Dubai will have five permanent 3D mural artworks made during Dubai Canvas in March, the public art festival’s project manager revealed on Monday.
Aisha Bin Kalli said the permanent murals will be at La Mer, where the fourth annual edition of Dubai Canvas will be held from March 1 to 7.
Her comments came on the sidelines of a meeting of participating artists at La Mer on Monday, which also marked the beginning of the process of creating their work.
Dubai Canvas is organised by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office. The fourth edition of Dubai Canvas will be held in partnership with Meraas, one of Dubai’s leading holding companies.
Over 30 international and four Emirati artists will create and showcase their work in public view at Show Street, in La Mer North. Besides 3D art, there will be other contemporary works such as object art, tape art, inflatable art, and murals.
There will also be demonstrations, workshops, movie screenings and other activities, offered free of charge to visitors.
The schedule of activities and other details are available on www.dubaicanvas.ae.
Bin Kalli said besides the permanent murals, the festival will also see the creation of over 10 other permanent artworks, made by transforming existing benches, manhole and other objects into works of art.
“We’re transforming objects in La Mer into street art pieces, as well as La Mer in general as a street art destination. That’s one of our goals as Brand Dubai. You won’t even notice what these street artworks were before, and the main artist who’s going to do this is [American artist] Tom Bob,” Bin Kalli said.
Other top muralists at Dubai Canvas this year include Andreas von Chrzanowski (also known as ‘Case’), Joshua Santos Rivera (also known as ‘Bikismo’), Alex Senna and Etien.
Case, who is German, recently partnered with Brand Dubai to paint a mural featuring the UAE’s founding fathers on the Hatta Dam.
Bikismo, a native of Puerto Rico, is credited with having painted the largest mural in the Caribbean.
French 3D muralist Etien is a versatile artist who has created works ranging from street art to commercial art.
Senna, a Brazilian street artist who is colour-blind, has regularly used a single colour in his drawings.
In total, around 45 artworks will be displayed at Dubai Canvas this year, Bin Kalli said. The general theme and inspiration for this edition is the location — La Mer — which means the sea in French, she added.
Sara Yaqoub Al Khoori, a self-taught Emirati artist, is returning to Dubai Canvas after her 2017 debut. Using acrylics, the 20-year-old will create a 3D painting of Dubai Frame with Burj Khalifa in the middle, with viewers getting a sensation of enjoying the view from a great height.
“As an Emirati artist, I wanted to present the beauty of my city. In 3D art, the accuracy of every centimetre matters because it only works if you look at it a certain way, from a particular viewpoint,” she said.
