How art created 'hope' in the UAE

If it were not for the arts, we would have found it impossible to deal with the pandemic. Think of all the movies you watched on OTT platforms, all the shows you witnessed from the balconies (vertical concerts!), the online galleries you visited, the virtual album launches you attended, and more. The UAE kept its promise to keep us safe, whilst opening up various platforms and creating new opportunities to showcase creative arts. 2022 was the year when hope resurfaced on canvases and stages, in playlists and lounges, et al. We look back at just a handful of arty moments with relief and happiness and look forward to a brighter 2023.

Concerts, aplenty

2022 indeed was the year of the concerts, with all roads leading to venues like the Coca Cola Arena, Dubai World Trade Centre, The Agenda and more. From Coke Studio Live to Abida Parveen, One Republic to Peter Bence, Rob Lake and more, our calendars stayed full and buzzing.

Children’s day out

It was a good year to be a child, or to awaken the child within! From The Lion King to Disney on Ice, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena made sure we kept returning. What’s next, well, Shrek The Musical is coming to the Dubai Opera in February.

Hello, dinner shows

Yes, you may have thought that shows were limited only to auditoriums and theatrical spaces, but Dubai made it possible for these to take place at various restaurants and lounges, whilst a few old venues stood out like Billionaire Dubai, Taj Hotel and PLAY Restaurant & Lounge, The H Dubai, etc. a few not-so-old ones like the Dream, Address Beach Resort, JBR, Dubai put up a good show as well. A blend of great music and food, alongside international acts and showstopping acrobatics, each of the shows added a fresh charm to the act of dining out.

Return of the art events sans masks

Whilst there was no stopping the events from taking place even during the pandemic, and the authorities made sure everyone stayed safe as they took part in the events, it was nice to see a few major and most-looked-for events re-emerge in full glory, this time sans masks. World Art Dubai 2022 was a tad disappointing, with lesser visitors, perhaps as most found their way to Art Dubai, which lived up to its expectation of grandeur and luxe and was one of the most extensive editions of the fair to date. The theme of the 10th edition of the Sikka Art and Design Festival was inspired by the Sidr tree, characterised by firmness and strength and closely related to the historical heritage of the UAE’s civilisation.

The magic of Opera

purva@khaleejtimes.com