Mirrors have long held our collective hopes and fears in their silver depths.
For the great Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, they were the madness of the infinite. In the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Snow White, the magic mirror was the voice of truth. In her lauded A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf writes: “Whatever may be their use in civilised societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic action.”
For Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, mirrors are a fragile means to defy time and space. His mirror paintings at Louvre Abu Dhabi connect the museum, its artworks and visitors to its older Parisian sibling. Displayed across the permanent galleries of the museum, the mirror paintings can easily be missed at first glance. Depicting ancient sculptures and viewers admiring them, the work is camouflaged within the space, making it easy to mistake with the surrounding pieces.
The paintings, which come as part of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s fifth anniversary celebrations are on display until May 15. They continue from Year 1, Paradise on Earth, the 2013 work Pistoletto created for Musee du Louvre. For Louvre Abu Dhabi, the artist created 11 new mirror works depicting visitors and works from the collection of Musee du Louvre. The aim, Pistoletto says, was to create a dialogue from one Louvre to another.
“When I take a photograph of a sculpture, I can transport it to another place through my mirror paintings. That sculpture will then be connected to another place. You have in Abu Dhabi the works that are in Paris. Now, I would like to make a series in Paris featuring sculptures and viewers and the people of Abu Dhabi. I want to transport them to Paris,” Pistoletto tells The National.
Most of Pistoletto’s mirror paintings are composed around a series of oppositions: between people of the past and those of the present, between the nude and clothed body, and between a body of flesh and one of stone.
“The paintings are composed by a mirror surface and an image taken by photography. With technology, it was painted [or printed] on the mirror,” Pistoletto says. “It is reflecting the viewer, the space. It is of the realities existing through the mirror.”
Louvre + 1 Mirror Paintings, Pistoletto says, also covers the three aspects of time: past (photography), present (reflection in the mirror) and future (the photography becoming the memory of a moment that follows all succeeding moments).
“We have the dimension of time, the dimension of history,” he says. “When you put the work in a museum, you have a reflection of the history of the museum. We can see not only the history, but also the present and the viewer is included in the history and takes it into the future.
The temporary artworks also symbolise Louvre Abu Dhabi's roles as a mirror of humanity and a convergence point for ages and civilisations. Pistoletto is renowned for smashing his mirror paintings after his exhibitions conclude. He takes a sledgehammer to them, shattering their bottomless silver and suggestions of infinity. He did not specify whether he would do the same for the works at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Louvre + 1 Mirror Paintings is not the first work Pistoletto has exhibited at Louvre Abu Dhabi. As part of the Stories of Paper exhibition, which took place in the summer of 2022, the artist presented his monumental Labirinto e Grande Pozzo installation, a snaking labyrinth of cardboard.
“The labyrinth was a way to make people enter the work physically,” he says. “The viewer is not just looking but is included in the work of art, moving inside of it.”
Louvre + 1 Mirror Paintings will be on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi until May 15
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
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Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
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Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
SPECS
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.