This installation, aptly named The Trip explores mobility as a way of life and as a perspective for two artists who live, work and create “in transit”: María José R. Escolar and Fernando López Rodríguez, Spaniards currently residing in the UAE who have occupied other lives in places such as France, Germany, Morocco, Syria, Belgium, China and Gabon. This collaborative work combines the visual artist and the dancer-philosopher’s artistic languages to compose a “danced exhibition” in which Escolar’s sculptures will be moved, toured and traveled by López’s dance: memories, sounds, cylindrical paintings and drawings, sand and gestures will configure the space-time of this performative art piece. The dance is set against the soundtrack of merged Emirati and Spanish traditional folk music that is the outcome of López’s research.

25-minute live dance interventions will take place throughout the two-week exhibition period on the following days:

Monday, May 17 at 4pm
Wednesday, May 19 at 11am
Saturday, May 29 at 5pm

The Trip has been commissioned by the Embassy of Spain to the UAE and is hosted by Jameel Arts Centre.

About the artists

About María José R. Escolar
Born in Spain, María José R. Escolar graduated in Fine Arts (University of Salamanca, Spain), completed her formation in Amsterdam (Rijksakademie van Beeldenden Kunsten) and started her artistic career in 1989. She has been featured in numerous international solo and group exhibitions. As an Abu Dhabi resident since 2017, she has been an active member of the creative arts scene, participating in the exhibition ‘The Universality of Family Photographs’ at Warehouse 421 and in the ADMAF Pavilion in Abu Dhabi Art 2019. Her most recent paintings are currently on view at ‘The Rhythm of Patterns’ exhibition at the Mexican Embassy (Abu Dhabi) and in ‘Interconnections’ at Sharjah Art Museum.

About Fernando López
Fernando López (b. Madrid, 1990) is a dancer, choreographer and researcher. He studied Philosophy and he presented a research-creation PhD in Paris 8-Saint Denis University (France). In 2009, he choreographed his first project, which led him to produce more than 10 works in the field of contemporary flamenco dance. His performances and teaching career have toured him around the world.

In 2015 he was awarded the Prize for Dance Research by the Performing Arts Academy of Spain, where he is has been a member since 2020. He has published three books about gender identity related to Spanish dance and culture; and in 2019 he started to develop a new project about the traditional Emirati dances with the support of the Art Jameel Research and Practice Platform grant as well as the Funding for Research and Creation Projects ArTeC (Paris 8-Saint Denis University).