Dubai Gallery Collectional: Reflections and Visions

When it comes to Middle Eastern art, the hottest trend around is girl power, from works that embolden women to incredible female artists providing stepping-stones for younger generations. And Dubai’s Gallery Collectional is leading the charge.

Over the past 20 years, the enthusiasm for art from the Middle East has grown steadily. In 2013, prices for paintings by Fahr El-Nizza Zeid began hitting the $3.6 million mark. The opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017, the continued success of Mathaf in Dohar, and major exhibitions of painters, such as Saloua Raouda Choucair, revealed a voracious appetite for art from the region. And not just any art, but creations at the hands of women. So, when Dubai’s first permanent collectible design gallery – Gallery Collectional – threw open its doors for the first time in November 2021 with an exclusive exhibition of Sabine Marcelis’ layered glass and mirror artworks, it felt like a natural evolution.

FRANK caught up with Catalina Ruiz Urquiola, creative director of Collectional, the design studio behind the gallery, and New Zealand-born, Netherlands-based artist Sabine Marcelis to learn more about the new space and the art showcased within.

Catalina Ruiz Urquiola

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND COLLECTIONAL?

Dubai’s design and art scenes have been building over the past five years and the approach to both has been maturing across the region. The growing number of art collectors in Dubai gave us the confidence to introduce something new to the market and allow the art collectors, as well as aesthetes, to not only gain access to some of the most exciting new collectible design pieces but also be able to collect design pieces that have been commissioned with the region in mind. Our long-term aim is to work with local and regional designers, providing international exposure and championing regional collectible design in the design capitals of the world.

HOW DOES GALLERY COLLECTIONAL DIFFER FROM OTHER GALLERY SPACES?

We’re Dubai’s – and the region’s – only permanent collectible design gallery; that’s the first differentiator. We also commission exclusive pieces by designers that are specifically inspired by, and created for, the region. We also see collectible design as a category that can enter the digital realm of Web 3.0, which is the focus of our next exhibition.

HOW DO YOU SELECT WHICH ARTISTS TO EXHIBIT?

For me, the process is intuitive. Together with the gallery’s founder Cristiano Baccianti, we have a clear, shared vision for the aesthetics and ideas that we want Gallery Collectional to represent. We are always seeking innovative materials, unexpected forms, and new applications of physical designs.

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF FOR THE WORK COMMISSIONED FROM SABINE MARCELIS?

Our collaboration with Sabine came about organically, through conversations and sharing ideas. We asked Sabine to create new works inspired by Dubai and to explore other materials. This was achieved by combining light, color and mirror in the Mirage pieces.

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE MIDDLE EASTERN ART SCENE TODAY?

The Middle Eastern art scene has been established for several years, but what’s very exciting is the new design scene, especially the new addition of collectible design and pieces that sit at the nexus of design and art. When it comes to trends, the region is exploring possibilities of local materials and is reflecting on its own culture, through contemporary, visual interpretations.

WHAT NEW COMMISSIONS/EXHIBITS DO YOU HAVE IN THE PIPELINE?

We are currently planning our second exhibition which will launch in March 2022 and see design objects through a digital lens.

Sabine Marcelis

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NEW COLLECTION MIRAGE?

A new exploration of interactions of light, reflection, and color inspired by the duality of the desert and vibrant city lights of Dubai.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN USING LAYERED GLASS AND MIRROR AS A MEDIUM, AND WHAT CHALLENGES OR OPPORTUNITIES DOES IT CREATE?

I first worked with layered glass for my graduation project in 2011 where I used it to create a table that could switch between being transparent and opaque. Ever since, I’ve been interested in exploring other effects that can be created with layering glass. Interactions of color and light are always at the core of these explorations. I developed a unique materiality with a glass factory, which we apply to many different projects ranging from art objects to architectural interventions.

WHAT OTHER MEDIUMS AND MATERIALS DO YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH?

I have a newfound interest in motion, which is why I have been doing so many fountains lately! Water is just an amazing material that you can shape in many ways through curating the way it flows and moves. This opened a whole new way for me to design.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION WHEN CONCEIVING NEW COLLECTIONS?

Everywhere! By living life with my eyes wide open and absorbing all experiences like a sponge. All those experiences pop up as inspiration somewhere along the way in different projects and different times. I find that inspiration can’t be forced. I can’t sit down and ‘get inspired’. I draw on memories and events when designing.

HOW DOES YOUR HOME OF ROTTERDAM INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

The attitude of Rotterdammers is very entrepreneurial. The city has gone through a lot of changes in the past decade, and it’s been exciting to be a part of that. We recently bought a studio space and will start renovations to make it our own this year. There is a buzz in the air, which gives me a lot of energy. Location-wise Rotterdam is ideal as it’s an industrial harbor. There are plenty of manufacturing facilities and factories nearby that I can partner with. We never need to go far to find the required expertise.

DOES YOUR LOVE OF REFLECTION AND TRANSLUCENCY COME FROM LIVING BY WATER?

I grew up in New Zealand near the beach and spent a lot of time in the mountains snowboarding. I think, in general, I am fascinated by beautiful effects experienced in nature — the most beautiful of which, I find, always has something to do with water. Water in all its different states: as clouds, as liquid or as ice and snow. Just like glass, it can interact with light in magical ways. I try to capture that magic in my work.

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