Ways of Seeing Group Exhibition at NYU Abu Dhabi Explores Perception and Illusion

The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery on Saadiyat Island presents 'Ways of Seeing', a group exhibition curated around the concept of vision and interaction with artworks. The show runs until November 17, 2018, and features works by Salvador Dalí, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alicja Kwade, Andreas Gursky, Cindy Sherman, and the duo Cortis/Sonderegger. Dalí's surrealist hallucination references biblical monstrous creatures, while Pistoletto juxtaposes two reflective surfaces at different heights to fragment and expand the visual field. Kwade's clock rotates counterclockwise but functions normally, distorting the perception of time. Gursky's large-scale photographs are assembled from numerous fragments, emphasizing the fragmentation of reality. Sherman manipulates her self-portraits to appear older, critiquing society's obsession with eternal youth. Cortis/Sonderegger recreate famous artworks and historical images to highlight manipulation of public opinion. The exhibition draws on John Berger's ideas about art being accessible to all, breaking academic conventions. The show addresses themes of reality versus fiction, East versus West, and the hypocrisy of contemporary society where poverty appears as wealth and the impossible seems possible.