CHI-KA presents ‘EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol. 3’
featuring emerging Emirati, Japanese and UAE based artists

Press Release
September 25th, 2017

‘EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol. 3’
OPENING RECEPTION
Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 - 7pm
With curator and artist-led tours
CHI-KA is pleased to announce theopening of ‘EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol.3’, thethird edition of the EAST-EAST exhibition
series which aims to explore invisible
bridges and links between the UAE andJapan through the works of emerging
artists. Curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni,
this edition’s theme is 2020, the coinciding
year of Dubai Expo and Tokyo Olympics.
In a wave of ambitious projects forbrighter and better futures, 2020 stands asa catalyst for megalithic urban
development and social high tide for both
Dubai and Tokyo. 2020 will be the yearthat Dubai and Tokyo shine under global
spotlight, welcoming millions of curious
visitors. 2020 marks the celebration of avision and master plan realized. 2020
stands as a cultural model: a race to amore efficient, sustainable, convenient,
Image credits (from left to right):
Alaa Edris, Reem Dream 02, 2015. Image courtesy of the artist.
BABU, Go High!, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist.

technologically advanced, happier future.
Moreover, Dubai and Tokyo’s upcoming
events will inspire global collaborative
agendas and promote inclusiveness in aworld that is gradually retracting in ethnic
divides.
For EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol.3, curator Arni
places the two cultures side by side, UAEand Japan, both preparing for their bigmoment. She raises the idea of ‘Gulf
Futurism’, a term coined by QatariAmerican artist Sophia Al Maria, which
examines this state of permanently
looking ahead, relating particularly to theGulf sates, while expressing concern overthe social and environmental costs ofhyper-development. Essentially, Gulf
Futurism warns us of a potentiallydisplaced global future.
While keeping a positive outlook, Arni isinterested in comparing the theory of Gulf
Futurism, with the participating artists ofthe exhibition, to Japanese futurist cases.
Although Japan is often regarded as theland of the future, attractive for its
technological innovation and economic
activity, the island suffered in many ways
following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami
and Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Arni poses the question, ‘How can a
country that suffered from not just one but
three nuclear disasters keep rebuilding
itself?’ With regard to the UAE, when it
comes to creating the future, there is noplace like Dubai. ‘But how does one
ensure a holistic, sustainable, positive
result for generations to come?’
The works in this exhibition depict abalance in futuristic ideals with ecologicaland social realities, providing a view of thefuture as cyclical rather than linear,spiralling one step back and a couplesteps forward. Three large themes frame
the exhibition: Construction, Consumption
and Reconstruction. Selected artists
include Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Ali Al
Shehabi and BABU.
The choice of media is intentionallytechnologically inclined and will include
digital art, video art, photography andprojected installation.
The ‘EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol. 3’ opening
reception will be held on Oct 18th, 2017at 7pm. The exhibition will run until
November 11th, 2017.
CHI-KA’s interest lies in exploring new
boundaries and futures with cross-cultural
resonance. Connecting any two culturesreveals a fabric of invisible bridges that
subtly connects all of mankind. Now moreevident and exciting than ever.
About CHI-KA
CHI-KA is a multifaceted practice, both a gallery
and retail space, hosting a diverse program ofcollaborations in fine art, fashion, design, craft,robotics, multimedia, and performance.
CHI-KA is located in Alserkal Avenue 69
Opening Hours: Sat-Thu 11am-7pm

Farah Al Qasimi, Miracle Garden, 2014.
Image courtesy of the Third Line Gallery.

About the CuratorSophie Mayuko Arni is a Swiss-Japanese curator
and art critic. She believes in breaking thegeographical boundaries of contemporary art, aswell as expanding the art world to include design,
fashion and street culture. In 2015, Arni founded
Global Art Daily, an online platform of artist
interviews, exhibition reviews and opinion pieces
covering the art scenes of Abu Dhabi, New York
City, Buenos Aires, London and many other cities.
She curated her first exhibition for the East-Eastexhibition series, titled 'East-East: UAE meets
Japan', at the NYU Abu Dhabi Project Space inOctober 2016. The exhibition opened after a tenmonth studio process in which the curator andartists exchanged information about concepts andhistories of Japanese and Emirati aesthetic
cultures. The exhibition travelled to CHI-KA,
Alserkal Avenue in November 2016. She
graduated from New York University Abu Dhabi
with a BA in Art History (2017). She currently lives
and works in Tokyo

For more information, please contact
Nina Valjarevic
Co-Founder / Director
CHI-KA+971507445911
studio@chikaspace.com
Artist Bios > on the following page.

ARTIST BIOS

the University of Sharjah, with a concentration inElectronic Media.

BABU (b. 1983, Kitakyushu, Japan)
Farah Al Qasimi (b. 1991, Abu Dhabi, UAE)
BABU is a Japanese street artist best known for hiscontributions to the graffiti and skateboard scenesof southern Japan. He started his career at age 14
in Kitakyushu. Skateboarding has been a
considerable influence in his work, as he finds it asubtle protest against the normalization of society.
His work focuses on reclaiming empty andforgotten urban landscapes, and he has recently
expanded his practice to include drawings,
paintings, video art and found objects installations.
Selected exhibitions include a solo exhibition Ai(LOVE) at B-Gallery/Beams Japan, Toyko (2017);
LANDSCAPE: Hotel Asia Project 2016 curated byNi Kun and Gen Sasaki which premiered in Gallery
Soap, Kitakyushu (2015-6) and traveled to venuesin Thailand, China and Japan; ANACONDA,Gallery Soap, Kitakyushu (2006); one against 4, asolo exhibition at the Art Space Tetra, Fukuoka(2005); and SAD Song, Gallery of Modern Art Bank
Vald, Fukuoka (2005). BABU’s participation in EastEast Vol.3: 2020 marks his first exhibition in theMiddle East.

Farah Al Qasimi is an Emirati artist and musician.
Her practice over the years has moved fluidly
between private and public spaces, but thecontent has primarily remained focused on locating
the fantastic in the everyday. She also explores
how consumer culture seduces people, particularly
women, with promises of beauty or selfimprovement. Selected exhibitions include No toThe Invasion: Breakdowns and Side Effects, CCS
Bard Galleries, New York; Coming Up Roses, The
Third Line, Dubai (2016); the first Biennial for Arab
Photography, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris(2015); Walls and Margins, the Barjeel ArtFoundation, Sharjah (2016); Emirati Expressions,Manarat al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2015); Accented,
Maraya Art Center, Sharjah (2015); and The Worldis Sinking, The Third Line, Dubai (2014). Her work
is housed in public collections including Barjeel Art
Foundation, Sharjah, UAE and Maraya Art Centre,Sharjah, UAE. Al Qasimi earned both her
Bachelor’s and MFA degree in Photography at Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Alaa Edris (b. 1986, Sharjah, UAE)

Ali Al Shehabi (b. 1994, Jidhafs, Bahrain)

Alaa Edris is an Emirati artist and currently serves
as the Programs Curator for the NYU Abu Dhabi
Art Gallery. Her work takes distinct forms between
video installations, photography, and projections
onto three-dimensional surfaces. She is known for
conducting extensive research for her projects toexplore social issues, semiotics, and tradition incontemporary Emirati culture. Edris has exhibitedin the United Arab Emirates and abroad, includingin Bangladesh, the United States, England, andItaly. In 2011, she completed an artist residency at
the Fondazione Cini in Venice, supported by theEmirates Foundation. In 2013, Maraya Art Centre
commissioned Edris to create a site-specificinstallation throughout the Al Qasba district
coinciding with the Sharjah Biennial. Selectedexhibitions include London’s Moving Image
contemporary video art fair (2013); Past Forward, a
traveling exhibition of Emirati artists throughout
the United States (2014-15); and participation inthe L.A. Art Fair (2015). Edris holds a Bachelor’s
degree from the College of Fine Arts & Design at

Ali Al Shehabi is a Bahraini photographer andvisual artist based in Dubai, UAE. He works withanalog photography giving his photographs
recognizable anachronistic and nostalgic features.
His practices focus on documenting Middle
Eastern youth. He is also interested in dialogues
between his native Middle East and Japan - a
country he has traveled to extensively to capture
its thriving street energy. His works have been
exhibited both in Dubai and Tokyo. Selectedexhibitions include Life in Tokyo: Just a Dream atthe Adidas BYND72 space in the Dubai Design
District (2017) and Life in Tokyo at a gallery spacein Shibuya, Tokyo (2016). Al Shehabi earned adegree in New Arts & Languages at the Tokyo
Academy of Language & Arts in 2016.