Portrait of a Generation - a call for work

Illustration by Khalid Mezaina

Tashkeel is looking for talented artists living and working in the United Arab Emirates to respond to their latest call for work for an exhibition 'Portrait of a Generation'.

"In a portrait, you have a room to have a point of view. The image may not literally be what's going on, but it's representative." Annie Lebovitz

The portrait is a device long-used by artists not always to capture a physical likeness of a person but, more significantly, to capture the indefinable essence of that person – character, manner, attitude and their unspoken history and possibly their consciousness – as perceived by the artist.

A well-considered portrait frequently reflects both the cultural and historical context in which the subject lives as well as providing evidence of their physical characteristics and, in doing so, contributes to the visual record of that place and time.

Tashkeel is seeking artworks, in any scale and media, which serve both to encapsulate the personality of the subject and to portray the image of place and time, here and now. They are interested by the potential offered by the application of new technology to reinterpret the traditions of portraiture, whilst at the same time seeking artworks exploring new ways in which conventional portraiture can reflect the current social environment.

Application process and schedule

• Artists residing in the United Arab Emirates who are interested in applying for this exhibition should submit high resolution images of their work, together with a completed application form, to tashkeel.studio@gmail.com no later than 12 noon on Wednesday 17 February 2010. Application form can be downloaded from here: http://www.tashkeel.org//callforwork.html

• Artists may submit a maximum of two works; a series is considered as a single work. A separate application form must be submitted for each artwork.
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• Submissions should include:
• 1. A completed submission form
  2. A description of proposed work
  3. Technical information for installation, if required
  4. Maximum of two submissions per artist
  5. Images of the artwork or the work in progress and all the required information as stated above on CD or preferably by email
  6. Files should be saved as: Name of artist-Title of work.JPEG
  7. Submissions are open to any media of the artists choice
  8. Only artists living in the UAE are eligible to submit work
  9. Email subject should be: Portrait of A Generation - Name of artist

• For installations, please provide a technical sketch of the proposed idea(s).

• On confirmation of acceptance, submissions should be delivered (ready to hang) to: Tashkeel, Intersection of Street No 20/Street No 5, Nad Al Sheba 1, Dubai, UAE

• Successful artists will be notified of inclusion in the exhibition by 12 noon on Monday 21 February 2010.

• All selected artwork, mounted and framed ready for exhibition, must be submitted to Tashkeel by 6 pm on Thursday 4 March 2010.
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• Tashkeel reserves the right not to exhibit any work that differs substantially from the initial application.

• Opening of PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION will take place at 7 pm on Wednesday 10 March 2010. The exhibition will continue in the Tashkeel gallery until Thursday 29 April 2010.

For more information, contact Tashkeel:

Email: tashkeel.studio@gmail.com

Phone: +9714 336 3313

Website: http://www.tashkeel.org