Local talents showcase beauty of affordable, sustainable art
dubai — The two-night DIFC Art Nights, which concluded earlier this week, lived up to its promise of transporting visitors to a world of creativity and inspiration.
In its 10th year, the art and lifestyle event focused on affordable art and gave emerging artists a chance to showcase their works, including one by a sixyear- old. Artezaar presented a collection of artworks to promote sustainable art, and one work that stood out was Amruta Ketkar’s A Wave of Hope, made out of paper bills, used plastic bags, etc., on two discarded pieces of handmade paper.
She said: “The trend of fast fashion and impulse-buying is only deteriorating the condition of the planet. We need to remember that what goes around, comes around.”
Ieva Balciunaite’s ‘nature buttons’ made with stones, plants and sand, reflected Dubai’s landscape and were picturesque.
Guelden Oguz’ works of dervish dancers on oil were dreamy and pleasant. It was Oguz’ first time at DIFC Art Nights. “Even before I knew I could paint, I’d been attracted towards the words of Rumi.”
Rany Melad worked live on a mosaic art portrait of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Live musical performances by The Swing Revue and Adam Kadabra added to the ambience of the lifestyle fair. Sisters and artists Shiba and Farah Khan, from Funun Arts, said: “For us, the event is a great opportunity to meet the large artist community.”
This year’s edition, held at Gate Village, displayed the works of 40 artists from around the world, alongside exhibits from galleries including The Empty Quarter, Opera Gallery, and Tabari Art Space.
For many, it was a déjà vu moment, as quite a few works on display were by artists like Mohamed Hussein and Masarratfatima Sulaimani, who had participated in World Art Dubai 2020 last month. Live art by sand artist Nathaniel
Alapide was another such attraction. Overall, the art community was overwhelmed with the number of people who showed up to encourage and buy their works even during these times.