until 10 Jan 2023

Tashkeel presents Entwined Matter by Paola Anziché, a solo exhibition marking the culmination of the Loro Piana Residency at Tashkeel Nad Al Sheba.

An established, mid-career, contemporary Italian artist, Paola Anziché pursues an eco-sustainable practice, creating soft, tactile sculptures from extensive research of traditional craft techniques and material experimentation.

In September, the artist landed in Dubai and embarked on developing a new body of work by diving deep into the United Arab Emirates and its traditional textile crafts. The journey has taken her across the country to myriad locations related to vernacular architecture, archaeology and geology: Jumeirah Archaeological Site in Dubai, Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, Meliha and Buhais in Sharjah, Al Hamra Village in Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain beach, Al Bidya Mosque in Fujairah and Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi. Paola has also engaged with communities including Emirati craft practitioners – guardians of the traditional weaving techniques of Telli, Sadu and Safeefah.

‘Entwined Matter’ represents the conclusion of an extensive and intensive four-month process of thought and investigation into the ‘hidden’ culture surrounding the Emirate of Dubai and beyond. It is an homage to age-old alliances and trade routes between the United Arab Emirates and its neighbours; a shared history forged by an interwoven culture at this crossroads between East, South and Asia.

Paola Anziché (Milan, Italy, 1975) lives and works in Turin, Italy. The artist obtained a degree at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan, Italy and at the Städelschule, Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Meisterschülerin, Frankfurt, Germany. Her work has been exhibited in numerous Italian and international public and private institutions, including Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, Florence (2019); Turner Contemporary in Margate, England (2017); XXI Triennale Internazionale, Milan (2016); Kichik QalArt in Yarat, Baku, Azerbaijan (2015); Remotti Foundation, Camogli (2012); GAM – Gallery of Modern Art, Turin (2013); MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art, Bologna (2013); Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation, Turin (2010) and Careof, Milan (2009). She has participated in numerous international residency programs as New Roots Foundation, Antigua, Guatemala (2021); Temporars at Muzeum Susch, Susch, Switzerland (2019); Kiosko Galería in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (2017); HIAP Residency Program, Helsinki (2015); SYB Artist Residency in Beetsterzwaag, The Netherlands (2012); RES.O’ international network for art residencies, Turin; Capacete, Artist Residency, Rio de Janeiro, San Paolo, Brasil (2012); Pact Zollverein Zentrum, Essen (2012) and the Centre international d’accueil et d’échanges des Récollets, Dena Foundation, Paris, France (2008). She also collaborated with the College of Art at the University of Technology in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China (2019). In 2019, her monography 'La Terra Suona/The Earth Sounds' was published by VIAINDUSTRIAE PUBLISHING.

Tashkeel Studio and Gallery
PO Box 122255, Nad Al Sheba 1
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Gallery hours
7 December 2022 - 10 January 2023
Sunday – Thursday, 10 am – 10 pm; Friday 9 am – 12 pm