FN stumbled across a great little exhibition at the weekend whilst wandering around the Sharjah Art Foundations new galleries: Chaos into Clarity: Re-Possessing a Funktioning Utopia.

The curator, Shannon Ayers Holden, investigates the Aesthetic of Funk through an exploration of the radical power of transformation, the theme of transcendence and the presentation of a new world material culture as seen through the works of three artists from the African Diaspora. American textile artist Xenobia Bailey, Moroccan born photographer and designer Hassan Hajjaj and British Trinidadian filmmaker and sculptor Zak Ove, FN has wanted to see some of his work for while.

This was so good, that we wish there could have been more – further work, a  catalogue and a longer essay by the curator. Within the context of the UAE, a nation of flux and rapid change, it was enriching to see ‘work that can encompass both the presence of the past and a sense of clarity for the present.’ (Chris Lord)

Shannon Ayers Holden is a resident of Dubai, we look forward to seeing what she brings to us next.

Building F, SAF Art Spaces – unfortunately this exhibition closed on 26 January.