84 An Algerian-born sociologist established her eponymous gallery in the heart of Madrid in 2011. Myrna Ayad and Javier Duero meet the lady behind Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery – the first and only space in Spain to present and promote art from the MENASA regions. a geopolitical exercise SABRINA AMRANI ART GALLERY 85 Facing page: Martin Barré. 75-76-D- 123 x 116 . 1975–76. Acrylic on canvas. 123 x 116 cm. Photography by Camille Bonnefoi. Image courtesy ADAGP 2013, Paris and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels. Left: Nathalie Obadia. Photography by Luc Castel. S abrina Amrani was nervous. She had spent a year working on plans to open a gallery in an economically challenged Spain – a country she is not from and an industry she was not familiar with. Armed with a genuine passion for art from the MENASA regions and a promising roster of its artists, the Algerian-born dealer and her husband and co-partner Jal Hamad met with a Spanish museum director a few months before Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery opened in the historic Malasaña neighbourhood of Madrid in June 2011. “He told me that my biggest strength was not being from the Contemporary art world per se and to just do it,” says Amrani. Two years later, she has no regrets. “Crises offer great opportuni- ties,” says Amrani. “This risk I took was worth it because I believe in and love what I do and you know what they say – love makes you blind!” From the start, the couple were keen on presenting art from the MENASA regions, allowing the space to function as a hub that strengthens the mix of cultures between East and West and North and South. As far as the gallery’s roster is concerned, their criteria is threefold: “First, we choose artists not only considering Spain, but the world. Second, we need to have a strong emo- tional connection with the works and the artist and build a long-term relationship based on trust. And third, we’re keen on emerging artists”. Art, says Amrani “is what makes a society grow; it should participate in social debate and genuinely add to the economy and identity of a country.” Facing page: Foreground: Zoulikha Bouabdellah. (Detail) Silence Bleu . 2008. Prayer mats and stilettos. Variable dimensions. Edition of 20. Background: Nicène Kossentini. (Detail) What Water Gave Me . 2009. Nine photographic prints on museum etching paper. 60 x 109 cm. Edition two of five. This page: Sabrina Amrani with a work by Zoulikha Bouabdellah. (Detail) Mirage I . 2011. Laser cut steel and car paint. 193 x 193 cm. Edition of three. GALLERY 86 LookING EAST, GoING WEST The gallery’s first show was Mirage , a solo ex- hibition by Algerian multimedia artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah, whose Dansons video Amrani had seen in Paris years before and remained etched in her mind. “I could so identify with Dansons and with Zoulikha herself – we are both Algeri- ans, we both grew up in Paris and the mixture of belly-dancing with the French national anthem in the video really struck a chord with me,” ex- plains Amrani, who met Bouabdellah in 2010 and signed her on as the gallery’s first artist. “I asked Zoulikha how come she agreed to work with us at a time when we didn’t even have a space and she said that the passion that she saw in me reminded her of herself when she decided to become an artist,” laughs Amrani. It was an intention on Amrani’s part to present Bouabdellah’s Mirage as the gallery’s inaugural show, given its focus on events surrounding the Arab Spring. The artist had tackled ‘mirage’ in a double manner – on the one hand, it was inspired by Gaddafi’s Mirage aircraft, which was shot down by rebel forces; and on the other, the actual term, mirage, signified that which is unattainable. The show was met with favour by the Spanish audi- ence and generated a great deal of media atten- tion, but minimal sales. “Many had told me not to expect sales in the first three years of operation,” explains Amrani. “We opened in the middle of the crisis and the odds were against us – there was no governmental support, no museum acquisitions and we had to initiate a conservative Spanish collector base to art from the MENASA.” In many ways, says Amrani, the Spanish art market is simi- lar to that of Turkey – both are conservative, “but the Spanish scene is not emerging, so to speak.” Very early on, the couple knew “not to totally GALLERY 87 count on Spain” and the gallery’s focus turned to participation at international art fairs, beginning with Art Casablanca. Though a small-format inter- national art fair, its geographic proximity served as an experience in logistics as well as an exercise in large-scale commercial platforms. The next two fairs in which Sabrina Amrani participated were the JUSTMAD editions in Madrid and Miami and Lebanon’s Beirut Art Fair, making it the gallery’s first interaction with a Middle Eastern public. Though Amrani’s booth was one the best at the latter fair’s third edition – with a work by Bouab- dellah among the show’s highlights – the overall experience proved frustrating given Beirut’s po- litical instability and the imposed travel bans to the Lebanese capital placed by Gulf states. Am- rani knew, however, “that we had to go to Beirut to get to Dubai.” FAIR PLAY over and above Amrani’s desire to promote her space internationally is a fervent desire to endorse her artists, some of whom are solely represented by the gallery and whose work is therefore reliant on it for international expo- sure. one such artist is Indian-born Dubai-based UBIk, whom Amrani met in 2011 during a visit to Art Dubai. Struck by his sarcastic and witty social commentary through Conceptual works, Amrani signed him on and exhibited his pieces at fairs in Madrid, Miami and more recently, at the gallery’s freshman participation at Art Dubai. “We are really keen on supporting young art- ists, especially at art fairs,” she says, “and given that UBIk is not represented by a Dubai gallery, we felt it was necessary to present his works in his hometown.” Another artist from the Asian subcontinent in Amrani’s roster is Waqas khan, who is shortlisted for this year’s Jameel Prize and whose work caught the eye of Austria-based krinzinger Gallery. known for his labour-inten- sive works evocative of spirituality, the Pakistani artist’s solo show coincided with Sabrina Amra- ni’s first anniversary – an event that was marked with a book on khan’s works and is the gallery’s first publication. The couple describe the time before the last edition of Art Dubai as a “beta period”, in which phases of experimentation have now al- lowed them a finer idea of where and how to take the gallery’s programme forward. The Art Dubai experience was a success, with Amrani selling out works by UBIk and khan and making several sales of pieces by Bouabdellah and Tuni- sian-born Nicène kossentini. “It is so important “We feel like we belong to this region even if we’re based in Madrid.” GALLERY Facing page: Nicène Kossentini. (Below and detail) Shakl . 2012. Ink on glass and canvas. 73 x 103 cm. This page: Younes Baba-Ali. Carrousa Sonore . 2012. Sound installation. Variable dimensions. Image courtesy the artist. 88 GALLERY “I don’t look back, I look ahead and right now, I’m looking at we what we need to do by 2015.” to be a part of this fair and exhibit alongside great galleries; it’s not just a commercial platform – Art Dubai means forging ties with curators and museum groups and is an opportunity for us to see other artists from the region,” insists Amrani. “We feel like we belong to this region even if we’re based in Madrid.” CULTURAL RooTS This passion and zeal for the region and its art practices stems from Amrani’s childhood in Paris. Though she was born, raised and educated in the French capital – graduating with a degree in Sociology from the Sorbonne – Amrani’s family always retained and prized Arab culture. “My mother is a huge fan of Egyptian cinema,” laughs Amrani, who recalls the music of Umm kulthum playing at home and a “great familial respect” for Arab literature and philosophy. “I have Arab values and cherish the culture, but I am also French,” she explains. “Recently, I feel that my connection with my Arabian-ness has gotten stronger.” She worked as a business development strategist with a large multi- national corporation in Paris for a few years and moved to their Madrid offices in 2008 after “a gruelling travel schedule”. It was in the Spanish capital that she met and married Hamad, who is of Syrian origin but was born and raised in Madrid. “I think Jal being origi- nally Arab and a collector of Contemporary art definitely encouraged my own passion for art,” says Amrani. With the onset of the global economic crisis, she chose to resign and take time off to consider launching her gallery, whose roster now includes Moroccans Younes Baba-Ali and Amina Benbouchta, Pakistani Ayesha Jatoi, Turkish Sümer Sayın and Palestinian Larissa Sansour (page 140) for whom Amrani presents a solo show in May. Though none of the gallery’s artists reside in Spain, the couple advocate long-term stays prior to shows. “We do not want a solely commercial relationship. We consider our 89 artists as our allies,” explains Amrani. “We have the same relationship code with collectors and we are mindful of who we sell artworks to.” International art fairs aside, the couple is keen on collaborations with spaces, dealers and institu- tions in the region and beyond. They are currently working on a series of educational and artistic activities for Casa Arabe and its International Insti- tute of Arab and Muslim World Studies – a con- sortium formed in 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Spanish Agency for International Development. The gallery col- laborated with the Traits d’Union (Art Absolument) project, a travelling group exhibition that presents the work of 13 Arab artists who have either lived in or maintain close links with Paris. For the inaugu- ral Jeddah Art Week, held last February, the gallery donated a work by UBIk to the Pen to Paper auc- tion, organised by Athr Gallery and the Al-Madad Foundation and which raised funds for Palestinian refugees. Amrani also placed works by Bouabdel- lah, Benbouchta and kossentini in the first edition of Madrid’s Perspectives of Women Festival last March, organised by Community MAV (Women in the Visual Arts). “It was an opportunity to invite our artists to share their visions about art, women and their lives in North African countries,” says Amrani. As they prepare to stage Sansour’s first solo show in Spain, followed by solo exhibitions for Benbouchta and Bouabdellah, the couple main- tain their interest in working on concepts “related to socio-political issues, architecture, identity and space” but are also looking East for artists. “We’d like to consolidate what we built in the last two years and focus on the Middle East,” says Amrani. “I don’t look back, I look ahead and right now, I’m looking at we what we need to do by 2015.” For more information visit www.sabrinaamrani.com Facing page: UBIK. One State Solution . 2011. Digital print on canvas. 60 x 84 cm. Edition of three. This page: An exhibition view of Waqas Khan’s Abstraction Contained. Inset: Waqas Khan. Forming Spaces IV . 2012. Archival white ink on black wasli paper. 30 x 22 cm. Unique piece. All images courtesy Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery, Madrid, unless otherwise specified.