Wearing a flamboyant leather costume with the torso of a mythical bird crowning his head, multimedia Indian artist Debashish Paul’s live performance choreographed to catchy beats, with energetic movements, drew large crowds at the 17th edition of Art Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah.
Art Dubai, held from March 1-3, featured over 100 galleries from 40 countries from and beyond the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region. Nearly 50 Indian artists, gallerists and curators—including marquee names like Shobha Broota, Mithu Sen, G.R. Iranna, Chitra Ganesh, among others—showed works at the event across four sections: Art Dubai Contemporary, Art Dubai Digital, Art Dubai Modern, and Bawwaba (meaning gateway in Arabic).
Textile artist Shelly Jyoti's large ajrakh panels in hues of blue – part of "Brushstrokes of Heritage" segment in the contemporary section at Art Dubai – captured her keen interest in socio-political historical narratives. “I’ve tried to portray Gandhi's vision of collective consciousness through ajrakh textile murals," Jyoti said. "They focus on Gandhi’s ideology of nation building for creating moral and peaceful societies, connecting past with the present within the cultural context of Indian history. The idea was to bring together khadi as a fabric, ajrakh textile traditions and skill of the craftspeople giving my own interpretation to all three in a visual form,” she said.
Textile revivalist Deena Pindoria, also part of "Brushstrokes of Heritage" segment, created natural dyes from materials like madder roots, turmeric, and indigo for her ajrakh panels. “I collaborated with local artisans in Kutch, Gujarat, for four years, delving into this ancient art form. I hail from Madhapar, a warrior village in Kutch, and drew inspiration from the local women’s involvement in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Their stories of courage and resilience inspired me as about 300 women warriors rebuilt the village’s airstrips within 72 hours for food supplies to land during the crisis.”
Paul’s performance piece—titled 'Scent of the Celestial Garden'—was commissioned by Art Dubai. It fused elements like traditional music, religion, spirituality, dance and costumes, to reflect the artist’s “inner turmoil and search for identity”.
However, Paul wasn’t the only Indian artist grabbing eyeballs at Art Dubai. Galleries like Emami Art, Latitude 28, Vadehra Art Gallery, Blueprint 2012 showcased over two dozen emerging and established artists depicting eclectic themes. In ‘Ecosystems are Love Stories’, artist Manjot Kaur, represented by Latitude 28, delved deep into the foundational questions and the quaint twinning of ecology with history.
Shrine Empire showcased works of Neerja Kothari and Samanta Batra Mehta, both artists dealing with time as a form of recording the sensorium of being. Mehta drew from her intergenerational experience of migration to excavate the traces of arrivals and departures. Kothari’s works emerged from a groundswell of experiences in physical rehabilitation and years of therapy to regain movement after a period of immobility due to a medical condition.
Things to do in Dubai
The UAE’s 10-year National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries aims to boost sectors such as cultural heritage, performing arts, visual arts, digital design and creative services.
There are many examples of this creative push in Dubai. Case in point: Dubai’s Museum of The Future where tourists and sci-fi fans queue up for hours for tickets. Already one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks since its launch in 2022, the building’s ring shape and façade swathed in Arabic calligraphy represent three quotes on the future by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the emirate. The seven-storeyed circular building stands at 77 meters, and is spread across 30,000 square meters. A stone's throw from the world's tallest construction, the Burj Khalifa, it consists of 1,024 pieces of art manufactured using robots, the museum is illuminated by 14,000 meters of light lines. Screens with graphics of a rocket launch and a DNA library feature more than 4,500 species.
Much of that state-of-the-art technology is also on display at the Dubai Miracle Garden - the world's largest natural flower garden - with over 150 million flowers in bloom. The 72,000 sq m region is peppered with famous buildings and structures transformed into multi-hued flower exhibits. Amble down its heart-shaped pathways or wander amid petal-powered castles, illuminated landscapes and full-size houses. Better still, immerse yourself among the blooming flowers set to quirky arrangements.
Despite the large scale, however, the garden’s maintenance is driven by sustainability. Watering the plants in the garden guzzles up to 757,000 liters of water each day. The use of recycled wastewater and drip irrigation helps to save nearly 75 percent of water and energy, according to the authorities.
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