ZÉ TEPEDINO . MARINA: GALLERY ISABELLE, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES . CURATED BY AMANDA ABI KHALIL
Current exhibition
Installation Views
Overview
Marina is not a place but a tide—a rhythm carried in folds, fibers, and fragments. In this exhibition of carioca artist Zé Tepedino, his first solo show in the UAE, he presents works that reflect on the layers shaping our world—both physical and emotional. When he is not engaging with the city on a scale of 1:1—without permits or fanfare, acting guerrilla-style, rearranging urban materials and furniture in public spaces—you find him hoarding the city’s textures into his Lapa studio. He collects the leftovers of Rio’s streets and beaches—sunburnt umbrellas, faded towels, fabric from the iconic beach chairs, crumpled plastic bags, styrofoam beer coolers from samba rodas, and endlessly discarded Havaianas. Tepedino works with urban fabrics (literally), speaks to the resilience of materials, and the beauty found in the traces we leave behind.
Echoes of Hassan Sharif’s (1951–2016) pioneering spirit abound. A cornerstone of the UAE’s art history, the late artist elevated the mundane into “art”. His early “Objects” or “Urban Archaeology,” made from heaps of cast-offs, transformed into powerful statements on art-making, society, and excess. In Towel 4 (2013), included in this exhibition, Sharif uses towels to create a bold, gestural sculpture, embodying the energy of repetition and transformation.
This exhibition coincides with Zé Tepedino’s public art residency at Alserkal in collaboration with TAP (Temporary Art Platform), culminating in a site-specific intervention by the artist during Quoz Arts Fest on January 25–26, 2025. In keeping with Zé’s context-specific practice, the exhibition will evolve throughout his stay in Dubai, with new works added along the way.
Curated by Amanda Abi Khalil
