The three Emirati artists who have been chosen for next year’s Artist in Residence (AiR) programme as part of the Sikka Art Fair were announced this week.
Maitha Demithan, Maryam Al Qassimi and Sara Al Haddad will work in a dedicated studio space in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood from January 7 until the fair, to be held at the end of March. Their residency will be done alongside three international participants: Nadia Ayari, Sunoj Damodaran and Ipek Ulsoy. The first two are artists; Ayari is Lebanese and works with paint while Damodaran is an Indian who has created many site-specific installations. Ulsoy is a Turkish curator who has worked on the Istanbul Biennial as well as with various museums in New York.
The three will work on their own projects in the same space as the three Emiratis and all six will benefit from each other’s creativity.
The AiR programme is hosted by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in collaboration with Art Dubai, Tashkeel and the Delfina Foundation. The results of the three-month event will be displayed at Sikka that will coincide with Dubai’s Art Week in March.
Khalil Abdulwahid, the manager of visual arts at Dubai Culture, says the artists symbolise the new wave of talent from across the world, along with Dubai’s position as a multicultural destination. “We are confident that the artists will lend momentum to the region’s burgeoning arts scene, while establishing Dubai as an incubator that nurtures aspiring artists.”
* Anna Seaman
aseaman@thenational.ae
