World Art Dubai 2021, the region’s most accessible and affordable retail art fair, is returning with a range of initiatives designed to build a new community of budding artists and emerging photographers in the emirate.

Leveraging its long-term partnership with Rove Hotels and maximising burgeoning forward-thinking collaborations with private sector companies and local schools, the seventh edition of World Art Dubai 2021, which runs from 7 – 10 April at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in halls 1 and 2, will offer a platform and provide competition for artistic talents from all walks of life to showcase their skills to key local and international art scene players and enthusiasts.

The trio of hotly anticipated contests will be held on the sidelines of the four-day fair, which will welcome more than200 exhibitors from over 27 countries displaying in excess of 2000 art pieces.

“While World Art Dubai continues to attract award-winning, established and upcoming artists annually, the show has established a reputation as a vital vehicle for budding talents looking to take their first steps in their careers or showcase skills honed, in their spare time, out of a passion for art,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC

“Our partnerships with Rove Hotels, Nikon and a network of Dubai schools have fostered a new community of aspiring artists and photographers, giving them an outlet to shine and widening the show’s appeal in line with our mission to support and develop the local art scene.”

Emerging Artists Urged to Rove Freely in Search of Top Prize

The hugely popular Emerging Artists Competition returns for its third edition. In partnership with Rove Hotels,under the theme ‘Rove freely’, this year’s challenge encourages artists to reflect on the pandemic and the ‘new normal’ in their submissions, while encompassing the essence of their community.

The competition will be assessed by a panel of esteemed judges including the World Art Dubai curators and artists, Batool Jafri, Samar Kamel and Petra Kaltenbach; Emerging Scene founder Rebia Naim, as well as the Rove Hotels team.

Last year’s winner ShrutikaGosavi commented, “I am extremely honoured to have won the Emerging Artist award last year and I’m thankful to World Art Dubai and Rove Hotels for the platform they have provided. My theme is based on last year’s experiences ‘A dialogue with substance’ – a situation which we accepted as a new normal, which I have expressed through some abstract and semi representational forms.”

First prize up for grabs is a stand at World Art Dubai 2022; while second prize is a three-month exhibition at a Rove Hotels property in Dubai, as well as an overnight stay inclusive of breakfast.

“The Emerging Artists Competition has quickly established itself as a key date in our calendar and is a great opportunity for us to support the local art scene and continue our successful partnership with World Art Dubai.” said Paul Bridger from Rove Hotels.

“As a home-grown brand, Rove always strives to actively encourage and empower Dubai’s creative community, while providing up-and-coming artists with a worthwhile platform to showcase their exceptional talents. We’re excited to host this year’s entries and look forward to seeing how the participating artists utilise their creativity to encapsulate the community spirit that has truly shone through in a challenging year.” he added.

Photographers in the Picture

Keen photographers from across the UAE will once again have an outlet to demonstrate their talents in a competition titled ‘Stories Through Self Portrait’, which encourages photographers to give an honest and insightful look at themselves as artists.

Run in partnership with Nikon, photographers must upload black and white photographs of themselves to Instagram using the hashtags #WADxNikonMEA, #WorldArtDubai, and #NikonMEA, and tagging @WorldArtDubai and @NikonMEA. The top ten finalists selected by Nikon and World Art Dubai will be displayed at a gallery at this year’s show, with the winner taking home a Nikon Z 50 digital camera. Nikon will judge all entries and the winner will be announced in a ceremony during the show.

“Last year it was a dream come true to win the Emerging Photographer’s Prize at World Art Dubai as that has given me an opportunity to display my work in this year’s exhibition,” said Neelima Azad, winner of the Emerging Photographer’s Prize 2020. “I look forward to inspire and collaborate with many like minded and enthusiastic crowd this year. It is an honour to be part of a show that provides a platform for aspiring and emerging talents in the UAE.”

Time for Young Talent to Shine

A cornerstone of World Art Dubai since its inception, the School Competition will welcome collaborative student entries from Nord Anglia, Repton Dubai, GEMS New Millennium School and Jumeirah Baccalaureate School in the form of painted murals; sculptures; installations and mixed media artworks.

Each school can submit two entries, one each from juniors and seniors, to stand a chance of winning the first prize of AED 3,000 for their art department. Second prize is AED 2,000 for the school art department. The submissions will be judged by the World Art Dubai curators, and will be on display for visitors to enjoy within the halls.

What’s On

Alongside the main exhibition and competition, World Art Dubai 2021 will feature live painting sessions, digital art experiences, expert workshops and more.

World Art Dubai 2021 will be held under stringent safety and hygiene protocols. DWTC has proven its capability to curate the safest face-to-face environment and deliver world-class events with the highest safety protocols, as evidenced by the recent edition of Gulfood, which welcomed tens of thousands of visitors with 98% of local and international attendees recording a ‘safe’ or ‘very safe’ experience.

To ensure safety of visitors, and in line with all government guidelines, a range of measures will be implemented, including social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, regular disinfection and clearly marked and defined entry and exit areas.World Art Dubai has partnered with www.fynd.art to provide visitors with a contactless experience. By scanning an art piece with their smartphone, visitors can explore information about artwork exhibited, artists and galleries.

Free parking is available for all World Art Dubai visitors at Trade Centre Multi-Story Car Park.

Don’t miss out on the fun! Get tickets online through www.worldartdubai.com