During Dubai Design Week, artist Sami Hayek makes his debut in the region with an exhibition at Christie’s. The goal: to start a conversation
Hayek in his studio in LA
LA-based artist Sami Hayek has always been impressed by the nonstop hustle of Dubai. So affected was he by this energy during a visit last May, he produced Huichol Credenza (2024), a bespoke cabinet-style piece that stands in homage to the urban emirate. The furniture item features patterns of glass beads that have been hand-placed by Mexican artisans, the colors reminiscent of the feathers of hummingbirds. The positive spirit of the winged creature that is native to South America reminds Hayek – himself hailing from Mexico of Lebanese descent, brother of Hollywood icon Salma Hayek – of the dynamic environment and cultural diversity of the city. “Dubai has an edge on timing. It’s rare to find anywhere in the world where a group of people can think of something and a few years later, it’s done,” he says. “I want to be there to receive input, to get inspired by what is going on there.” This month, he will be doing just that, returning to the UAE to present a selling exhibition at Christie’s Middle East in DIFC following his successful run in LA last year.
The Dubai Credenza
Opening on November 4, Frequency marks the first time Hayek will be bringing his artworks to the region – the Huichol Credenza piece included. The exhibition’s arrival coincides with Dubai Design Week which, according to Meagan Kelly Horsman, managing director of Christie’s Middle East, is all about “sharing the very best of contemporary design on a global stage” and gathering international creative talents. Frequency is expected to draw in attendees from the GCC and beyond, exposing them to Hayek’s multifaceted practice. Viewers can discover a range of artworks, both functional and not, including tables, a chair, the credenza, and circular wall hangings. The name, Frequency, is also the theme of the presentation and the core of all of Hayek’s artistic endeavors. Through his multiple experimentations with different mediums, he explores what he explains to be the vibrations of sounds known to contribute to physical, emotional, and mental healing. The resulting shapes created by these observed wavelengths then help to dictate the geometric makeup of Hayek’s pieces, like the roundness of his colored wall hangings that will be on view. Resembling mandalas, each one is made of aluminum and subject to a computer-controlled machine process before being anodized, polished, and finished by hand.
Sami Hayek’s LA residence
Aluminum is Hayek’s preferred material as he sees infinite potential in its use. He can produce a variety of hues and patterns, as the nuances achieved through anodizing – a surface treatment used to protect or decorate metal – are distinctly artisanal. Within this category, Maya Frequency 2 (2023) features the same ultraviolet blue that the Mayans once used. The captivating piece is about transformation, though neither a positive nor negative, and the color indicates a state of existence or spirituality when significant changes in life could be made. Hayek seeks to prove that when faced with a precise moment of this kind, “you can become whoever you want but it is important to acknowledge when it is the time.” He goes on, “It is about reminding yourself that all the ingredients are within you.”
In addition to these more decor-oriented objects, visitors to the exhibition will see the artist’s furniture, such as his massive Feather Table (2023) and Wing Table (2023), respectively concealing 12 and 16 seats. Both pieces are supported by volcanic rock legs, hand-chiseled by the Mexican artisans with whom Hayek has been working for 14 years.
Frequency 1, 2024
After traveling around the Middle East, the artist has observed a thirst for newness, especially as cultural developments and shifting mindsets have led to an embrace of change and fresh perspectives. In such environments that allow for traditional notions of design to be revisited and challenged, the impossible, it seems, can become possible. During his time in Dubai, Hayek is keen to tap into the local and visiting creative communities and share ideas with fellow participants of Dubai Design Week and art enthusiasts in general. He concludes, “I am very interested in interacting with people who are not afraid to discover a part of themselves through the process of creating unique items that reflect who they are.”
Originally published in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Vogue Living Arabia
