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Since its launch on 15 March, Sikka Art and Design Festival, organised by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, has attracted visitors of all walks of life and ages to wander between its houses, taking in the exquisite artistic experiences blending authenticity and modernity.

Under the theme 'Celebrating Art, Celebrating Growth,' the 10th edition of Sikka Art and Design Festival hosts platforms for various types of contemporary art, in which the artworks reflect the experiences and visions of emerging Emirati and UAE- and GCC-based artists, who have employed various creative media in their works.

‘Back to Roots’ in House 9

House 9 takes festival visitors on a journey back in time to discover a collection of unique jewels from the UAE's most important jewelers at the 'Back to Roots' exhibition that includes distinctive works by 10 Emirati artists embodying tales of the past through visual installations and handicrafts; a cultural café is also present for talents to share their experiences in. The exhibits include the bronze peace sculpture by Amna AlFalasi; ‘Serendipity’ pendant by Dr Abeer Awadh; ‘Wind Collection (India Edition)’ in 18 karat gold, with diamonds and precious stones by artist Fatma Almheiri; and a necklace by artist Hessah Al Falahi, with an engraved photo of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in White Topaz stone surrounded by Si-Vs diamonds; in addition to the Cabochon Jewellery collection by artist Houreya Alshaer, inspired by Emirati culture and made of 18 karat gold, mother of pearl, onyx, emeralds, diamonds, and lapis lazuli; as well as the Al Nada collection by artist Noura Alserkal; the YadoTheSpiritGuide collection by artist Shamma Alfalasi; and the 'Transition' collection and 'Brilliance is the Color Yellow' by artist Shaikha Alserkal. The exhibition also features a 21-karat gold, mother of pearl Alsough jewellry collection by Thekra Alkaabi; the Harp Collection: Silver jewellery inspired by the Assyrian arts by artist Warda Aljneibi; and the Deco Collection by artist Zahrah Almarar; in addition to Etlala collection: sunset-inspired jewelry made of 18-karat gold, diamonds, stones like mother of pearl, and grey mother of pearl by Syrian artist Noura Sarraj.

House 16

House 16 is also filled with masterpieces of arts in its various media, including pottery and its extensions, such as ceramics, printing, posters, recycled materials, mixed media, artistic installations, and digital and encrypted arts.

Zayed University

The College of Arts and Creative Industries at Zayed University celebrates selected artworks completed by its students in the fields of ceramics, photography and printmaking. Participating artists in these works are: Amna Ismail Mohamed Almazmi, Hessa Mohammad Jassim Ali Saeed Alzaabi, Alia Imran Saleh Abdullah Saleh Aljasm, Elyazia Ahmed Alfalasi, Hawra Hassan Habib Almansoor, Alia Adnan Abdulrahman Abdulla Sharafi, Maryam Mohammed Eid Bin Turkiah Alfalasi, Maryam Abdulrahman Abdulrahim Ahli, Hessa Mahmoud Hasan Ghulam Almarzooqi, Ayesha Khalid Alfalasi, Sara Ahmed Ali Shah Al Bloushi, Ahlam Ahmad, Fatma Khalid Al Zarooni, Maryam Ibrahim Ali Alhaddad, Futaim Younis Hussain Sulaiman Ali, Maryam Yousuf Ahmad Jamal, Malina Server, Noora Abdulrahman Bilal, Fatima Ali AlMarri, Shaikha Abdulla, and Hadeel Ahmed Alshalan

Al Jalila Centre

Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children also displays distinguished works by a group of its talented ceramic artists, including Alison Ladegaillerie (France), Anupama Jain (India), Claire Deniau (France), Dana Kamal (UK), Ghada Saleem (UAE), Griet Auwealnt (Belgium), Karine Legay (France), Roland Nash (New Zealand / UK), Shereen Shalhoub (Jordan), and Valerie Vincent (France).

Al Mawakeb Al Khawaneej

The creations of a group of inspiring emerging artists in the field of digital art, including 10 distinguished students from Al Mawakeb Al Khawaneej are also showcased in House 16. The students are: Aljood Alblooshi (UAE), Alia Abu Shahab (UAE), Haya Al Awadhi (UAE), Maitha Al Zahed (UAE), Mansoor Al Qemzi (UAE), Nada Al Mualla (UAE), Omar AlHammadi (UAE), Rashed AlAwadhi (UAE), Suhaila Al Jaziri (UAE), and Youssef Kobrosly (Lebanon).

UAE NFT

This house also features the creations of NFT artworks by prominent artists, including Najla’a Abdallah (Australia), Aysha Alhemrani (UAE), Alba Morales Ortega (Spain), Arefeh Norouzi, Jasim Al Bulushi (UAE), Kaiwan Shaban (Kurdistan), Kristel Bechara, Mattar Bin Lahej (UAE), Anantha Krishnan Nadamel (India), and Thomas Dubois (France).

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation

A group of artists from the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation are also participating with several masterpieces, namely Alhaan Ahmed (India), Nikhilesh Mohan (India), Kaya Tueni (Canada), Sana Mohamed (Sudan), Dalilah Mansour (Yemen), Mazyar Etehadi (Iran), Arnav Bavishi (India), Mariam Lambertt (Cuba), Zinah Issa (Dominica), Rahmeh Al Assaf (Jordan), Pavwan Malik (Pakistan), Ayesha Alsuwaidi (UAE), and Shamma Almulla (UAE).

Different media

Artists from the UAE and the GCC address a wide range of inspiring topics ranging from grandmother's tales with henna, homesickness, energy symbolism, Dubai between past, present and future, and many other innovative ideas and visions that they use to embody in various media. This group of artists includes Selma Hughes (USA / Bosnia), Kim Robertson (UK), Eman Al Rahma (UAE), Anood Kurdi (Saudi Arabia), Fatima Alketbi (UAE), Akshay Arora (India), Mohamed AlJneibi (UAE), Solimar Miller (USA), Abdulla Alfalasi (UAE), Arwa Alshamsi (UAE), Kasia Dzikowska (Poland), Khawla Almarzooqi (UAE), Juhayda Albitar (Syria), Ayesha Bin Haidar (UAE), and Alia & Maitha Damithan (UAE).

House 31

House 31 hosts unique artworks created by nine talented artists on different topics. Alexis Javero (Philippines) showcases the art of sewing and embroidery through her work 'Wires / Pillow Fabric and Stuffing Black Thread.' Rabila Kidwai (Pakistan) showcases her work 'The Waiting Place' that deals with issues of place, family, belonging, class and urbanisation. Mariam Al Hemeiri (UAE) evokes the Emirati memories and heritage in her paintings 'Godee Ya Nar, Sabah Elchihal Flain, and Alaich Bl Vick’s.' Ammar Albanna (UAE) presents a collection of works and installations of palm trees, and a photographic set that captures the moments of everyday life in a nostalgic and analogical approach.

Fatma Almeheiri (UAE) displays with her digital art the Emirati postage stamps, and Mouza Alhamrani (UAE) highlights dreams with fevers through her installation 'MA7MOOM.' Taqwa Alnaqbi (UAE) weaves various dresses that celebrate her grandmother's drawings and clothes. Noura Al Neyadi (UAE), through her installation ‘Mukhaweer Story Box,’ presents the stories of tailors who make local dresses for women. Fatima Abdulrahman (UAE) presents her photographic work ‘Foto Flash’ – Where There is no Goodbye that honours the memory of her uncle, who founded the FOTO Flash studio in Dubai.

House 40

House 40 provides its visitors with an amazing visual journey through 40 diverse collections of artworks by six talents, embodying many concepts and issues, including solitude, invisible people in society, collective presence, the soul’s journey in life, and restored childhood memories.

Through his exhibition, artist Ahmed Emad AlShabrawy (UAE) embodies the concept of the relationship between people, spatial frameworks and the interaction between people and place through several works that use different media. His artworks' titles are ‘Mkkan,’ ‘Interlude,’ ‘Deformed Rods with Feelings,’ ‘Don’t Show Feelings in Public,’ and ‘Static.’

Through her photographic work 'I’m not invisible,' Emirati artist Alia Aljoker sheds light on the concept of visibility that transcends the physical existence of people. In her artwork, which ranges from acrylic to oil painting to canvas, lithography, silkscreen and digital photography, artist Khoula Hamad (Brazil) depicts the temporary life of a human being, the daily routine, and the importance of identity to generate a sense of belonging.

In the joint work ‘Blurry Memory/Textile – Video Projection,’ artists Ichraq Bouzidi and Seanna Chambers (Morocco/UK) embody and perceive foggy memories, forcing the self to create illusions and document them through a series of verbal memories.

In her work, 'Solitude,' Emirati artist Hala Zamani portrays the potential for solitude to be transformative, through pieces of acrylic and mirror artwork, where each mirror allows you to stop in front of it for a moment and see the truth of the soul and free the mind from everything that frustrates it, thus discovering calm and a sense of contentment.