[World Art Dubai 2016] Dubai's Top Artists

2016-04-15

An art fair as a place for cultural exchange

Dubai is the largest center of trade and commerce in the Middle East. If you look down at the city from a skyscraper, the horizon is drawn by a pristine desert at the end of which there are many cutting-edge buildings.
Dubai's history of independence as a nation is young, and while it has achieved astonishing growth of 30 times GDP in just over 20 years, it can be seen that a large desert land remains untouched, and it is still undergoing development and development. It can be said that the strangely unbalanced landscape of nature and man-made nature has an unprecedented potential that will continue to develop in the future.
For the people of Dubai, who are responsible for such a history of rapid growth, they say that interacting with art and culture from other countries, nurtured through a long tradition of hundreds of years, is a truly fresh experience.
Even at World Art Dubai 2016, galleries from major cities around the world, from Amman to Amsterdam and New York, exhibited, and there was a lot of motivation for international cultural exchange. Each country will compete brilliantly for their own unique art and culture, and each country will explore the possibilities of the next generation of art.
Interest in Japanese culture was extremely high, and quick payment was the basic transaction for purchasing works. We also had important opportunities for negotiations both inside and outside of the venue, and we were able to meet people we wouldn't normally meet.

UAE's first female doctor, Najat Mackie

Interest in Japanese art has been high for some time, and I was invited to my home to listen to their stories.
After receiving a master's degree in sculpture from the University of Fine Arts in Cairo, Egypt, Najat obtained a doctorate in fine arts and aesthetics in 2001, becoming the first female doctorate in the United Arab Emirates. It seems that in the Middle East, a society with severe gender differences, there were also hardships that are indescribable.
Najat, who has built up a track record as a top female artist, is currently carrying out support activities through art at the “UAE Down Syndrome Association,” an association for children with Down syndrome. It was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2015.
Valuable works that have already been published in the catalog Résonnet were also generously shown at the atelier. It was also impressive that Najat herself treated me with home-cooked meals prepared over a full day.
At a later date, she was specially invited to an art exhibition limited to those involved, such as the royal family, and everyone who passed by gave her the best words of welcome, and I was able to feel firsthand that she was an artist with special character just by being close to her.

They served a generous dinner just like an old friend

Dubai's Contemporary Art Master Abdul Kader

This is a national artist known to everyone in Dubai, and trains depicting his work run every day across the country. It is stored in museums around the world, such as the British Museum, the Louvre Museum, and the Qatar Museum of Art, and works are exhibited everywhere in Dubai Airport.
Of course, they were also surrounded by many fans at the World Art Dubai venue, and when I told them that they were from Japan, they happily responded and invited me to a mansion in an upscale residential area.
Abdul, who did not go to art school and was self-taught, says she moved away from art for a while as soon as she got married, but did not miss drawing in between jobs.
Eventually, an environment where people can concentrate on production was created, and after undisturbed activities, they began to be discovered by collectors and media, and acquired a position as a major figure in the current art world.
While they introduced me to major works in production and new works, I also received a lot of advice on the Middle Eastern art scene. The attitude of achieving great success and never being complacent is probably also attracting the people of Dubai.

Abdul's works go back and forth on the railroad tracks every day

I was in touch with these two very energetic and charming artists, and I felt that Middle Eastern countries and Japan were surprisingly close. A major issue for us Japanese has come to light about how to respond to the people of Dubai's friendship towards Japanese culture.

World Art Dubai 2016
‍Period: 2016/4/6 (Wed) -9 (Sat)
Venue: DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE International Convention and Exhibition CentresHEIK Saeed Hall 3 Stand: F10-F16