Hassan Sharif

Though best known for his evocative sculptural compositions, Hassan Sharif was trained as a painter and remained dedicated to painting throughout his career. By the mid-1970s, Sharif had used his painterly background to create grotesque, caricature-like scenes, critiquing everything from the United States’s foreign policy in the Middle East to the changing economic realities of life in Dubai after its unification. In a later series of paintings, Press Conference (2008–09), Sharif directed his biting political commentary specifically at those who used power and position for their own gain at the expense of others. “The series is about politicians all over the world. They are self-centered people, full of false promise, saying we will do this and that, we make your dream come true and so on.” In Press Conference No. 4 (2009), Sharif depicts a group of four politicians, all standing on blocks and talking aimlessly in every direction. Alluding to the politicians' delusional—and ultimately maddening—confidence, the loose brushstrokes animate the scene, emphasizing the figures’ madness and reflecting their unhinged psychological state.