The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery’ Maya Allison on the Modernisms exhibition
Yalla Abu Dhabi Life, November 22, 2021
By Matt Cassidy
Undoubtedly art poses many questions, yet the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing periods of lockdown brought to the fore a new set of questions. “It enabled us to think about what art means to people if you aren’t able to gather in person at an exhibition,” says Maya Allison, Executive Director and Chief Curator at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.
As restrictions gradually ease and in-person exhibitions are again accessible, Maya has been pondering on the concepts of “why we gather in person, what we do together when we were in person. Now we get to ask that question ‘Why are we coming together to see art’ and the answer comes to you when you are there.”
Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Highlights exhibition from New York University’s Abby Weed Grey Collection, curated by Lynn Gumpert, is the first physical exhibition at The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery since it moved to virtual programmes in the spring of 2020 due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.