Entertainment

The second Dubai Art Season, the umbrella initiative by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), will be marked by a vibrant, colourful and captivating tapestry of arts and cultural events during April, underlining Dubais preeminent position as a global cultural hub.

The second Dubai Art Season commenced in March with three headline events SIKKA Art Fair, Art Dubai and Design Days Dubai which attract art enthusiasts from around the world and provided the platform for Emirati and UAE-based talent to showcase their work and strengthen their skillsets through arts and cultural workshops and networking events.

This April, Dubai Culture is bringing an unprecedented line-up of events that will captivate all residents and visitors with a veritable showcase of events based on fine arts, music, visual arts, performances, culture and installations, among others.

Headlining events in April include the Dubai International Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition, Middle East Film & Comic Con, World Art Dubai, MBRF Nobel Museum and the Emirates International Peace Music Festival, while city-wide arts and culture activation include a unique Calligraphy Wall, Cone Art, Recycle Art Piece, Optical 3D Tunnel and the Urban Street Fest.

Furthermore, first-time performance of hand pan, water and pipe artists, a showcase of the Telescope Kaleidoscope and Kaleidoscope 3D Selfie Wrap and the continuing exhibition of Expo Sculptures will provide residents and visitors with an array of events to choose from this month.

Lubna Al Shamsi, project leader of Dubai Art Season and Sikka Art Fair, said: The diverse array of events, organised and supported by Dubai Culture during April, adds to the diversity of the second Dubai Art Season, offering something for everyone in the city. The varied nature of the events highlights Dubai Cultures focus on promoting all artforms as a powerful force to building a cohesive society and fostering Dubais cultural identity.

With arts and performing events by a number of local, regional and international artists, we are setting the stage for robust intercultural exchange and building the talents of our current and new generation of artists. The second Dubai Art Season is a perfect fit to Dubai Plan 2021, which aims to establish Dubai as a city of happy, creative and empowered people.

The Dubai International Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition, highlighting the history and evolution of calligraphy, apart from the newest trends, will be held from April 14 to 28 at Wafi Mall. Presenting one of the largest collections of calligraphy masterpieces by over 32 accomplished artists from across the Arab world, the event is open for free to the public. Accomplished calligraphers from the Middle East, Europe and other Islamic nations are taking part in the event, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

World Art Dubai, a new accessible art fair, created to bring together regional and global artists, as well as galleries with Dubais cosmopolitan community, will be held from April 8 to 11 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The eagerly awaited Middle East Film & Comic Con will be held from April 9 to 11 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the regions largest pop culture festival, and the only consumer event for fans of cult entertainment & popular culture in the Middle East.

Also to awe visitors with the power of innovation is the MBRF Nobel Museum, held until April 4, at the Burj Khalifa Annexe. The exhibition sheds light on the elite prize and how Nobel Prize winning efforts have transformed the world. Cone Art, an art creation with construction art cones forming an art piece, is the centre of attention at Dubai Airports until April 30, while Box Park hosts the Recycle Art Piece exhibition until April 21. It is a community initiative where Box Park visitors and tenants are asked to provide items for recycling.

All through April, The Dubai Mall will host the Optical 3D Tunnel, an interactive mirrored glass tunnel installation that creates filtered distorted optical reflection based on user proximity, while Al Ghurair Centre hosts the month-long Urban Art Fest, which builds on its Soul of the City campaign.

A kaleidoscope 3D selfie wrap is a prime attraction at The Beach until April 30. It is a selfie structure with mirrors containing coloured bits of glasses to create an optical illusion by replicating images on the warped mirror panels. Box Park will also host the Telescope Kaleidoscope until April 30, where acrylic mirror panels, supported by shaped foam cores, are secured inside a cardboard tube kaleidoscope.

A large panel of Arabic calligraphy in chalk is being showcased at the Calligraphy Wall until April 21, at the Citywalk. Wissam Shawkat, an accomplished calligrapher, has been commissioned to design this bespoke piece.

Among other continuing events that commenced last month and regales art lovers include SIKKA Art Fair, with the artist showcase to continue through April 9, and the 11th Emirates International Peace Music Festival, featuring young virtuosos, being held until April 19 at the Auditorium of Sultan Bin Ali Owais Cultural Foundation. The fascinating Expo Sculptures, celebrating Dubais successful bid and ongoing preparations to host Expo 2020, will continue till April 10, across various locations in the city with a total of 21 sculptures designed by leading global, regional and local talent.

In inspiring performances, watch Sherif El Moghazy, a UAE-based talent and premier hand pan player in the Arab world, perform this newest musical instrument on April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25 at Al Serkal Avenue, D3 and Mall of the Emirates. Invented in 2001, the instruments beautiful vibration has a way of capturing the heart with an ancient, yet familiar sound. Garip Ay, a water artist, and Bahareh Ghomitabar, a pipe artist, will also perform during the Dubai Art Season.

For more details on the second Dubai Art Season, log on to www.dubaiculture.gov.ae

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