Dubai: A group of 10 Dubai-based artists – designers, illustrators, painters, photographers and a videographer – have decided to combine their talents and put together an art show to benefit the children of Gaza. The artists are from Mexico, India, Canada, England and the Philippines.
The show will formally open on March 3 through March 10 at the Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Center located on the second level (orange car park) at the Mall of the Emirates. More than 40 artworks including paintings, photographs, video/multimedia will be on display.
70 per cent of the funds collected from the sales of the pieces will be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net). The pieces will be based on themes that normally inspire the artists as well as the situation affecting the children of Gaza.
“I felt very frustrated by what was and is happening, and I didn't have the means to help,'' said Guillermo Munro, senior infographic artist at Gulf News. “The only thing I know how to do and that could help is paint. That way, more of us who are interested in helping could join hands in the effort for one common goal.''
The PCRF is a non-for-profit international organisation with a chapter in Dubai which addresses the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Arab youths in the Middle East. PCRF Dubai, in conjunction with the Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation (www.mbrfoundation.ae), has brought 16 children from Palestine to Dubai for medical treatment not available to them locally, in addition to distributing medicine and milk formula in Palestine and Gaza recently.
Several of the artists involved in the project met with some of the children after they received surgery at Fine Orthopedic & Body Care in Dubai. There, the owner, Dr. Hovhannes Tshughuryan, showed them the prosthetic arms and legs that he custom-made for the children.
Nadia Wehbe, spokesperson for PCRF Dubai, is enthusiastic about the art project. “If people want to contribute, the best way to do it is to offer what they're good at and what they enjoy doing,'' she said. “People like these artists give us motivation to keep doing what we're doing. For the children, having people paint them and take pictures of them is great because it's helping the charity and at the same time expanding the children's horizons.''
The 10 artists involved are Guillermo Munro, Jacob Hernandez, Luis Vazquez, Megan Hirons, Ashraf Helmi, Niño Jose Heredia, Karen Dias, Zarina Fernandes, Danesh Mohiuddin and Kalhil de Pio. They are Mexican, Indian, Filipino, Canadian and British-Egyptian. Their goal is to use art as a non-political mean to directly and positively help the children of Gaza. Their hope is that visitors will come in great numbers to show their support.
