‘Wave of Imagination’ - Interconnectivity Between Water and Earth

The installation ‘Wave of Imagination’ by Emirati artist Jassim Alawadhi is part of the Dubai Public Art initiative led by Dubai Culture. The piece is inspired by the interconnectivity between the elements of water and earth, extending from the Arabian Sea to the desert landscape. The 3D sculpture, located near Jumeirah Beach, is made of solid materials, characterised by its curves and the yellow colour inspired by ‘the Sunflower’, reflecting the richness of Dubai's local environment, strength, and energy. The artist used recycled materials, highlighting Dubai Culture's commitment to promoting environmental awareness through innovative projects.

‘Al Duroor’ - Artistic Icon in Al Shindagha

The sculpture ‘Al Duroor’ is another Dubai Public Art initiative. Inspired by traditional astronomical calculations used by the people of the GCC in the past, the Emirati artist and designer Mattar bin Lahej created this unique piece commissioned by Dubai Culture in Al Shindagha Historic Neighbourhood. The sculpture, weighing 400 kilograms and standing at a height of 5 metres, reinterprets an important element of heritage through a contemporary artistic vision, aligning with the Authority’s efforts to promote Emirati heritage in public spaces.

Dubai Park Murals - Enriching Dubai's Creative Scene

The murals ‘The Tide’, ‘Amalgamation’, and ‘Epitome’, as part of the Dubai Calligraphy Biennale, under the artistic supervision of Ahmad Makary, represent a qualitative addition to the Dubai Public Art initiative. These murals enrich Dubai's cultural and artistic scene, reflecting the efforts of Dubai Culture to create a creative environment supporting artistic talent and encouraging them to showcase their creative works publicly. UAE-based Argentinian Yubran Gosne (aka Sanctum) presented his mural ‘The Tide’ at the entrance of Umm Suqeim Park. Inspired by the movement of the sea and its energy, and their connection to the sands, Yubran used three greens, blues, and turquoises to depict the bond between water and land. The mural ‘Amalgamation’ by UAE-based Algerian artist Ahmed Amine Aitouche (aka Sneak Hotep) located in Nad Al Sheba Park, consists of three angular wall surfaces, visible from one angle as a singular art piece. Aitouche aims to highlight how Dubai serves as a model of balance between tradition and modernity, freedom and discipline, and utilising cultural diversity for urban and social development. The mural ‘Epitome’ also created by Sneik Hotep in Abu Hail Park, serves as a silent message for those striving to be better versions of themselves every day.

Al Safa Art and Design Library Mural Reflects Dubai's Artistic Vitality

Dubai Culture adorned the facade of Al Safa Arts and Design Library with a monumental gypsum mural inspired by Dubai's heritage, contributing to highlighting its cultural diversity and contemporary artistic vitality. The Lebanese artist Chafa Ghaddar, through the mural, reimagines the ancient architectural design of the library building, emphasising the beauty and precision of Islamic ornamentation that was part of the library before undergoing comprehensive restoration. Through the mural composed of 1200 ceramic pieces coated in blue and white and covered with glass, Ghaddar seeks to create an intra-era dialogue by addressing the relationship between architecture and the arts. The artist drew inspiration from the Azulejos ceramic technique, a classic Portuguese ceramic heritage with roots in Islamic, Chinese, and ancient Spanish arts, demonstrating its adaptability to global cultural and architectural diversity, aligning with Dubai's nature and architectural heritage.

‘I Dreamt of a City Everyone Calls Home’ - The Power of Creative Imagination

The Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, adjacent to the Jameel Arts Centre, hosts the artistic work ‘I Dreamt of a City Everyone Calls Home’, produced by the design group Theories of Imagination. The collective includes the artist and architect Noor Alwan and artist-designer Abdulla Buhijji, UAE-based artists. The artwork reflects the significance of the Jaddaf area and its historical importance as a shipbuilding basin, celebrating its role in enabling trade and cultural exchange, which has contributed to enhancing cultural diversity in Dubai. Some elements of the innovative artwork draw from the nature of the Jaddaf area, combining vernacular architecture, local plants, modern designs, and fantastical installations resembling rain showers, fog, and light dances. The artwork enhances the power of creative imagination for visitors, especially children and families, providing them with a unique interactive experience. The ‘Theories of Imagination’ project won the inaugural edition of the Jaddaf Artistic Commissions: Playscape, launched by Dubai Culture in collaboration with Jameel Arts Centre as part of the Dubai Public Art initiative. The project has been selected by an esteemed international jury, receiving nearly 100 proposed projects from artists and designers across the country.

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in collaboration with Art Dubai, has unveiled the ‘Union of the Artists’ Public Art Sculpture, a large-scale installation under the Dubai Public Art initiative, designed to turn the emirate into an extensive, welcoming canvas for art. The installation was revealed in  one of Dubai’s most beautiful public gardens in Al Hudaiba, overlooking the Etihad Museum and Union House, and delivers remarkable artistic encounters, elevating visual culture and nurturing innovation.

The ‘Union of the Artists’ installation delves into the relationship between tension and balance and recurring elements in the works of these artists, who have ingeniously crafted a visually captivating artistic sculpture, where seven pillars symbolise the united spirit that binds the people of the UAE. These pillars represent themes like teamwork, cooperation, equality, solidarity, and cohesion.

The artistic work explores the relationship between balance and cooperation elements that are recurrent in the creations of the five artists who devised a visually captivating artistic sculpture. The artists drew inspiration from the construction of the traditional ‘Areesh,’ reflecting a collective effort, collaboration, cohesion, and equality. Requiring commitment and balance, as shown in the seamless integration of palm branches and tensioned rope, the installation represents the interconnectedness between the emirates community, aligning with the nature of the Etihad Museum, which documents the moments of the union's birth, the nation's stories, and the inspiring approach of the founding fathers.

The ‘Union of the Artists’ installation carries the distinctive marks of a quintet of Emirati artists: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a pioneering experimentalist; Shaikha Al Mazrou, visual arts professor at New York University Abu Dhabi; Asma Belhamar, Assistant Professor at the College of Arts and Creative Industries at Zayed University; Khaled Albanna, who employs collage techniques to explore topics related to the history of the UAE and its rapid transformation; and Afra Al Dhaheri, who draws inspiration from her upbringing in Abu Dhabi.

About the Artists

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim

Ibrahim is known as one of the UAE’s earliest experimental artists and an influential member of the UAE’s now-historic avant-garde art community, which formed in the early 1980s. Major institutions that have acquired his work include the British Museum, Centre George Pompidou, Sharjah Art Foundation, Art Jameel, and Barjeel Art Foundation. He represented the UAE at the 2022 Venice Biennale. His work was included in the Kochi-Muziris Biennial 2016 and numerous exhibitions internationally.

Shaikha Al Mazrou

Shaikha Al Mazrou is an artist and a professor of Visual Art at the New York University Abu Dhabi. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Sharjah (2010) and a Master’s from Chelsea College of Fine Art, University of the Arts, London (2014).

Asma Belhamar

Asma Belhamar is a visual artist holding a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts from Zayed University in 2012, and MFA in Textile Design at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (2017). She worked as a graphic designer in the marketing and publishing department at Zayed University in Dubai before joining the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design, Abu Dhabi in 2014, and was an Artist-in-Residence at March Project, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE and Porthmeor Studio, St Ives, UK both in 2019. Most of Asma's art revolves around the ‘megastructure’ in the emirates and its impact on the topographical memory of local landscapes. She specializes in surface design and patterns, with a particular focus on creating wall coverings and wallpaper. Belhamar involves herself with innovative printing and projection methods that give rise to three-dimensional structures.

Khalid Albanna

Khalid Albanna utilises the art of collage to explore themes related to the history of the UAE and its rapid transformation. His artistic reputation has been solidified through the recognition he has garnered for his captivating black and white paintings and dynamic textual compositions, reflecting his fascination with architectural engineering and construction. Al Banna joined the Emirates Fine Arts Society’s in 1997 and has participated in numerous art exhibitions, including Al Burda Endowment Exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2019), ‘Portrait of a Nation’ exhibition Abu Dhabi Festival (2016), which traveled to me Collectors Room Berlin/Olbricht Foundation, Berlin (2017) as well as Kennedy Centre, Washington DC (2010), and group exhibitions in France and Austria. In 2023, he broadened his artistic scope with significant sculptural projects at Sharjah's Maraya Art Centre. Additionally, he collaborated with the Union team on a commissioned piece for Dubai Culture, marking a notable expansion of his work into the public art sphere.

Afra Al Dhaheri

Afra Al Dhaheri’s work is rooted in her experiences of Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE – a place of recent and rapid change. Working across various mediums including mixed media, sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, photography, and printmaking, she draws out notions of time and adaptation, rigor and fragility.