Interview With Peter Gressman: “Art Is One Of The Best Investments In The World”
- Sands and City Magazine
- Jul 10, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 4, 2024
Peter Gressman
Sands and City Magazine Honors: Exclusive Interview with Peter Gressmann. Dive into the vibrant world of art and culture with our exclusive interview featuring [Interviewee's Name], founder of Art Forum UAE. Discover how a passion for travel and art led to pioneering projects in Dubai, including a groundbreaking museum initiative and transformative exhibitions.
What inspired you to pursue a career in tourism when you were young?How did your passion for travel and art influence your early career choices?Can you share some memorable experiences from your travels that had a significant impact on your appreciation for art?
It was exciting to combine my two passions, travel and art. My dream was to see the world, get to know other peoples and cultures and visit as many museums as possible. There are so many wonderful memories, especially the encounters with great, well-known artists and celebrities. In Miami, for example, I met Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon, herself a great artist. I talked to Marina Picasso about her father Pablo. I met Steve Wynn, one of the greatest art collectors in the world, and had a brief but warm meeting with Michael Jackson in an antique shop in Beverly Hills. I also got to meet Andy Wharhol in person. My best memory and the content of a project that I am supervising was taking part in a kind of discovery that will probably go down in history as the greatest and most spectacular discovery of modern art. I can't and contractually cannot say much about this, but I will just say that this project, which consists of more than 100 unknown works by three of the most important artists of early Cubism, will not, for example, make Louvre Abu Dhabi one of the most important museums in the world. But my passion for travelin brought me already 1978 in the UAE and other Middle East destinations to find new Tourism spots as part of my Bachelor Work.
What brought you to Dubai, and what made you decide to stay and build your career here?How has the art scene in Dubai evolved since you first arrived almost 20 years ago? What were some of the initial challenges you faced when you first started working in the art scene in Dubai?
Here again I must refer to our Discovery Project. In 2008 I heard about the plans for Saadiyat Island and since it was my idea to keep the large collection together in order to make it understandable for the art world, I thought it would be an excellent floor for a new museum. And so I came to the UAE to make initial contacts.
When I arrived here 16 years ago, the art scene was fairly small and I quickly realized that the heart for art was mainly to be found in Sharjah. In Dubai, DIFC had just opened its doors and housed several galleries, of which only 4 remain today. The scene has shifted over the years and with Alserkal Avenue, the big hip art district in the industrial area was created.
The most impressive and decisive experience was in 2008 when I met Fatma A. Lootah, a well-known local artist and some other artists in Sharjah who told me how difficult it was to become known beyond the borders of the UAE. When I returned to my hotel, I founded Artforumuae that same night. And then when I got back to Germany, I registered it as a non-profit organization because it was still an idea that developed very quickly.
Can you tell us about the founding of Art Forum UAE and its mission? What are some of the most successful projects or exhibitions that Art Forum UAE has organized? How do you decide which artists and works to feature in your exhibitions?
The question of the founding has already been answered but the declared aim of artforumuae was from the beginning to support artists, to make them known and not to exploit them and I have been doing this for 16 years and nothing will change. Since the beginning of artforumuae I have invested around 300,000 euros of savings in artforumuae. Korana has got me into big trouble as a non-profit organisation but there was and is no giving up for me. Supporting artists is still the main task of artforumuae! Artists do not pay a single hanging or curation fee for my exhibitions. Exhibiting artists are artforumuae elite members and pay an annual fee of 400 AED. This fee includes, among many other benefits, participation in at least one exhibition per year with up to five works of art for 2.5 months.
Of course, not everyone likes what I'm doing with artforumuae and the more my concept becomes accepted, the more jealous people it attracts, people who think I make a lot of money with my exhibitions. An Indian couple who also run an art organization that organizes exhibitions even allowed themselves to be tempted to violate LAW 43 and publicly defame me in the most horrible way on social media. But as a Leo, I'm a fighter and I won't let that get me down, but I'll fight it with all the means at my disposal.
How would you describe your curatorial vision and approach? What do you think are the key elements that make an art exhibition impactful and memorable? Who are some of the artists you have worked with that have particularly impressed you?
I think that I did the right thing by founding Artforumuae and I support Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid al Maktoum's vision of making DUBAI the No. 1 Cultural City in the world. With artforumuae, I believe I have made a significant contribution to the growth of the art scene in Dubai in recent years.
What makes an art exhibition? A good question. First and foremost, of course, the artist and his art, but putting together a good exhibition is not always easy. I try not to organize mass exhibitions and work in an exhibition with up to 20 artists, no more, even if I can exhibit up to 200 works of art at once in two of my venues. It depends on the mix and the theme. I always try not to dictate a theme. I also try to find a balance between the works of well-known artists, young, up-and-coming artists, and even good hobby artists. It is important that an exhibition is put together to form a harmonious whole, then it will be remarkable and unforgettable.
At the beginning there were the local artists Fatma A. Lootha and Abdulqader al Rais but I quickly met many good artists such as the Indian artists Shrutika Gosavi, Jasbir Saggu, Bharat Thakur, the then 10-year-old Varsha Nair, the legendary artist Anjini Prakash Laitu and JD Passika. Maryna Futymska and Elena Butko from Ukraine are exceptional talents, as is the artist Nada Al Barazi, originally from Syria. Ahmad Al Awadhi, my local friend, is the Emirati answer to Andy Wharhol. I could continue the list but that would be too much.
I can name here many artists that impressed me Da waren am Anfang die lokalen Kuenstelr Fatma A. Lootha und Abdulqader al Rais.
How do you see the role of art and culture in shaping the community in Dubai? How would you describe the art scene in Dubai now? What aspects do you think are particularly strong, and what areas could be improved? In what ways do you believe the UAE's art scene differs from that of Germany or other countries you've experienced? What impact do you hope to have on the cultural and art landscape of the UAE through your work?
There is still a lot to be done to achieve Sheikh Maktoum's vision. But the community is expanding every year. Some organizations come and go, just like galleries, but persistence and constant work pays off in the end.
There are still ups and downs in the art scene. What bothers me personally is that every now and then so-called organizers and curators turn up, organize exhibitions for a while, demand a lot of money from the artists and then disappear again just as quickly as they appeared. What we need in the UAE is a constant in art and above all people who understand something about art. Unfortunately, in the years when Dubai was taking off, there were also a lot of fortune hunters here who did lasting damage to the reputation of art dealers like myself. Art is one of the best investments in the world but people are only slowly becoming aware of that here. Over the last few years I have repeatedly discovered that fortune hunters have been here and have also sold forgeries by famous artists. I have been shown forgeries of Picasso, Kandinsky, Degas and other artists for assessment - 99% of them are fakes. And so one of my missions is to restore the reputation of honest art dealers.
A big difference to Germany and other countries is the way galleries are run. I have often experienced galleries demanding a lot of money in advance from artists for exhibitions and letting anyone who can pay exhibit. I have never seen anything like that. A gallery should support artists and exhibit if they are convinced by the artist, and a gallery should also ensure that buyers are approached. The gallery should earn money from selling works of art and not from renting out wall space. This way, anyone can open a gallery, even without an understanding of art, and simply rent out wall space.
Can you share any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you are particularly excited about? What are your long-term goals for Art Forum UAE and your own career in the art world? How do you envision the future of the art scene in Dubai and the UAE in the next decade? At the moment, in addition to my two major projects, I am working on a project with the working title "Walk of success into a new World". Of course, I can't reveal too much about this yet, but I can say that, like many things in Dubai, it will be unique.
My long term goal is to bring the Michael Jackson Art Museum to Dubai, to place the Discovery project in a Museum on Saadiyat Island or in Dubai and transform Artforumuae from an association to a Foundation that can do much more for Artists.
What advice would you give to young artists and curators looking to make their mark in the art world? How do you stay inspired and continually find new ideas for exhibitions and projects? Could you share a piece of art that holds a special place in your heart and why it is significant to you?
What I tell every young artist is that you cannot study to be an artist! You are either an artist or you are not. Art must come from the soul and heart of an artist. I also always advise you to find your own path in art, try out different styles, be inspired by other artists but don't copy them.
The many Artists in my life are a source of inspiration and motivation for me to go forward and i discover nearly every single day new artists.
I own one artwork that is called Siberian Snow and a German Artist based in Dubai gave it to me for my 60th birthday. The title of the painting was a story between me and Barbara Moerl Weidig. Unfortunately she passed away in 2022 of breast cancer. It is not a masterpiece but the story behind it touches me.
Is there an unfulfilled dream you have in terms of art and cultural engagement, something you have always dreamt about but haven't achieved yet?
Anyone who no longer has dreams and goals is dead. I am now 69 years old and still have 1000 dreams and goals, some of which are based on the entire interview. Dreams can be shattered and goals not achieved and I am sure that these situations have occurred in my life too. But new dreams and new goals come, moving forward and not back.
Interview by Dr. Ana S. Gad
Photos: Private Archive
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