A new exhibition at Region gallery in Abu Dhabi's MiZa district is putting memory itself under the microscope, marking the launch of a new contemporary art initiative called Hyphen Contemporary. Titled "Consolidation is Reconsolidation," the show runs through October 19, open daily from 9am to 9pm.
The exhibition takes its name from memory reconsolidation, a psychological process in which recollections subtly shift every time they are recalled, meaning no memory is ever retrieved in exactly the same form twice. Five emerging UAE-based artists, Sara Kamar, Layla Doueidi, Martin Ong Yambao, Rayan Aljneibi and Husna Samer, explore this instability through photography, painting, sculpture, and even scent-based works.
Cecelia Jihu-Sara, founder of Hyphen Contemporary and curator of the show, said the project grew out of a simple but unsettling observation: "The memories we recall most often are actually the least reliable." She added that documentation, whether a photograph or a written account, does not guarantee a memory stays true to the original event, since every retelling produces a slightly different version.
The opening comes during an especially active season for Abu Dhabi's art scene. Christie's will hold its first dedicated Abu Dhabi auction on November 1, offering more than 70 works spanning six decades of Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art, while Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is set to open its doors on December 11.
Visitors curious about how fragile personal memory really is have only a few days left to catch "Consolidation is Reconsolidation" before it closes this coming Monday.