Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and the late Hassan Sharif belong to a group of contemporary Emirati artists known as ‘the five’ who in the 1980s pioneered the conceptual art movement in the UAE. The work of both artists is currently being exhibited at Lawrie Shabibi and Isabelle van den Eynde galleries in Alserkal Avenue.
The show of Sharif’s work is titled Blue and focuses on the unique and irreverent way he used colour in his work. The late artist, writer, thinker and cartoonist graduated from The Byam Shaw School of Art in London in 1984 and returned home to spearhead the conceptual art movement in the UAE through his experimental practice, educational initiatives, and mentoring of generations of artists.
He organised the first exhibitions of contemporary art in the country, and translated art history texts into Arabic to educate and engage the local audience with contemporary art. He was a founding member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society, founder of the Art Atelier in Dubai and a co-founder of The Flying House, which promoted contemporary Emirati artists.
