Artists and gallery owners share their experiences of how Dubai's Al Fahidi district has enabled them to pursue their dreams and help to grow the art scene in the region.
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00:00The growing art scene in Dubai has been drawing artists from all around the world, but it's
00:12hard to believe that not too long ago there were no art galleries or museums for the artists
00:18to show their work.
00:19We've come to Al Fahidi Historic Neighbourhood in the heart of Old Dubai to take you inside
00:25the Majlis Gallery, where a visionary British expatriate opened the very first fine arts
00:30gallery in UAE.
00:32There was a sudden beguining of more galleries and more places where artists could show their
00:41work in this part of the world. But all of the good artists that you'll find at places
00:46like Meme Gallery or Third Line, prior to there being places for them to show here,
00:52they were showing all over the world. It's just that suddenly here in Dubai, the outlets
00:58were there that weren't there before. The artists were always there, but they weren't
01:02seeing this as a market. But then with the growth of Dubai and with the fact that more
01:07galleries were opening, they came here. But they were there before the galleries. The
01:14galleries didn't make the artists, the artists made the galleries.
01:17Alison is right. The artists were always here, they just didn't have anywhere to show their
01:21work.
01:22We've come to meet the UAE's most celebrated artist, Mr. Abdul Qadir al-Rais, often referred
01:28to as a national treasure. His work has helped inspire the phenomenal growth we see in today's
01:33art scene.
01:34In the school, which I remember was my classmate, he was telling me, Abdul Qadir, you should
01:42take care of your education. The artists will not, you can't eat from art. It was difficult
01:50to sell art. It wasn't easy. And this is not only that time, during the 60s and 70s.
01:58Also during the 80s and 90s, but after 2000 and 2005 and 2006, everything has changed.
02:08Now a lot of people, they come and ask me, their son or their daughter, they have talent
02:15in art, how we can, they can learn more and how we can advise them. And these things,
02:22it wasn't happening before. This is good for the new generation who is coming after us.
02:31At least we leave for them something. Right, we start late, but we have.
02:37Abdul Qadir's journey began in the Al Fahidi neighbourhood, which has become a hotspot
02:41for Dubai's growing art scene.
02:42We thought we'd go and check out an art gallery with a twist. XVA have combined a hotel, art
02:48gallery and a cafe in one to provide a truly unique artistic experience.
02:54When I opened XVA, the house itself lent itself to the concept of being a place where people
03:03could stay, people could eat and people could exhibit. When I opened, I was the third gallery
03:10in Dubai. Majelis Gallery was first and then Green Art Gallery. And I felt there was a
03:16need for a gallery showing more contemporary art. I think that art is something that captures
03:25the magic that the artist sees or wants to portray and that's what attracts people to
03:34art. And it can be beauty, it can be provocation of some sort. It's what we want to see.
03:44Hadil Mufti, a Saudi-born artist, moved to Dubai about four years ago and soon after
03:50taking this studio, started getting noticed in Dubai's art scene.
03:55It's not like being in New York or London or Paris, but really exciting. There's so many
04:00things going on and things change really fast. There are lots of opportunities for artists
04:06and it is like everything else in Dubai. If you work really hard, you can do so much.
04:13Hadil's dramatic style is even more intriguing when she explains her inspiration.
04:19I like to repeat the same image. It's called serialism, as in serial, because I think only
04:27one image can look so different if repeated. And you can change the image slightly, make
04:35it bigger, smaller, black and white coloured and just get a strong sense of that one image,
04:41much, much more than if you just had it in a big scale.
04:44Hadil's big break came when she was accepted in the Sikha Festival last year. The Sikha
04:49Festival is an annual event which takes place in the Al-Fahidi Historic Neighbourhood. The
04:54word Sikha refers to alleyways between the old houses in Dubai. During the festival,
05:00the whole area is transformed into what can be described as a street party which celebrates
05:06the arts.
05:06You know, ideally we're all a team here. When Sikha happens for a few weeks, there's like
05:12a spirit that you don't find anywhere.
05:14With the growing success of the annual Sikha Art Festival, Al-Fahidi Neighbourhood continues
05:19to support art enthusiasts to come together and celebrate creativity.
05:24I think it's like an origin point of where everything started, nearby the creek and everything.
05:30So everything started here, everything started by trade, so having art here symbolises a
05:36lot when it comes to a country by itself.
05:38The kids can play on the streets and it's one of the rare places in Dubai where you
05:43can walk on streets. We don't have the urban feel everywhere.
05:50Dubai has become famous for everything, for culture, for art, for anything.
05:55I really like it. A lot of Emirati artists are growing and getting better. Year by year
06:01I can see improvement.
06:03The UAE has come a long way in establishing its art movement and it seems to be growing
06:09stronger year by year. I'm Sarvia Girampaya, Gulf News.
06:20For more UN videos visit www.un.org