Sharp Tools

This is a fascinating portrait of arguably the most influential figure in contemporary art in the Gulf, the late Hassan Sharif. Artist, thinker, writer and critic, Sharif died in September 2016, at the age of 65, having spent much of the past half-century expanding the parameters of art in the region, through provocative conceptual pieces, experiments in performance as well as numerous paintings, works on paper and sculptures. His old friend and collaborator, writer and filmmaker Nujoom Al Ghanem first met the artist in the early 1980s, when he was busy baffling locals in the UAE with his take on ideas such as conceptualism, Modernism and performance. In ‘Sharp Tools’, which began shooting before Sharif’s death, she offers us an intimate insight into his life, speaking to friends, collaborators and commentators about his body of work and achievements. (Dubai International Film Festival)