Kochi to Dubai: Michelle Poonawalla presents her project Introspection at Alserkal Avenue for Art Week 2019

Alongside a strong programme of South Asian projects including the Samdani Art Foundation andIshara Art Foundation’s inaugural exhibition with Shilpa Gupta and Zarina Hashmi.
Galleries Night at Alserkal Avenue, during Art Week, Dubai, 2018; Courtesy: Alserkal Avenue
Galleries Night at Alserkal Avenue, during Art Week, Dubai, 2018; Courtesy: Alserkal Avenue

Following the successful reception of her multi-media installation Introspection at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018, Michelle Poonawalla will bring the project to Alserkal Avenue, Dubai as a part of the cultural district’s special guest exhibitions during Dubai Art Week 2019.

Alserkal Avenue’s dynamic programming over the last decade has cemented its position as one of the key cultural platforms in Dubai, with curated spaces carrying some of the biggest names in  contemporary art.

Introspection is Michelle Poonawalla’s first exhibition in Dubai and forms a part of the strong representation of South Asian artists supported by Alserkal Avenue including a collaborative exhibition Fabric(ated) Fractures with the Samdani Art Foundation, opening at the OMA-designed space Concrete; Vivek Vilasini’s exhibition Between One Shore and Several Others, at 1 x 1 Gallery; and Altered Inheritances: Home is a Foreign Place, the inaugural exhibition of the Dubai-based Ishara Art Foundation showing work by Shilpa Gupta and Zarina Hashmi. Ishara Art Foundation opens in partnership with Alserkal Avenue.

Michelle Poonawalla’s project Introspection was born from a sense of discomfort and unease with the way images of violence and displacement are consumed today in endless news cycles.

Developing on her experiments with digital technology in her practice, with this piece, Poonawalla turned to sound, using a combination of audio clips from newsreels and ambient sounds to create an uncanny sensorium.

She combines these with motion sensor technology and digitally mapped visuals. The end result is a work of art that creates an intensely physical, immersive experience, which she hopes, will push the audience into a contemplative space. 

Introspection opens to the public on 18 March 2019, in tandem with Galleries Night, and will be on view till 23 March 2019.
 

<em>Installation view of Introspection by Michelle Poonawalla at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, courtesy of the artist</em>
Installation view of Introspection by Michelle Poonawalla at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, courtesy of the artist


Opening Night | Galleries Night at Alserkal Avenue: 18 March | 6-10 pm
Exhibition Dates: 18-23 March
Cost: Free
Address: 42 Alserkal Avenue, 4 17th St - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 

<em>Installation view of Introspection by Michelle Poonawalla at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, courtesy of the artist</em>
Installation view of Introspection by Michelle Poonawalla at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, courtesy of the artist


Located in Al Quoz, Dubai and established in 2007, Alserkal Avenue is the region’s foremost contemporary arts and culture neighbourhood. Alserkal Avenue hosts 16 contemporary art galleries and not-for-profit spaces and over 40 creative businesses, cultivating a vibrant community of visual and performing arts organisations, designers, and artisanal spaces that has become an essential platform for the development of the creative industries in the United Arab Emirates.
 

<em>Galleries Night at Alserkal Avenue, during Art Week, Dubai, 2018; Courtesy: Alserkal Avenue</em>
Galleries Night at Alserkal Avenue, during Art Week, Dubai, 2018; Courtesy: Alserkal Avenue


Alserkal Avenue is home to Concrete, a multidisciplinary space design to host museum-grade exhibitions, as well as Alserkal Residency, a platform for artistic and discursive exchange, seeking to support cultural practitioners as they realise projects pertinent to their respective practices. At the intersection of art, culture and commerce, Alserkal Avenue is a driving force that brings the community of Dubai together to support and encourage a creative economy.

Growing up between the UK and India, art has always been an integral part of Michelle Y. Poonawalla’s life. With a graduate degree in Interior Design and a Bachelor of Arts from the American College, London, Poonawalla’s practice formalised when she had her first show in 2016 at the Gateway School, Mumbai and has since, continued to exhibit her work in solo and group shows in India and internationally. 

The artist’s key exhibitions include Khushi - India On Canvas in conjunction with Sotheby's, New Delhi, 2017; India Art Story, Kolkata, 2017; Elephant Parade Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai and London, 2017 and 2018; What If You Fly, a solo exhibition at Vis A Vis Gallery, New Delhi and Spazio Gallery, Pune, 2018; Moving into the Future - Harvest 2018, a group exhibition at Stainless Gallery, New Delhi, 2018; a project at the Parma Art Fair, Italy with Gallery Marco Antonio Patrizio, 2018; Born Free at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2018 and Introspection, a collateral project at Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com