Watch: ‘Art in the Park’, an inclusive exhibition, launched at Dubai International Financial Center

Dubai: As part of the ongoing art exhibition season in Dubai, Index Mall, a retail space part of Emirates Reit portfolio, announced its latest initiative, ‘Art In The Park’, shining a spotlight on artists of determination and their inclusion under the theme ‘Your Legacy’. The event that displays artworks by several artists was launched at the open-air park in Index Mall DIFC on March 22 and will run for a week.

Hearing-impaired artist creates live painting

Meet Roshan Perera, 48, a hearing-impaired artist who is part of the exhibition and involved in a live-painting project at the open-air venue in Index Mall, DIFC. Perera is involved in creating a spontaneous painting and will complete it over this week when the event ends.

Exploring outdoor space, human interactions and art as a medium of inclusion, Art in the Park aims to become a regular community event on the busy Dubai calendar. The event has been visualised as a celebration of accessible art, artists, live paintings, student competitions and two featured artist installations, as well as an ongoing outdoor exhibition in the heart of DIFC.

The exhibition features artworks curated by Legacy Art and Pupilar Institute. Highlighting a strong message of inclusion, with an artist of determination, Perera will be communicating with the visitors through a sign-language expert. This interpreter from Dubai’s Pomegranate Institute will not only facilitate communication with Perera, but also help visitors learn simple sentences of communication through sign language. The focus will be on four sentences: ‘We see you; We hear you; We are here for you; and Thank you.’

Teaching people to communicate in sign language

Supriya Chauhan, an aesthetic dentist, author, research scholar and passionate life caster, who will be present throughout the week, spoke about the importance of sign language at the inauguration. She will create a sculpture of hand gestures for the four sentences in sign language and work towards creating a physical bridge between Perera and the visitors.

The event also witnesses the launch of Pupilar Institution’s inter-school/inter-college competition and throughout the week, many events are lined up, such as a calligraphy workshop by Sheikh Saifi, as well as art talks by renowned Legacy Art artists such as Mariam Ketait (Chikara), Divyata Rajaram and Leona Collins Aqsa Khalifa.

The event will conclude with an award ceremony for aspiring artists participating in various competitions.

Commenting on the event, Magai Mouquet, the chairwoman of Equitativa (managing REIT), said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer our space to the local art scene and facilitate an inclusive experience that celebrates connectedness and community.”