EAST - EAST: 2020, Vol 3

October 18 - 11 November 2017

Opening reception

7pm | October 18th, 2017 with curator and artist-led tours 

CHI-KA is pleased to announce the opening of ‘EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol.3’, the third edition of the EAST-EAST exhibition series which aims to explore invisible bridges and links between the UAE and Japan 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 for brighter and better futures, 2020 stands as a catalyst for megalithic urban development and social high tide for both Dubai and Tokyo. 2020 will be the year that Dubai and Tokyo shine under global spotlight, welcoming millions of curious visitors. 2020 marks the celebration of a vision and master plan realized. 2020 stands as a cultural model: a race to a more efficient, sustainable, convenient,

technologically advanced, happier future. Moreover, Dubai and Tokyo’s upcoming events will inspire global collaborative agendas and promote inclusiveness in a world that is gradually retracting in ethnic divides.

For EAST-EAST: 2020, Vol.3, curator Arni places the two cultures side by side, UAE and Japan, both preparing for their ‘big moment’. She raises the idea of ‘Gulf Futurism’, a term coined by Qatari- American artist Sophia Al Maria, which examines this state of permanently looking ahead, relating particularly to the Gulf sates, while expressing concern over the social and environmental costs of hyper-development. Essentially, Gulf Futurism warns us of a potentially displaced global future.

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