Art for all as World Art Dubai opens at DWTC

• Inaugural Fair Brings ‘Accessible and Affordable’ Art, Celebrity and Urban Art Displays, and Educational Platforms to the Masses
• Core Collection Features Over 2,000 Art Works by More Than 100 Artists and Galleries from 25 Countries

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai’s growing prominence as a leading culture and arts hub will receive another boost with the opening of the first World Art Dubai at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) today (Wednesday 8th April).

An accessible art fair concept designed to give Dubai’s international community access to affordable global art, World Art Dubai boasts an inaugural collection featuring more than 2,000 artworks by more than 100 artists and galleries from 25 countries. An expansive collection comprising paintings and prints, photography, sculpture and urban art elements includes original works priced as low as AED110 (US$30).

“With a diverse collection amassed from established and emerging artists and galleries across four continents, World Art Dubai represents an entirely new proposition for the region. As a concept, this accessible and affordable new fair supports the universal principle that art is for everyone,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC.

“Our aim has been to create a major new annual exhibition that fills the notable gap in the regional market for an affordable art fair which appeals to budding and established collectors, as well as just the curious. We invite both seasoned art collectors and first-time buyers to visit the free-to-attend fair, where they can embark on an enchanting visual experience and walk away with original, international art - regardless of their budget.”

With dedicated spaces for both individual artists and galleries, World Art Dubai will feature works by both household names and fresh local and international talent. Emmanuel Fremin Gallery - voted New York’s best young gallery by MOCA Art Foundation in 2013 - is exhibiting limited edition photography works by musicians-turned-photographers, Moby and Julian Lennon; the collection of Belgium’s Vogelsang Art Gallery features limited edition prints by David LaChapelle, one of the world’s most famous photographers; and Biken International, a Japanese Culture organisation specialising in events and publications, is exhibiting numerous works by renowned artists Junko Takao and Tanno Masami. Other highlights include Lukas Ulmi - a Swiss artist participating with Villa del Arte Galleries of Barcelona and Amsterdam - constructing his iconic iron structure, Desafio el Espacio, at the fair.

The UAE is represented by galleries including Gallery 76, Emergeast - an online gallery concept, Gulf Photo Plus, Mottahedan Projects - a dedicated space which only exhibits works by emerging Iranian artists, as well as a swathe of individual artists including rising Emirati talent, Maryam Al Zaabi.

World Art Dubai has also partnered Red Bull for a unique, outdoor urban art project dubbed Al Muka3ab. Combining street art and a pop-up cinema, the Al Muka3ab project will see Sasan Saidi - a renowned Berlin-based artist and long-time Red Bull collaborator - turn an eight-metre-by-ten-metre, cube-shaped canvas into a fully-fledged urban art installation.

In addition to the Al Muka3ab cube screening art-house shorts and music documentaries throughout the four-day fair, Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will announce the winner of its REEL DUBAI short film competition on the opening night of World Art Dubai. The grassroots film competition has seen six budding UAE national talents work under the mentorship of three high-profile auteurs including City of Life filmmaker, Ali Mostafa, to create unique and captivating stories inspired by #MyDubai, the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The winning REEL DUBAI entry will represent the Emirate at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

World Art Dubai will also showcase - for the first time in the Middle East - 20 artworks created by an A-list cast of screen, stage and pop culture celebrities as part of the ‘Whatever It Takes’ project, a global art initiative where celebrities create personalised works aligning with the project’s governing themes of peace, hope and the future.

An eye-catching roster of the world’s leading entertainment personalities have contributed artworks including actors Samuel L. Jackson, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor and Bollywood sensation Ranbir Kapoor, as well as musicians Annie Lennox, Phil Collins, Pharrel Williams, David Bowie and Ozzy Osbourne, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, Brazilian neo-pop artist Romero Britto, pop star Katy Perry, and model Naomi Campbell. Members of the public can add their own designs on a dedicated ‘Peace & Hope’ wall.

The public can also participate in the interactive ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative by London’s Ahlan Art Gallery. Modelled on a painting called Diversity by Siddiqa Juma, the project invites people of all ages and ethnicities to add their unique brush strokes around the central image of the Kaaba in Mecca, symbolising the circular movement of people around the centre of Islam’s most sacred mosque.

As part of its community outreach activities, World Art Dubai will feature an expanded programme of interactive workshops, masterclasses and discussions in ‘The Art Room’. Held in association with Canon Middle East, ‘The Art Room’ will feature local, regional and international artists and art experts conducting more than 20 specialist sessions covering a diverse range of art forms, topics and techniques. A full schedule for ‘The Art Room’ is available at the fair’s website.

Dedicated sessions for children include live drawing classes hosted by Drawdeck, the Dubai-based online platform for local artists who base their practice on drawing, and Hanan Braiki of Dubai’s Letitia Gallery exploring the myths, legends and roots of characters made familiar to children across the world by animated Disney films.

In an outside area called ‘The Yard’, World Art Dubai will host live graffiti demonstrations led by UAE-based street artists, as well as a series of food trucks and entertainment acts.

An official event of Dubai Art Season - the month-long arts initiative organised by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) - World Art Dubai opens to the public less than a week after Dubai Design District (d3) introduced the city’s residents to its ‘Shoreditch of Dubai’ concept at an event dubbed Meet d3.

Open from 4pm to 9pm on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th April, and from 12pm to 10pm on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th April, World Art Dubai is completely free to attend.