Crossing boundaries: AUS' Christianna Bonin curates Art Dubai Modern

American University of Sharjah’s Dr. Christianna Bonin, Assistant Professor of Art History and Theory in the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), is curating the Art Dubai Modern section as part of this year’s Art Dubai.  

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Art Dubai is the leading international platform for art and artists from the Middle East and Global South, presenting in its 17th edition more than 100 exhibitors across four gallery sections, including Art Dubai Modern.

Titled, This Other World: New Contexts for Modern Art After 1960, Bonin’s curatorial approach for the 2024 edition of Art Dubai Modern focuses on the robust cultural exchange initiated by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s with Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian countries. The Soviet Union provided educational scholarships and exhibition opportunities to tens of thousands of artists, filmmakers, musicians, and architects, inviting them to study in cities such as Almaty, Tashkent, Moscow, East Berlin, and Kyiv as part of a political and cultural program parallel to those of Western countries. 

“These opportunities in the Soviet Union played a huge role in shaping the development of the arts and the construction of cities in what was then called the ‘Third World’. In other words, they had a major impact on how societies and cultures in these regions came to represent, and thus understand, themselves,” says Dr. Bonin.

An expert in the history of late 10th and 20th-century art in imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, she is now writing a book about Orientalism and art in the Soviet context. Based heavily on original archival documents, the book will present a new view on how artists from Central Asia and Mongolia used their art to strategically navigate the politics of the period.

Studying the fairly recent past lets Dr. Bonin illuminates how and why artists from these regions work the way they do today.

“One of the things visitors will notice in Art Dubai Modern is certain overlaps in what artists were absorbing and processing during their studies. They mastered entirely new mediums, like avant-garde film, gold leaf on Orthodox icons, or oil paint on canvas. They sensed that that art can be a powerful medium for giving voice to a part of your identity that had previously been silenced. All of the artists featured in the section really mastered these experiences, but only some have received wider attention from critics and collectors because art books and exhibitions typically focus on artists who studied in Euro-American institutions,” she said.

She also emphasized the opportunities this exhibition brings for AUS students. 

“Many of my students are curious about how exhibitions are conceived of and put together, or how to manage such a large-scale event from behind-the-scenes. I have been working through the process in some of my classes, and several students will have a chance to work closely with galleries as volunteers at the fair,” Dr. Bonin said.   

Art Dubai will take place from March 1 to 3 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. 

Rooted in a rich tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration, CAAD offers a dynamic learning environment where students are empowered to explore the intersections of architecture, art and design. Through rigorous academic programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and hands-on experiential learning opportunities, students are equipped with the skills, knowledge and mindset needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving global landscape of creative industries. With a diverse community of faculty, staff and students from around the world, the college fosters a culture of inclusivity, critical thinking and artistic expression, driving forward the boundaries of design thinking and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

To know more about what CAAD has to offer, visit www.aus.edu/caad.

Tickets can be found here.