Young Collectors Auction - exhibit-E

NadimKARAM1957Lot 008'Curious Creature' Signed, Dated, NumeratedH25 X W13 X D5 cm. Wood Treated Lead Parchment Sculpture (4/6) 2006Estimate (US$ 2,500 - 4,000)Born in Senegal in 1957, Nadim Karam is a multidisciplinary artist known for groundbreaking urban designand cutting-edge painting and sculpture. A prominent figure in the Lebanese art scene, he graduated fromthe American University of Beirut and received graduate and postgraduate degrees from the University ofTokyo, Japan. Karam has exhibited in galleries, institutions and art fairs worldwide, contributing to suchnotable events as the Liverpool Biennial, the Venice Biennale, the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea andSCOPE Art Fair (Basel). Highly sought after by collectors, his work is housed in corporations and culturalfoundations in the Arab world, Europe and Asia. A respected innovator, he has been commissioned toproduce urban art across the globe, in such places as the UAE, the Czech Republic, Australia and Japan.The former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design at Lebanon’s Notre Dame University, hisinfluence has also been felt on an academic level.In 1996, he established Atelier Hapsitus, a studio that he defines as “the satellite grouping of youngarchitects and designers around happenings and situations.” Atelier Hapsitus has become a vehicle forKaram’s unique oeuvre, boasting a number of works and projects that blend architecture, design and artand defy conventional modes of creativity and thought.Recently, his architectural plan “The Cloud” made international headlines for its revolutionary ideas ofhow to reconfigure public space amidst Dubai’s growing cityscape. Initially submitted to the InternationalDesign Forum in Dubai in 2007, the concept outlined a massive public entertainment complex containingfloating gardens, a lake, restaurants, a palace and a museum suspended in the air by rain-like stiltsand covered with artificial condensation. Lauded as “mind-blowing” by The New York Times, Karam’sproposal commented on the need for communal space amidst a landscape characterized by private spaces,suggesting the endless socioeconomic possibilities created through advanced technology and avant-gardeurban planning.The whimsical character of “The Cloud” and its intended impact on everyday interactions and culturereflects the fundamental principles of Karam’s art. With a distinctly international vision his paintings andsculptures draw heavily on his diverse background, transcending social, political and national borders andcaptivating the viewer with the childlike freedom and depth of his imagination.