Art Dubai: A canvas for success stories

What does it take to be a successful artist? Is it education, sheer talent, an eye for details, or just plain luck?

The unfortunate reality is that in a vast majority of the brilliant, creative souls who walk among us might go unrecognised. But things are changing, and like everything else in the world, art too is only a click away.

In the case of artists and galleries who’ve made it big in Dubai, Art Dubai, the leading international art fair in the Middle East/North Africa/South Asia (MENASA), might have had a major role to play in their success stories.

Since its inception, Art Dubai has helped several artists and galleries reach ‘great heights’.

Antonia Carver, Art Dubai Fair Director, said: “Many UAE-based artists and galleries have grown with Art Dubai — and we work during March and all year round to support the local arts scene and collaborate with all the players — artists, galleries, collectors, institutions, curators, students. Education is at the heart of the fair, with everything from children’s programmes through to intensive internships; a volunteer scheme at the fair itself, giving young people experience in all aspects of the art world; our school for graduates, Campus Art Dubai; the Global Art Forum, and so on.”

The three-month residency programme that Art Dubai runs with Tashkeel, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Delfina Foundation, is an example of the way local and international artists and curators come together to share experiences and inform each other’s work. Carver added: “Campus Art Dubai, our Saturday school for UAE-based artists and curators, has two programmes – an intense course for the serious, career-oriented, and a membership programme for those who want to dip in and out, with monthly lectures and workshops.

Art programmes in schools

In terms of expanding the fair to schools, Carver said: “We very much hope that art becomes more central from key stage on upwards — and that the presence and profile of the fair, and the support we have from government ministers and key decision-makers in the UAE, aids in this. At the fair itself, we have a far-reaching and innovative programme for children aged 5-16, titled the Shaikha Manal Little Artists Programme, after its patron. This year, we’re offering workshops, led by the Australian artist Dylan Martorell, famed for his sound installations and for creating musical art from recycled objects. We’re also featuring the return of the popular Discovery Tours, in which children explore the fair, led by UAE-based and international artists, and following a specially designed, annotated map.”

Success story

Located in the Al Serkal Avenue, Umer Butt and Hetal Pawani’s gallery Grey Noise was recommended as a perfect example of a success story. Pakistani national Umer Butt grew up in Sharjah and relocated to Lahore, Pakistan for higher education in art. “I started the gallery in April, 2008 as a web portal. The idea was very straightforward, it was to focus and work with artists who are practicing in an unconventional medium. I like working with artists who are slightly edgier, unconventional, and conceptually driven,” said Butt.

Launched in 2008, and running successfully for three years in Lahore, Grey Noise has now expanded its programme and relocated to Dubai. “We closed the chapter in Lahore temporarily,” said Pawani.

The gallery provides emerging and established artists with a platform for ambitious projects engaged in dialogue with the international art community. “Personally we prefer art that is very minimalistic and clean. Most of the artists we exhibit were born after the 80’s,” said Butt.

Most art aficionados would recognise art from the subcontinent to contain themes of socio-political distress, war, or ones heavily laden with religious symbolism. In the case of Grey noise, Butt would like to just do away with the concept of ‘Pakistani-ness in art’. Even the name Grey Noise means nothing, according to Butt. “It’s just two words that sound good when put together,” said Butt. He added: “Pakistani artists are always exhibiting at Art Dubai. But a lot of the art that comes from the country is still very Pakistan-centric. Contemporary art that emerges from the country is still less known. It is mainly because a lot more has to be done to foster the artist’s talent and there are no programmes in the country to do that as of yet.”

Speaking about Pakistani contemporary art, Butt said: “It is very sensitive, very beautiful and there is a lot of personal narrative and nostalgia projecting.” He added: “I am looking at people who are genuinely producing a personal language and it has nothing to do with the politics of the country and nothing to do with the tensions they are living in everyday. It is sort of an escape, a geographic-free version and that is what makes it beautiful I guess.”

Butt credits a lot of his success to Art Dubai. He said: “My first art fair was with Art Dubai, in 2010 and this is my fifth year as a participant. I was a regular after that and I started my career with them. This year four artists are exhibiting Grey Noise at Art Dubai.”

Works of Australian artist Hossein Valamensh, American- Pakistani artist Alyssa Pheobus Mumtaz, Irish artist Michael John Whelan, and Pakistani artist Sara Salman will be displayed at the Grey Noise booth at Art Dubai.-dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com