Abu Dhabi – One line, then another, then another one, and an animal is being depicted in a projection on the wall. Before the figure is complete, you better guess which animal it is. Passing in front of another equipment, the visitor’s shadow appears sketched out there but with a mane and a tail of a lion. Like that, combining art and interaction, the exhibition ‘Animals, Between Real and Imaginary’ is presented for kids by the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum at United Arab Emirates in its children’s museum until the end of June 2019.
The exhibit space is not large but it combines playful and good art, colors without exaggeration, and fun without getting messy. The official message from Louvre Museum is that the expo shows how animals have been represented creatively throughout art history from all eras and regions. According to the museum’s website, a variety of techniques were used by the artists to represent both real and imaginary animals.
The central space of the expo is composed by parallels between current and historic, real and imaginary. Near an illuminated figure of a lion, for example, there is a plate painted by the artist William de Morgan, who lived until the beginning of the last century, representing a griffin, a half eagle and half lion animal. He was inspired by Oriental and Greek mythologies, and the griffin was a legendary figure in Egypt and Mesopotamia (current Iraq) circa 5,000 years ago. On the artfully crafted plate, two griffins face one another, huffing through their beaks.
Besides a cat figure, there’s a cat mummy (picture above). An explanatory plaque in Arabic, French and English tells that in Ancient Egypt cats were associated to the goddess Bastet, represented by them or by the lion. According to the note, cats were viewed as special animals and should be treated with reverence, raised near temples, and mummified and offered to Bastet after their deaths. Every piece including animal pictures together with some object or historic artwork has this explanation in multiple languages.
In addition to the cat and the lion, other animal figures are also accompanied by an old artifact, symbolizing mostly what was imagined for them by that people, civilization or age. Prominent is a mask used in ceremonies by a people from Alaska in order to succeed on hunts. It features walrus tusks, fish eyes and nose, and some bird feathers.
The exhibition includes a big dark tent at the outskirts of the children’s area where they can enter, sit, put on headphones and listen to stories from the collection Kalila and Dimna. The collection includes fables from Indian folklore and instructions about morals and politics for princes and high-ranking people. Headphones are scattered throughout the tent and stars shine in its roof as in a real sky.
The exhibition is a place for discovery for the little ones and have other features. Close to the exit – which is also the entrance – a giant board explains how to put together a puzzle of an animal figure. After all, the proximity between animals and men, sharing the same world, has always been an endless source of inspiration for artists. That is what Louvre says in the text for those who arrive in the exhibition ‘Animals, between real and imaginary.’
The expo started in September. It can be seen from Saturday to Wednesday, from 10am to 8pm, and Thursday to Friday, from 10am to 10pm. On Mondays the place is closed. The exhibition is recommended for children over 6. The Louvre Museum ticket costs 60 dirhams for adults and 30 dirhams for children until 13 years old. To enter the children’s museum, it is necessary to enter Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum was created based on the famous French museum and was opened about a year ago, result of a partnership between the governments of United Arab Emirates and France. It has temporary exhibitions and permanent arworks.
Service:
Exhibition ‘Animals, between real and imaginary’
From 6 September 2018 to 30 June 2019
Louvre Abu Dhabi – Saadiyat – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
For more information and tickets, click here