2-km long 'canvas' at JBR

The expanded area of the second edition of the Dubai Canvas Festival offers increased opportunities for public to interact with artists and experience their artworks.

Organised by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), in partnership with Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), the second annual Dubai Canvas Festival features over 60 works exhibited in an urban space stretching over two kilometres.

The festival has taken art beyond the traditional confines of a gallery into an easily accessible public space, enabling audience to experience it in unique ways. The event prominently features 3D street art, which creates images that appear to rise from, or fall into, the ground when viewed from a specific angle. The intriguing illusions created by 3D art pulls the viewer to explore the artwork intimately.

Arif Mubarak, CEO of Dubai Properties’ Asset Management Arm under Dubai Properties Group said: “Dubai Properties is proud to be hosting Dubai Canvas at JBR this year, and we believe that the festival has proven its success to the country’s residents and tourists every day. We have offered Dubai Canvas an expanded space of approximately 2 kilometers this year giving the chance to a wider number of artists to display their work. Through a number of pre-planned initiatives and events, JBR is leading the unconventional art scene, not only in the UAE but in the Middle East, and becoming a unique platform for artists from around the world.”

Member of the Organising Committee of the Dubai Canvas Festival Ayesha bin Kalli said: “Expanding the area devoted to the Festival has not only allowed us to feature a broader array of artists but also bring art closer to the public.”

 JBR’s public walkways, boulevards and plazas provide not only an open venue for the public to engage and interact with the artworks but also the perfect space for the Festival’s extraordinary artists to create their works.

Organisers have also used the expanded area of the Festival to hold a range of events on the sidelines including workshops for both adults and children. Two of the most prominent artists featured in the Festival, Kurt Wenner and Neil Harbisson, conducted a series of workshops that explained their artistic techniques and creative approach. Other workshops imparted both advanced and basic street art skills to artists and the general public. The audience at the Festival also had opportunities to interact with various artists at intimate gatherings.

The Dubai Canvas Festival features a broad array of exciting artists including New York-based artist and cyborg activist Neil Harbisson; the inventor of 3D street art Kurt Wenner; Dutch pop-surrealist artist Leon Keer; Portuguese street artist Sergio Odeith; London-based graffiti artist Fanakapan; Chinese street artist Qi Xinghua; Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra and British muralist Shok-1.

The two-week festival concludes today (March 14, 2016).
 

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