Dubai cultural roundup: 6 activities to unleash the artist inside
Here’s a roundup of all the creativity you can channel in the emirate
Art Tees
As part of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority’s (Dubai Culture) digital campaign #CreateTogether, UAE artists can submit designs for a collection of paint-them-yourself Art Tees.
The new collection will showcase designs of the UAE-based artists, themed around mental health and happiness, in order to create awareness.
The Art Tees can be purchased online at CreateNations with toxic-free fabric paints for a creative at-home painting project. The proceeds from the new collection will go to charity, via Emirates Red Crescent, under an initiative supported by the Department of Islamic Affairs.
The CreateNations fashion brand was launched during quarantine. The first collection was designed by 20 local artists including popular designs ‘Quarantine Fashion’ by Amamoda and ‘Pandemic’ by Mariya Li.
Artists can submit their mental health and happiness themed designs by July 29 via applications@createnations.com. For more information, check out the CreateNations website.
Cubist Virtual Art Exhibition
In a world where social distancing is still very much the name of the game, check out the Cubism Virtual Art Exhibition Project organised by Art4you Gallery.
It’s been 100 years since the advent of Cubism, and we seem to be undergoing a similar kind of transitional moment in history, with the rise of digital technology and the fragmentation of old orders.
Addressing this period using the tools by Braque and Picasso, particularly collage, explore the depths of these themed artworks by 32 artists. Exhibition is ongoing and available to view through the Art Steps website.
Solo Exhibition
The Jameel Arts Centre near Dubai Creek's ongoing solo exhibition by acclaimed Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz is a must visit. Best known for his vibrant conceptual art, Rakowitz is one of the art world’s most in-demand talents.
‘Michael Rakowitz’ takes over levels 1 and 2 of Jameel Arts Centre with eight major installations made over the last two decades.
A sculptor, detective and sometimes chef, Rakowitz is keenly attuned to the social dimensions of art practice and his work is characterised by a process of deep research.
Held as part of a summer of innovative art shows, Rakowitz’s work appears alongside an ‘Artist’s Room’ exhibit featuring solo pieces by Lawrence Abu Hamadan, Larissa Sansour, Taysir Batniji and Lubna Chowdhary.
Out of the Woods
Carbon 12 is hosting a group exhibition with works from artists Sarah Almehairi, Olaf Breuning, Gil Heitor Cortesao, Monika Grabuschnigg, Amir Khojasteh, Philip Mueller, Anahita Razmi and Amba Sayal-Bennett.
Days have passed spent observing the outside from within the pristine interior of Gil Heitor Cortesao’s painting, to other days, as in Monika Grabuschnigg’s drawings, spent contemplating relationships in highly digitalised societies.
Moving forward from weeks of isolation, countries worldwide slowly sputter to life once more, as a newfound normal slowly begins to settle in place. The exhibition, ‘Out of the Woods’, encompasses a longing for the return of the familiar.
While the collective body of work heavily emphasises the individual practices and varying media of these artists, there is a strong significance to concepts of form and structure, such as in Sarah Almehairi’s wooden work that observes processes of assembling and reassembling to create and form meaning, and in Amba Sayal-Bennett’s mild steel sculpture, which explores how phenomenological experiences can be reduced to the basic terms of line, colour and shape.
Until September 10 at the Carbon 12 Gallery, Alserkal Avenue.
Fifty Degrees
XVA Gallery is hosting a group exhibition of five artists, focusing on resuming creativity in our community during the pandemic.
As our world returns to normal, Fifty° aims to support the arts and heritage of the UAE, while attempting to spark inspiration and conversation once again. Curated by Grace Hauser, the exhibition features an array of represented artists’ work through the medium of sculpture, photography, print and multimedia.
Until September 18 at XVA Gallery in Bastakiya.
Teen Summer Art Mentorship
The JamJar DIY Art Studio and community art space is offering a Teens Summer Art Mentorship, giving students the opportunity to explore a personal project under the mentorship of artist and instructor, Hana Akram.
Running from 11am-1pm through the summer, this four-day programme encourages students to grow confidence in their creative thinking. Each student will discover their own style while developing and reinforcing skills in various mediums.
Students must commit to four days and are welcome to sign up for a second week, if they wish. Open for children between 11 and 18 years at Dh550 for four days, excluding VAT.