100 artists to come together for ‘tolerance’

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

Over 100 leading and emerging, local and international artists, will come together in Dubai from Sept.11-14 in a unique group art exhibition by 2XL Furniture & Home Décor to pay tribute to the Year of Tolerance in the UAE. The spectacular show will feature more than 300 artworks with a message of ‘Tolerance’.

“As a tribute to UAE’s spirit of peace and equality, the exhibition will serve to celebrate diversity. Radically different artworks will coexist at the show to create intercultural connections,” said Amit Yadav, 2XL head of marketing. “We have received an overwhelming response to the exhibition not just from local artists but also from artists living in other parts of the world. What’s remarkable is many artists will be coming all the way from places as far away as Brazil, Ecuador, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India and Iran to participate in the show.”

Sensorially rich and immersive, each painting in the collection has a story to tell. Yadav explained, “Despite a common theme, every artwork is unique with a drastic difference in scale of density. While some are simple others are complicated constructs of thought and pattern.”

Emirati Artist Rashid Al Mulla is focused on delivering human emotions through his paintings while UAE national Fatima Alhammadi is showcasing intriguing acrylics such as ‘Harmony’ and ‘Dream’.

Sarah bin Hendi’s work, who is also from the UAE, are a result of her emotional experiences combined with her imagination and personal interpretation of those interactions.

Winner of bronze Lion award twice at Cannes Festival, Leonardo Dolfini is participating all the way from Brazil and will be paying the UAE a tribute with spectacular pieces such ‘The New Man’ and ‘Brazilian Birds’ among others.

Pakistani artist Sadaqat Pervaiz will showcase the UAE’s historical sites that he has personally visited with masterpieces such as ‘White Horse’; ‘Bricks in Passing’ and ‘Dhow’. Sadaqat said, “There is no shortage of inspiration in the UAE. All over the seven emirates, there is a wealth of old forts and historic sites just waiting for an artist to capture on canvas. As part of the exhibition, I will be displaying a few select pieces from my ‘Heritage Collection’, which pay homage to the history and culture of the UAE.”

Moroccan artist Ichraq Bouzidi will convey her message with interesting illustrations named ‘Connected’ and ‘Contemplation’.

Aysha Esra Olgun Mustafa from Turkey will pay ode to the UAE along side her mother Saynur Olgun who is also an artist. Both will present beautiful paintings inspired by nature.

British artist Emma Skinner’s take on tolerance is related to marine life. Commenting on the theme she stressed, “We need to be more mindful of the wonders of the sea and how our actions impact them. I do this with subtly, thoughtful compositions to resonate beauty and highlight what could be lost.” Accordingly, one of her paintings is named, ‘The ocean was silent, a reef of broken butterfly wings’.

Part of this show is also a young talent from Bulgaria – 9-year-old Alessandra Teodorova, who lived in Dubai few years back, and sent in a special request to display two of her paintings in the exhibition. Flowers are the centerpiece of her works.

Russian artist Julia Smolenkova is especially travelling from Moscow for the exhibition bringing six stunning paintings. A highlight among these is ‘Dubai Under the Golden Sky’.

Participation in the show is absolutely free of charge.

 His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has proclaimed the year 2019 to be the “The Year of Tolerance” in the UAE, highlighting the UAE as a global capital for tolerance, and emphasizing tolerance as a universal concept and a sustainable institutional endeavor through legislation and policies aimed at entrenching the values of tolerance, dialogue, coexistence and openness to different cultures, especially amongst youth, which will reflect positively on society as a whole.

The Year of Tolerance embodies the approach adopted by the UAE since its establishment to be a bridge of communication between the people of the world and their various cultures, in an environment of openness and respect that rejects extremism and promotes coexistence.