Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives

Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives is the companion book to an exhibition of the same name. The book is the physical record of a landmark exhibition that traces the UAE’s visual art landscape in its entirety, as it has unfolded over a half century of the nation’s transformative development. The wide-ranging survey features the work of three dozen pivotal artists in the Emirates, from the founders of the art scene, to today’s emerging generation. The book documents the more than 120 key works, including 15 special commissions, that help form the landscape of Emirati and Emirates-based contemporary art through painting, photography, 3D installations and audio-visual works. The artists’ stories are told through ephemera from their lives and careers, including never-before-seen photographs, archival documents, recorded interviews and other memorabilia.

The book lovingly captures the exhibition in rich photography, with descriptions from curators, writers and the artists themselves. These are accompanied by never-before-seen photographs, historical documentation and ephemera from the UAE’s most important visual art practitioners, as well as introductions from VIPs in the world of culture and art, and essays from the curators, guiding readers through the exhibition – and through the UAE’s remarkable art history.