Bay Square gets a colourful makeover with graffiti art
dubai — Next time you go for a cup of coffee at Bay Square, look closer. You’ll find four colourful giant 3D and 4D pieces of art around you as you walk.
Four graffiti artists gathered last week to paint the walls and grounds of Bay Square, in line with the leadership’s vision to make Dubai an outdoor gallery of art. The pieces are the first phase of an initiative that aims to fill the area with colours.
For the artists who worked for five hours daily for a week to make the graffiti seen to the public starting Friday, they said the key is to make the area around offices and residential buildings look more colourful to passersby and frequent employees.
“Art is food for the soul,” said Muhriz Murad, UAE-based graffiti artist. “While painting, we are already getting positive responses from people who stop, smile and ask us about the art we are doing,” said Murad, who goes by the name “poke two”.
Pieces at Bay Square emphasised UAE’s unique cultural and social
Grafitti isn’t just a simple form of storytelling, but an interactive one that makes people step in to complete a 3D piece.” Mohammed Nawawi, grafitti artist
themes. A giant ladybug can be seen in a 3D form, a reference to the UAE’s desert topography, and a skydiving piece to give onlookers the feel of the sport.
Murad’s piece presents a big 3D paint tube on the ground that when stepped on by visitors, will look like it sprays colours onto the ground to make the city more vibrant.
Although the graffiti scene in Dubai is still developing, the city is an attractive arena for local and international artists to display their talents on the streets.
Several areas of Dubai has already been covered with giant colourful murals, such as Karama and the 2nd December Street, from freestyle graffiti to UAE-themed artwork. “It is exciting to see the looks on people’s faces, as what we do is not usually seen
Art is food for the soul. While painting, we are getting positive responses from people who stop and ask us about the art.” Muhriz Murad, grafitti artist
around here,” said Murad.
Mohammed Nawawi, best known as Akid One, came from Malaysia to participate in helping colour the city. “While graffiti is usually viewed with criticism, we want to present it in a positive form that helps people see the beauty of it.” He added, “It isn’t just a simple form of storytelling, but an interactive one that makes people step in to complete a 3D piece” said Nawawi.
He added it shows the power of spray paint in making areas come to life, magnifying small elements of life that we may usually overlook, such as natural elements. “People say graffiti but they don’t usually see the real art. The aim is to make people see the message behind it and skillset it takes,” said Nawawi.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com