Opening tonight at Dubai’s Carbon 12 Gallery is “Rites of Spring Passage”, an exhibition of recent works by  American artist Katherine Bernhardt. Her work features images of actresses and singers, rappers and fashionable models effectively examining ultra-western ideas of beauty in opposition to North African cultural practices.

Working in a fast painterly style which at once appears to emulate the furious brushstrokes of past Abstract Expressionists, Bernhardt cleverly applies her paint and captures symbols of beauty from the East and the West. After extensive research trips to Morocco and Egypt, the artist imbues her images with a Middle Eastern charm. She incorporates the North African cultural practice of henna by applying such designs directly onto the raw canvas or with paint on gessoed canvas.

These latest works are all about glamor. They feature watches, Marc Jacob glasses, and stunning henna designs. Local tribal beauty meets the edge of pop consumer culture in riveting images of prideful vanity.

Carbon 12 Gallery

Al Quoz 1, Al Serkal Avenue, Warehouse D37

+971 05 464 43 92