Dubai: An outdoor art project aimed at promoting local artists and strengthening access for the public to their creative artworks was launched by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority.
The outdoor art project is also aligned with RTA’s mission to beautify the streets of the city, under the direction of Mattar Al Tayer, executive director and chairman of RTA, while providing innovative platforms for emerging and aspiring artists to display their talent through urban expressionism.
Dubai Culture has commissioned two emerging Emirati artists — Fatma Saifan and Salama Nasib — to produce a total of 11 artworks that will be displayed on the traffic light control boxes on Marrakesh and Airport Street — paying homage to the interdependence between transportation and travelling.
A graduate in Visual Arts from Zayed University, Fatma Saifan’s artwork at Airport Street, Airport and Travel draws on the shape of the control box, camouflaging it to resemble discarded luggage and shipment boxes, to evoke different forms of travel.
Visual artist Salama Nasib Saeed’s designs on Marrakesh Street derive inspiration from the various modes of transport that Dubai has to offer in addition to a personal symbol like a bird, to give the work a fantasy-like aura.
Saeed Al Nabouda, acting director-general of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said: “Dubai Culture consistently works with various Government entities to further elevate the aesthetic appeal of Dubai, using art as the avenue of expression.”
The works mark the third outdoor art project initiated by Dubai Culture. Previously the Authority had joined hands with Dubai Properties Group to commission 12 UAE based artists to design the hoardings of the Executive Towers in Business Bay, one of DPG’s key developments.
