The art collective GCC (referencing the Gulf Cooperation Council, a political and economic council of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) consists of nine artists, men and women, who have connections to these Arabian gulf nations. This wall relief, made of industrial thermoplastic sheets covered with velvety flocking, depicts the hands of a “body healer” using non-contact therapy, part of the Positive Energy movement popular in the region. The wall reliefs echo Assyrian bas-reliefs of ancient temples, yet the imagery for each work in the series comes from stills on YouTube of actual celebrity practitioners. Investigating the power dynamics and popular culture in the region and elsewhere, the members or “delegates” of GCC are Nanu Al-Hamad, Khalid Al Gharaballi, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Fatima Al Qadiri, Monira Al Qadiri, Aziz Al Qatami, Barrak Alzaid, and Amal Khalaf. GCC began at Art Dubai in 2012 and has since exhibited around the world, including in the US at the New Museum, the Whitney Museum, and MoMA PS1.
© gcc