It's unpleasant news for art aficionados in the city as Memoires, the fantasy antiques store with interconnected chambers at Wafi Mall, is due to shut down this June.
Death of an artist
Sources at the store told XPRESS that the closure follows the demise of Zahid Ansari, the Pakistani designer and brain behind the concept store. The Dubai-based Ansari died of a heart attack five months ago at the age of 56, Store Manager Ajith Varghese said.
The eclectic showroom, drawing inspiration from different themes and styles reminiscent of the Renaissance and other bygone eras, had been the talk of the town for its grotesque passages, revolving bookcases and hidden doorways that connected eight distinctly themed sections, from the Gothic Room with its skull-embedded ceiling and rat-stencilled walls to the soft fabric-panelled Boudoir with its lace tapestry and hand-embroidered sofas.
The three-year-old store, the only one of its kind in the world, defied description and was variously described as a retail museum, theatrical art gallery and a must-see for those visiting Dubai.
A different kind of shop
Specially recreated by a pool of 70 craftsmen under Ansari's guidance at a factory at Al Qusais, the handcrafted items in the shop include jewellery, furniture, chandeliers, porcelain, artefacts and sculptures, their price ranging from anything between Dh195,000 for a bronze and marble console to Dh45 for candle holders and floral accessories.
While the store is trying to sell most of its wares at a 30-55 per cent discount till it shuts down, some personal items belonging to Ansari will be returned to his home in Karachi, Varghese said.
He said Memoires is committed to completing ongoing interior design projects for its commercial and individual clients, though it has stopped taking up new projects. Its recent projects include the Ottoman Palace Dubai Hotel at the Palm Jumeirah.
