Stories

A Corporate Collection Changing the Art Game in the UAE

Author
Rebecca Anne Proctor
Published
22 October 2021

The A.R.M Holding Art Collection, one of the UAE’s leading corporate art collections, has for its mission the aim to promote innovation and unity through art.

Located on Al Wasl Road in Dubai’s residential area of Al Safa is a one-story building that recalls traditional Emirati houses. Its elegant black arches give off a contemporary albeit classical feel to this pristine conglomeration of structures that makes up A.R.M. Holding, the private investment firm and multi-focused economic enabler that has a growing art collection featuring modern and contemporary artworks by Middle Eastern and international artists.  

Aligning the walls and office spaces are works by Emirati artists Lamya Gargash, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Tammam Azzam from Syria, Moath Alofi from Saudi Arabia, Hamra Abbas from Kuwait, Iranian Timo Nasseri, India Rathin Barman, Syrian Mouteea Murad, Kristoffer Ardeña from the Philippines and Japanese Katsumi Hayakawa, among others. Such a global offering of artists echoes the collection’s mission to offer an international roster of artists, thereby connecting the UAE to the world through art.

Set to become one of the UAE’s leading corporate collections, the A.R.M. Holding Art Collection, curated under the central theme of ‘Constructing Identities,’ aims to bring to life an expression of community and humanity through art.

“The curatorial concept, as well as the themes and concepts of each individual artwork, echo the mission we have as a company,” said Mohammad Saeed Al-Shehhi, CEO, A.R.M. Holding. “As a multi-focused economic enabler with a particular focus on Real Estate development, our aim is to build sustainable communities, while being a driving force of positive change. At A.R.M. Holding we deeply believe that art and creativity have an unrivaled power in bringing people together and creating a national identity.”

The tradition of corporate collections in Dubai is almost non-existent. A.R.M by its very existence is providing a model for other corporate entities wishing to collect art in the region. Since its inception, Art Dubai, the UAE’s longstanding modern and contemporary art fair that will host its 15th edition in March 2022, has advised on the A.R.M Holding Art Collection. “We began conversations with A.R.M. to decide how the collection could satisfy the needs of a company and also could in a way a relevant project for the greater community,” said Pablo del Val, Art Dubai’s Artistic Director. “The idea was to start something in a rationale and passionate way while at the same time create a consistent collection that would grow with time and a collection that would represent and reflect the DNA of the company.”

The mission of most corporate art collections, if one looks at the likes of UBS or Deutsche Bank, is to reveal and promote certain sensibilities and beliefs propelled by the company’s ethos and vision through art. In Dubai, there is also Lebanese collection Eli Khouri, CEO of Omnicom media, who has for years dressed the walls and floors of his building in media city with a rotating hang of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern and international art. Besides this, there is currently no other corporate art collection in the UAE, with the future aims of A.R.M Holding.

“The idea of building an art collection is also a way to bring poetry into the know-how of a company,” continued Del Val. “In a collection, you can bring these elements together. Then there’s also the important part of involving your employees in the art of the company.”

Moreover, the theme of the collection, Constructing Identities, reflects the complexities of Dubai, says Del Val. “This is a country built of micro societies of small groups that interrelate among each other,” he said. “The collection thus reflects artworks and artists that are dealing with notions of how we live together, how we build a vocabulary where we understand each other and how we build bridges between different communities. The artists and the works selected are therefore a way to promote these ideas.”

Many of the works on show have a strong architectural base and language to their aesthetic form, whether it be from abstract or figuration. The use of materials, geometric forms, or the history of architecture in various cultures and societies serves to be the unifying aesthetic thread between the works to emphasize how space, form, and artistic practice reflect the urban realities and forms that make up our world. “Through the collection, we aim to create a storytelling or narration that reflects these various sensibilities,” added Del Val.

For its long-term vision, A.R.M intends the collection to grow and to become accessible to the general public to engage with. “This will reaffirm our commitment to the arts and culture community in the UAE as well as further bolstering our country’s creative economy and furthering Dubai’s standing as the world’s capital of culture and creativity,” added Al-Shehhi.

A.R.M has moved forward with its vision to become the first corporate patron of the recently launched Dubai Collection, the first institutional art collection in Dubai and for Dubai, developed in collaboration with the Art Dubai Group that continues to be its main point of contact and that runs its full operations on behalf of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Most recently, 19 works from A.R.M. have become part of the Dubai Collection.

Ultimately, the vision of A.R.M is one of inclusivity just like the city of Dubai itself. Through its art collection, as Al-Shehhi states, “A.R.M. Holding strives for cities where inspired communities can thrive and prosper, and what better way to inspire than through the most noble medium of human expression, art.”

● Next Story

Looking Back: A History of Art Collecting In Dubai

There is a long-standing tradition of philanthropy and collecting in Muslim culture. Alongside those of the ruling families, there are many private collections with an Islamic focus in Dubai, such as Mahdi Al-Tajir’s collection of antique silver, oriental carpets, and Islamic manuscripts.