Maisoon Al Saleh
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DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK
Al Saleh grew up hearing stories that her grandfather would tell about that night on the vessel. Newspaper articles and other reports at the time only account of an explosion in middle of the ship and that the cause was possible sabotage. Beginning with an exploratory dive at the Dara gravesite, Al Saleh begins to discover and research the event experienced and retold it from her dreamy and surreal perspectives. The works are inspired letters about the incident written by the boat company and police investigators, as well as news articles, and stories told by survivors or family members of those who perished in the shipwreck.
ABOUT MAISOON AL SALEH
http://www.maisoonalsaleh.com/
Born in 1988, Emirati artist and entrepreneur Maisoon Al Saleh is active in her practice both in Dubai and internationally. She graduated from Zayed University in 2010, with a degree in Interior Design. Al Saleh’s first solo show was at the Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, in Autumn 2010.
Al Saleh’s work has been exhibited in UAE at various exhibitions, including Art Dubai; Emirati Expression at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi; Macedonian Museum, Greece; Palazzo TE Museum, Italy; Centro Cultural CajaGRANADA Memoria de, Spain; and her work has also been included in many shows in the United States. Her work is also included in the Barjeel Art Foundation collection in Sharjah
Her art dives, sometimes literally, below the obvious meaning residing on the surface of stories and accounts of the past. Al Saleh focus on bones and skulls as a means of telling stories that transcend age and gender. She’s inspired in part by historic representational art, like the famous early twentieth century Calaveras (skull) prints of Mexican artist José Guadelupe Posada. In each painting, skeletal compositions reveal stories from Emirati life, culture and history, asserting new meaning that undermines the bones’ symbolic association with death and poison.
In her second solo show, The Dara Chronicles she produced a set of mixed media images that explore stories and documented accounts of the Dubai-based M.V. Dara, a passenger liner that exploded in the Gulf on April 8th, 1961. She grew up hearing stories from my grandfather about that night on the vessel. Newspaper articles and other reports at the time only describe an explosion in the middle of the ship and suggest that the cause was likely sabotage.
Beginning with an exploratory dive at the Dara gravesite itself, she exhaustively researched the event, seeking out experiences retold from different personal perspectives. The resulting art works were inspired by letters about the incident written by the shipping company and police investigators, news articles, and stories told by survivors or family members of those who perished in the shipwreck. She further juxtapose different cultural viewpoints through the presence of three suitcases symbolising the different nationalities on board—British, Indian and GCC passengers. Portraits of passengers, stories of the explosion and the events that followed illuminate personal narratives versus media accounts.
Through these strategies Al Saleh bring viewers into a discussion about the importance of Emirati history and challenge how we think about history, memory and their representation in mainstream media.
EDUCATION
• BA in interior design from Zayed University in 2010.
• Al Etihad Private School (Mamzar) in 2005.
• Achieved International General Certificate of Secondary Education on the subject of Art Design from the University of Cambridge in 2004.
A WARDS / A CHIEVEMENTS
• Winner of the first award in Social Networking for Government Communication, Ministry of Economy in 2013
• Implemented an international social network strategy for Government Communication, Ministry of Economy in 2013
• Been requested by Dubai Civil Defense to establish their social media strategy due to their acknowledgment of my expertise.
• Enquired by UAE Embassy in Singapore to set up all their social media accounts and training their staff
• Verified a lot of governments twitter accounts such as UAE Embassy in Singapore, Dubai Civil Defense, Tawazun Holding, Sheikh Abul Aziz Al Nuaimi, The Permanent Mission of UAE to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna – Austria, The National Council of Tourism & Antiquities, Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, Al Jalila Foundation, Zayed University, Dubai Excellence Program, Fujairah Tourism, and non government accounts such as the British University in Dubai.
• Organized GCC Expo 2014
• Organized the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, year 2013 • Reached one of the three finalists for the Emirates Government Excellence Award in 2012
• Selected as one of the Best New Employees in Ministry of Economy in 2010
• Recognized as one of the Best in Marketing and Sales in United Arab Emirates in Tamaiaz competition in 2008
• One of the finalist in Stabilo “X-Press yourself on the environment” competition in 2001
WORK EXPERIENCE :
• Present - Social Media Specialist, Communication & Business Development Dept, Dubai Smart Government.
• Business coordinator at the Government Communication Department, Ministry of Economy, 2010 to 2014
• Interior Designer, Dubai Municipality, June 2009 to July 2009
• Arts Teacher, Al Ittihad Private School for grades 8, 10, and 11, 2009
• Interior Design, Design Center for 2 months and Graphics Design, Zayed University for 1 month
• Information Guide, Zayed University booth in Index, an event that occurs every year where most of the interior companies gather, 2007
• Training Program, Bait Al Khair