Headlines/February 11, 1999

Letter from Abu Dhabi

Here’s a rambling writeup from Graphic Design’s John Long, currently teaching and experiencing culture shock in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The news here is that I am having an art show at the cultural centre in Abu Dhabi. This in itself is quite a feat since usually the artists represented take a year or two to get a show. I have been hustling the emirate curator and he seems to take a liking to me. | am previewing about 20 new watercolors/ airbrush /acrylics in the forum area... also included are the older Canadian works (about six). The main floor of the Los Angeles Art Gallery is about the size of the display area. About three other artists from New York (Guggenheim art gallery) are also exhibiting so who knows what will happen??? The cultural centre is like a large palace... marble floors... Islamic patterning on the floors and walls with different marble from around the world... fountains... mega-servants to help you... no money spared since oil $$$ pays for it all... .. it makes the Vancouver Art Gallery look impoverished. They take no commission and print full-color mega stuff for each individual artist... also newspaper ads, etc. Sounds great eh??? I will send you the newspaper articles that came out today...and the posters, brochures, etc.

ONE WEEK LATER ©

I am sitting inside a cultural centre at the capital here....it looks like a palace with marble floors, fountains, etc. 1 am sitting in this large room and punching away on my computer.....and hopefully I will sell some paintings. I have met many people who were Bedouins. Just 30 years ago they were like pirates who raided other Bedouin villages in the _. desert. They carried rifles and were on the lookout for anyone who would steal their camels. When oil was discovered about 25 years ago, they were extremely poor people with no toilets, no electricity, no cars, no roads, no schools, etc. In fact, most of the people did not even know what a radio was... and totally illiterate. They sold dates and goats to each other to make a living... and to eat. Now most of the people are wealthy since Sheik Zayed gave all the people around $20,000 a year for life... plus a free home, a free business and free money to start it. A Mercedes Benz car worth around

$250,000 in Canadian money is a popular as Volkswagens here. Hopefully, one of these dudes will like my artwork and buy the whole art show. This afternoon I am going to the souk (marketplace) to look for junk for the kids. This includes prayer call mosque radios, glass eye charms, and other items of great importance. I am also buying frankincense and myrth to burn over a campfire... then you can be spiritually correct.

It is now the next day and I am still * waiting for something to happen. A few fat and rich people cruised by but no ~

sales yet. This waiting around is driving

me nuts but hey... someone has to do it. I talked to a Bedouin today... (ex-master of camels) and he agreed to take me to a

- mountain village to see the old camel

herders from the tum of the century. I am not sure what that will lead to but it sure will be different. The guy is keen to drive Frieda and J to this village. He speaks Arabic, French, Urdu, English and money. (He drives a new Land Rover... 40 years old and is retired)

This is now day three and yours truly is still waiting for the golden rainbow sheik to arrive... actually, the name belongs to an actual sheik... he is quite eccentric in that he collects cars... he has around 100 so far... including one car which is about as big as a a department store including three bathrooms, a swimming pool and tires weighing two tons each. It is so-0-0-0-0 big that the top of the cab is considerably higher than a telephone pole. He drives it in the desert to camp out with his friends. It looks like a 1950 GMC pickup truck except for the size.. Weird weird weird...

He did come by but did not buy. Just wanted to be friends???.... Wait wait wait wait.....] can see out the window and this guy is approaching with a bodyguard and three wives.....he must weigh 350 pounds and wears 1950 thick sunglasses.....very cool.....wait wait wait........Wait....wait....Wait.....

Oh weil, here is a story that might keep you amused. An 18 year old college student was asked by her instructor to do research on a hotel in Abu Dhabi. She came back after one hour and had pages and pages of information on the hotel. The instructor asked her how she could possibly get all this in such a short period of time. She said it was easy — she owns the hotel.

The hotel was built last year at a cost of $50 million so daddy gave her a nice high school graduation present. .

It is day four now at the cultural centre and today I was interviewed by two television stations. Also a video . was made to show to the sheik poobahs. Wish me luck and maybe I will sell some works. I have been in eight newspaper articles so far butI donot _ understand Arabic... at least the work is

printed and some of it is in full color.

I am getting quite tired of comments like... ~ @ What do you think of the Iraq war?

e Your work is strange

e Your work is great

e Are all Americans/Canadians aggressive?

e Can you make a living at this?

e Do you have a job?

© Why not?

e Who is your sponsor?

e How did you do that?

e Your work is too realistic... a photo can do that...

e Your work should be more realistic... it would sell in New York.

e CanI come over and learn the airbrush?

* A computer can do that work you are doing... .

e A computer cannot do what you are doing...

e You should eat more dates...

it makes you creative....

© Curry is good for artists

e Sell rugs....you make more money

e You are selling your work for 7000 dirhams? That is too much...

e You are selling your work for 7000 dirhams? That is too little....and so on and so on and so on!

It is now day five with the art show and the start of the Arabic weekend... which is Thursday. The library and the art gallery is open... otherwise the lazy flies inside here are moving faster than

the gallery traffic... which is one person half asleep on the stairwell. There are

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