Jointly organized with the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Aranya Center in Guangzhou, China, hosts an exhibition "In presence and absence"
Gwangju, February 27 / WAM / The Aranya Arts Center in Gwangju announced the opening of the exhibition “In Presence and Absence: Works from the Sharjah Art Foundation’s Collection,” which will be jointly organized by the Center and the Foundation during the period from next March 22 to August 30, 2026.
The exhibition includes more than 70 artworks by 28 artists, ranging from paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and textile works. The exhibition is curated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, and Damian Zhang, Director of the Aranya Arts Center, with the participation of Mai Al-Qaidi and Soraya Kreidiyeh from the Foundation, and Li Fanguin and Li Xinyang from the Centre.
The exhibition revolves around the concept of land as seen by artists from West Asia, South Asia, Africa and the diaspora, in one of the most prominent institutional initiatives in China to explore artistic practices in these interconnected regions.
The event showcases unique paths of artistic practice and experimentation from these regions from the 1950s until today. Pioneering modernist works enter into dialogue with contemporary practices, highlighting artistic connections, resonances and intersections between generations, and placing contemporary art in its broader historical context.
The exhibition derives its title from a collection of poetry by the Egyptian artist, poet, and writer Ahmed Morsi, with an active presence that shapes the visual language of the artists. The characters appear in the works carrying individual and collective histories that reflect the ability of identities linked to the land to cross across times and places.
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