Guggenheim Abu Dhabi workshop examines brightly coloured sculptures

 Inspired by the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi exhibition, "The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence", the Niki de Saint Phalle in Action workshop has invited participants to explore the creative process. Held at Manarat al Saadiyat on 27th May, the workshop allowed young adults aged 18 and above to examine Niki’s work involving bright colours and a series of fire-projectile paintings titled, Tirs (1961–63), creating eccentric artworks using plaster, paint, and various objects from everyday life.

Niki de Saint Phalle belonged to the avant-garde circle of artists in Paris in the early 1960s known as the Nouveaux Realistes (New Realists), who employed every-day, and often industrially fabricated, objects as materials for artworks and realised live actions that blurred the boundary between art and life. In 1961 she began making Tirs by shooting, or having others shoot, with a twenty-two-calibre rifle at bags of paint and often foodstuffs, such as eggs or spaghetti, attached to or underneath plaster-covered panels.

Through the workshop, the participants were offered a glimpse into Niki’s strategies to employ ostensibly destructive acts to create and present live actions on a canvas, and produce artworks and performances that invite viewer participation.

The Creative Act’s comprehensive programme of free public events and workshops is aimed at encouraging parents, children, teens and young adults to engage with the creativity on display in the exhibition through a wide variety of activities. Each workshop is directly linked to a specific artwork in the exhibition and presents the participants with an in-depth outlook into the topics and themes of the exhibition. Tailored hands-on activity tours, especially designed for children to create art with a parent or caregiver, and an array of workshops for teens and adults, offer the opportunity to explore the themes of the exhibition on the different aspects of the creative process including movement, performance, sound and sculpture.

On Saturday, 3rd June, the 'It’s Alive: Activating Sculpture' workshop will invite adults and teens to create mini moving sculptures based on the kinetic artworks of Jean Tinguely and Gunther Uecker. Using a range of forms and materials that produce movement and sound, the finished pieces will be yours to activate and enjoy at home.