Exhibition: Phantom Limb by Diana Al-Hadid at NYUAD Art Gallery

Phantom Limb, 2014 | Photo: Markus Wörgötter | Courtesy the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery © New York

NYUAD Art Gallery's latest exhibition Phantom Limb by Diana Al-Hadid includes work influencded by Renaissance and classical imagery. The exhibition includes large scale installations that are very textured and architectural. It's an exhibition I strongly recommend you go see in person. It comes with an audio guide that is quite informative, the recording includes the voices of Diana Al Hadid and NYUAD Art Gallery Curator Maya Allison.

The exhibition takes its title from a central work, Phantom Limb, a term referring to the sensations that a missing arm or leg is still present, and able to move. The title captures the character of much of Al-Hadid’s work, which evokes memory and long cultural history through a visceral, materially-focused working technique. The theme of memory and its physical manifestations in art and architecture runs throughout Al-Hadid’s work.
The monumental sculpture of Phantom Limb is framed by two major wall insets: The Sleepwalker and Still Life. The first draws from the 4th Century BC bas-relief Gradiva, while the latter is a reworking of Hans Memling’s 1475 painting Allegory of Chastity.

Listen to Diana Al Hadid talk about her work and process in this interview with Wael Hattar for our podcast Tea with Culture which was recorded last month at Art Dubai.