Dubai: Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, honoured on Saturday 10 artists who won the Shaikha Manal Young Artist Award 2012 in recognition of their creative works and achievements in fine arts, photography and multimedia.
The winners were selected by an expert judging panel from among the final shortlist of 50 entries.
The awards ceremony was held under the patronage of Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women’s Establishment and wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Muna Bin Kalli, Executive Director of the Dubai Ladies Club, said, “ The competition has seen an impressive number of submissions with more than 500 entries from 22 different nationalities. The huge volume of entries year on year shows us that along with the UAE’s continuous growth and development in various fields, the art community is also thriving and remains a passion for many.”
“The standard of art this year has once again escalated and this exhibition showcases the diversity of visual art forms and young artists that are present within the UAE, further reflecting the valued role that the arts play in creating cultures and building civilisations.”
Muna pointed out that the winning works combined excellent craftsmanship with a story that resonated with the judges. “A common strength we found was that many of the artists grasped their mediums and applied them wisely. It was very evident that while each artist had a totally different angle and unique working method, each winning piece extraordinarily displayed the artist’s ability to control the visual language and displayed the maturity of his or her creations.”
Ten awards, including the People’s Choice Award, were presented by Shaikh Majid, in three categories - Fine Art Award, Photography Award and Multimedia Award.
