Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in partnership with Bulgari Group, the leading Italian brand in the world of jewellery and luxury, is organising an exhibition for the artists participating in the first edition of the Bulgari Contemporary Art Award from 3 – 8 February 2022 at Van De Goudenberg Art Gallery in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

In December 2021, Dubai Culture selected 17 UAE national and resident artists from its talent pool to compete for the award the exhibition’s inaugural edition: Abdulrahim Salem, Aisha AlAli, Alia Lootah, Chie Nakano, Farid Alrais, IoannisKadras, Jassim Alawadhi, Juma AlHaj, Kamal Alzubi, MadarAlsuwaidi, Magda Malkoun, NimaNabavi, NiveenMeguid, Saeed Almadani, Shamsa Juma, Tala Worrell, and Valerie Vincent.

The Bulgari Contemporary Art Award asked the selected artists to submit works revolving around the award’s theme,‘Beauty Connects People,’ providing them with the opportunity to creatively express how beauty connects people, and how cities like Dubai and Rome are linked by their inspirational beauty and innovation.

Dr Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, commented: “We are proud to showcase the work of the talented artists participating in this inaugural edition of the award and provide a new platform for them to express themselves creatively. The participating artists demonstrated a deep understanding of the award’s subject matter and presented innovative and highly expressive works. We look forward to announcing this year’s award winner and invite contemporary art enthusiasts from all walks of life to visit the exhibition and enjoy the aesthetic elements reflected in the participating works.”

Dubai Culture and Bulgari launched the Bulgari Contemporary Art Award in July 2021 with the support of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The award has three categories in visual arts, including drawing and painting, photography, and sculpture. It aims to inspire talents in the field of contemporary arts in the creative community in Dubai and the UAE and provide a valuable platform to support them and showcase their creativity to the wider public, especially during Expo 2020 Dubai.

Lucia Boscaini, Bulgari Brand Curator, thus commented: “We are impressed by the rich inspiration of all the participating artists that led to such an interesting dialogue between Rome and Dubai, fueled by the powerful energy of colors. This award represents an important commitment as supporting contemporary artists means investing in a future of ideas, talent and passion. Visiting this exhibition means plunging into an enthralling universe of unbridled creativity, an ode to research and experimentation that perfectly matches Bulgari’s DNA”.

Dubai Culture’s partnership with Bulgari comes within the framework of the Authority’s commitment to supporting a stimulating and sustainable environment for creative and cultural industries and aims to make culture accessible for everyone and encourage active participation from the creative community. This will cement the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent, and contribute to achieving the objectives of the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy in making Dubai the global capital of the creative economy by 2025.

A committee consisting of three experts, namely: Giuseppe Moscatello, NujoomAlghanem and Patricia Millns FRSA, will select three works to be shortlisted for the award, after which the winning work will be selected by a jury comprising specialised experts from Dubai Culture and Bulgari as well as by other jurors selected by the two parties. The winning work will be exhibited at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020. The winning artist will be offered the opportunity to experience Rome through the eyes of Bulgari as part of a week-long journey through the Bulgari universe that would include enjoying the beauty of Bulgari’s colorful gems, visiting the DomvsAvrea museum space in the Maison’s flagship store in Rome, workshops with Bulgari designers and exclusive tours of historical sites and cultural locations particularly linked with Bulgari’s patronage initiatives and inspiration. In addition, the winning piece will be exhibited at venues associated with Dubai Culture and Bulgari, according to a pre-defined schedule.