Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, took Dubai Art Season to ‘DIFC Art Nights’ on Monday 19th March as the Cultural Partner to the event. Dubai Culture activated it’s ‘Melodies of Happiness’ initiative with a live musical performance that brought together three gifted international musicians, in addition to a SIKKA Art Fair-inspired live painting session by Emirati artist Fatima Al Hammadi.
‘DIFC Art Nights’ is an event of Dubai Art Season, the flagship Dubai Culture umbrella arts event that runs throughout March and April under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture.
During ‘DIFC Art Nights’, Dubai Culture invited Welsh cellist Angharad Maxwelland, and the violinists Mariam Buzhgulashvili and Klaudia Olborska-Szymanska — from Georgia and Poland respectively — to play 20 minutes of orchestral music every hour throughout the event, as part of its ‘Melodies of Happiness’ initiative, which aims to spread happiness and positivity among various segments of society through different types of music
The SIKKA Art Fair-inspired session saw Emirati artist Fatima Alhammadi conducting a live painting on a bird-shaped canvas, reflecting this year’s theme for SIKKA and placing the bird at the focal point of the fair to invite the community to its home in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Guests were also given the opportunity to pick up paper birds hanging from the installation, write their contact details on them, and drop them off at SIKKA Art Fair for their chance to win a brand new Samsung S9. The installation will remain at DIFC until the end of the fair so passers by are encouraged to admire it and grab a bird to take them to the fair. Fatima has 20 years of experience in fine arts and is also the leader of ‘UAE Graffiti artists’, the first local graffiti group. She has participated in several art projects that have entered the Guinness World Book of Records, including the longest graffiti wall in Dubai in 2017.
This year, ‘DIFC Art Nights’ once again invited the public to enjoy a vibrant blend of new art exhibitions, collections and installations, as well as live music performances and dining opportunities that showcased DIFC’s diverse community. The aim of this year’s edition was to bridge the gap between local and global cultural scenes, presenting work by emerging and established artists from around the world, as well as offering visitors the chance to participate in creative activities.
Dubai Art Season is Dubai Culture’s flagship umbrella arts event and holds pride of place in the city’s busy cultural calendar, featuring a two-month citywide activation of arts events including the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, SIKKA Art Fair and Art Dubai, among hundreds of other creative initiatives and activities across Dubai. The season is aligned with the Authority’s mission to empower the culture, heritage, arts and literature sectors to bring happiness to the Emirate’s society.
