Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, mediated by Murad Montazemi, Hala Warda, Peter Harrison, Rand Abdul-Jabbar, Soraya Najim, and Manuel Rabate.
Tuesday 21 March 2023 / 16:21
The Louvre Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Richard Mille, announced that Rand Abdul-Jabbar won the second edition of the Richard Mille Prize for Art, during a special ceremony held at the Louvre Museum. Rand Abdul-Jabbar was among the 10 artists nominated to display their work Legends of the Sky (2019 to date). ) in the Art of Now 2022 exhibition in October 2022.
The exhibition and the Arts Award shed light on the contemporary art scene in the UAE and the GCC countries
The winner will receive a cash prize of $60,000
Building historical events
Rand Abdul-Jabbar (born in Baghdad in 1990) reconstructs the fleeting landmarks of space, time and memory, and draws inspiration from them in her style through which she employs her skills in design, sculpture and installation as basic means that she uses in accomplishing her works, where she studies historical, cultural and archaeological stories and interacts with them, wondering about the fragility of Material Heritage in relation to the creation and formation of forms that draw on artifacts, architecture and mythology, while simultaneously exploring and challenging individual and collective memory to reconstruct fragmentary historical events and past experiences.
Her work has been shown at Abu Dhabi Art, NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Gallery 421 and other international fairs. She has also held several art residencies, and holds a master’s degree in architecture.
Judgement comity
Rand Abdul-Jabbar was selected by a jury consisting of 5 members, who are: President of the “Unlimited UAE” platform, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Director of the “Zaman Books and Museums Trust” Murad Muntazami, architect Hala Wardah, and Director of Administration Dr. Thoraya Njeim, curator of the museum and scientific research at Louvre Abu Dhabi, and director of the Cultural Foundation and curator of the Art of Now exhibition, Reem Fadda.
Outstanding success
Dr. Thoraya Njeim said: “The second edition of the Richard Mille Prize for Art and the Art of Now exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi achieved outstanding success, and this is evident in the wonderful level of participation, and it is an honor for me to be a member of the jury that closely witnesses this unique level of creativity and originality. The artists have handled the theme of the exhibition and the award very nicely.”
Creative touches
Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commented: “The artist, Rand Abdul-Jabbar, presented distinguished works of art that embody the finest creative touches in contemporary art, as part of her expression of the theme of this year’s exhibition “Icon. My Icon.” I am fully confident that Rand will join Nasser Al-Zayani, who was the first to win the award in its first edition, in paving the way for the new generation of contemporary artists in the Middle East, as well as at the regional and international levels.”
Communication bridges
Manuel Rabate, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, commented: “Since its inauguration, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has always been keen to build bridges of communication between artists and the public by providing creative platforms that promote participation and support artistic inspiration, and this would serve as a source of inspiration for the museum to expand its mission. To achieve rapprochement between societies and support cultural exchange.
Skills Development
Rand Abdul-Jabbar said, “I am grateful to receive the award among a group of colleagues for whom I have the utmost respect and appreciation, as the award represents a very important investment in developing and developing the artist’s skills, enhancing his capabilities and encouraging him to continue his professional career.
