Dubai: As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance business partners and patients experience, Dubai Healthcare City - the emirate’s healthcare freezone - announced that the launch of the first stage of an enhancement programme of urban spaces that covers all the city’s facilities, with a unique collaboration with Emirati artist Ahmed Al Mahri.
The partnership between DHCC and Al Mahri is aimed at highlighting the mutual benefits of cross-sector collaboration. DHCC has given Al Mahri the platform to create an artwork that emulates the identity of the city on the walls of buildings within the freezone.
“We are constantly seeking new ways to engage with business partners and enhance the overall experience that we offer to our stakeholders and visiting patients,” said Salim Al Amoudi, Marketing and Communication Director at Dubai Healthcare City Authority, the governing body of DHCC.
“This new urban enhancement programme is the next step in our initiatives to empower the local art scene and enhance the attractiveness of our buildings and facilities. It is a testament of our confidence in our local talents and our commitment to support their success.”
“There are numerous ways in which we make DHCC attractive for business partners, one of them is in demonstrating how we support the community. This collaboration with Ahmed Al Mahri meets those objectives and derives from our deep belief in the importance of supporting Emirati creators by giving them the platform to showcase their talents,” he added.
DHCC said in a press release that it is committed to celebrating the doctors, philosophers and scientists who played a key role in the region’s rich medical history. This is evident in the building names within the freezone, including Al Razi, Ibn Sina Medical Complex, Al Zahrawi building, and Ahmad Kazim buildings among others. This artistic collaboration is the visual translation of DHCC’s strategy to show that history to as wide an audience as possible.
Al Mahri’s murals showcase the ancient history of medicine in the region by highlighting some of the Arab World’s most prominent scientists. The artist’s work honors this legacy through soft motifs and colours, with a clear presence of Arabic calligraphy, as well as highlighting some of Dubai’s most prominent landmarks.
For his part, Al Mahri said: “I consider my collaboration with Dubai Healthcare City the most prominent in my career, as it is an ideal opportunity to present a work of art that embodies the identity of one of the most prominent destinations in Dubai. My work showcases the noble message of DHCC as well as the rich Arab heritage in the medical field. I would like to thank DHCC for the trust they gave me. It has been a great experience working on this project, which I consider as my small contribution to foster Dubai’s position as the hub for art, creativity and cultural diversity.”
Al Mahri grew up in an art-loving family and showed a passion for drawing from an early age. Having always leant towards exotic designs, he started to blend them with Arab and Asian culture. Arabic calligraphy has always been an important element in the works of the Emirati, who has left his signature on the main gate of Al Ain Club and also exhibited his works in Sikka Arts and Design Festival and Al Fahidi Historical District.
