Art Exhibition

at Etihad Modern Art Gallery

in partnership with the Institut français in the UAE

Exhibiting artists:

Karine Roche, Annabelle Smith Bigno, Bénédicte Gimonnet, Nathalie Guéna, Clara Baudot,

Mioara Cherki and Isabelle Riou-Teisseire

Opening night: Wednesday, 8th March, 2017 at 7pm

The Institut français in the UAE and Etihad Modern Art Gallery present Travelling Light, a group

exhibition of seven French artists living and working in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition, opening on

International Women’s Day (8th of March) will feature works from seven female artists: Karine

Roche, Annabelle Smith Bigno, Bénédicte Gimonnet, Nathalie Guéna, Clara Baudot, Mioara

Cherki and Isabelle Riou-Teisseire.

The artists’ individualism across various genres will manifest itself in an exploration of the

different reflections of light. In Travelling Light, the audience will be able to discover seven

creative approaches that play with the effect of chiaroscuro.

Karine Roche conserves portions of canvas, which then transmit a luminosity through layers of

architectural and floral designs. Isabelle Riou-Teisseire depicts light within the sophisticated and

sensual drapes and folds of her subject matter. In Annabelle Smith Bigno’s series, ‘No Words’,

delicate abstract figures emerge from layers of textures permeated by light. The children’s

portraits by Clara Baudot invoke a strong plasticity through the collage-esque treatment of the

surface, infused with the heavy use of highlights and shadows. Mioara Corozel Cherki’s works,

based on traditional Emirati textile art, also experiment with the stark contrast of day and night.

Natalie Guéna’s golden brushstrokes emerge from a deep black and blue background, like dots

of glimmering light in a dark forest. Bénédicte Gimonnet’s colour stripes are the pure

embodiment of the prism, breaking up the invisible rays into thousands and thousands of colour

mutations.

Institut français in the UAE is the Cultural Department of the French Embassy. It is

responsible for promoting French thought, creation and the French language, as well as

fostering bilateral exchanges and cultural, artistic, educational, academic and scientific

partnerships between France and the UAE.

Etihad Modern Art Gallery (EMAG) is a multi-purpose art space and café in the heart of the

capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Established more than three years ago by

H. E. Khaled Seddiq Al Muttawaa, our mission is to encourage the development of the Emirati

art scene, while building bridges between cultures with cutting-edge exhibitions and

international collaborations.

The exhibition will be opened by H. E. Michel Miraillet, Ambassador of France in the UAE, and

H.E. Khaled Seddiq Al Muttawaa, founder and chairman of Etihad Modern Art Gallery.

For more info, please contact:

Etihad Modern Art Gallery

Maria Primavera

Gallery Coordinator

maria@etihadmodernart.com / 02 6210145

Institut français in the UAE

Chirine El Messiri

Cultural Officer

chirine.elmessiri@if-uae.com / 02 813 10 38