Sharjah: A promising centre for contemporary visual arts opened in Sharjah when Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the Maraya Art Centre at Al Qasba yesterday.
The three-storey, 1,500-square-metre art centre will host a range of exhibitions, cultural events and educational activities throughout the year.
"This collaboration involved people from a number of different social and academic backgrounds, and the result is a project that all of us take immense pride in sharing with the UAE society," said Marwan Jasem Al Sarkal, Chief Executive of Al Qasba Development Authority, during a press conference.
"The ultimate goal is to nourish young talent and sustain a local platform for established artists to flourish within the region," he said, pointing out that Maraya Centre is set to be one of the country's largest venues for contemporary visual arts. Each of the centre's three levels has a unique theme in tying the pieces together in custom-built exhibition spaces. The first level is known as ‘The Shelter', a multimedia retreat for artists seeking to make an impact on the local scene and collaborate with others.
Ahmad Bin Shabib, one of the Founders of ‘The Shelter', said having a world-class venue like Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah will be a significant connecting point where traditional culture meets with contemporary innovation.
"In the long run, this kind of interaction will add incredible value to Sharjah's cultural development and create a new wave of creative thinking in the country." With a commitment to showcase works by artists from the Arab world, the second floor of Maraya displays a permanent exhibition titled ‘The House of Arab Art".
The top floor of Maraya Art Centre is the Contemporary Art Gallery, showcasing works of winners of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize from 2009. The annual Abraaj Capital Art Prize is considered the only art prize specifically for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia that rewards proposals rather than completed works.
