it lets you mix elements, layers and colours with [unexpected results],” says Hoar. The risographs displayed come from artists as young as 17, and playfully mix Arabic calligraphy together with human forms.

Made in Tashkeel is also offering a sneak peek into its upcoming restaurant. A farm to table concept that revolves around Emirati cuisine, Gerbou will be opening “very soon”, Hoar says, at Nadd Al Sheba, beside Tashkeel’s main headquarters.

Images at the exhibition offer a glimpse of the restaurant. One of the highlights of its interior design is the chairs crafted from the wood of ghaf trees, which hold special significance in UAE culture.

Made in Tashkeel has long been a dizzying celebration of artworks produced by up-and-coming talents in the UAE. This seems especially true this year.

There are more than a few gems in the panoply of works being presented this year, and the space in itself offers an uplifting atmosphere, brimming with creativity and potential.

Made in Tashkeel is running at FN Designs in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue until August 27