UAE: Gulf artists from various branches of visual art to showcase their creativity at forum

The UAE will host the fourth edition of the GCC Visual Arts Forum from December 20 to 25, the Ministry of Culture and Youth announced on Friday.

The event, hosted in cooperation with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), will feature a selection of Gulf artists from various branches of visual arts at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.

It will be accompanied by an art exhibition, which will run until December 30.

The forum seeks to promote the creativity of GCC artists in line with the GCC Cultural Strategy 2020-2030 launched under the directives of the heads of state and the Ministers of Culture of the GCC countries.

The exhibition which is also inspired by the event’s slogan “You and I, what and when?” will be a platform to elevate the status of the arts and support the artists’ cultural vision. The art exhibition will honour the best three participating works in four categories - visual arts, traditional Arabic calligraphy, Arabic calligraphy letters, and photography.

The programme for the event also includes a series of technical workshops, cultural tours, as well as networking activities to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and experience among the participants.

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, the Minister of Culture and Youth, said, “The UAE attaches great importance to investing in artistic energies and creations. Art projects are important for our mental well-being and are fundamental to the progress and growth of civilizations and human beings.”

She added, “Such art projects contribute to creating a fertile and conducive environment for more creations. This forum is an opportunity to take a closer look at the creativity of Gulf artists. It is a promising platform for networking, learning from each other’s experiences and developing new techniques to advance art in the region.”