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With art, Dubai celebrates Hope mission every day

Dubai - The masterpiece was a collaboration that featured some of the brightest talents in the UAE's creative community.

The Dubai Arts and Culture Authority (Dubai Culture) has unveiled a mural in Al Fahidi neighbourhood, paying tribute to the historic Emirates Mars Mission. A collaboration between the authority and Al Quoz-based art studio Art Painting Lab, the mural combines traditional and contemporary elements to emphasise on the historical significance of the Hope probe.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sam Saliba, founder of Art Painting Lab, said: "The UAE is a very young country and for them to explore a faraway frontier during a pandemic was an occasion that ought to be celebrated. When we see something like this, it is the art community's fundamental duty to interpret it in an artistic form and build a currency for scientific temperament. With this mural, we can continue to celebrate the feat on a daily basis."
The masterpiece was a collaboration that featured some of the brightest talents in the UAE's creative community - Reem Al Mazroui, Amna Basheer, Subith PB, Sam Saliba and Armia Eskander.
The probe as an Emirati girl
The mural, which is 3.5 metres in height and 5.6 metres in width, celebrates the Hope probe by marrying Arab world's astronomical past with the UAE's growing foothold in the international space community.
Saliba said: "Reem personified the probe into an Emirati girl wearing festive head jewellery. As 'Amal' is floating to space, her arms open as an expression of freedom in her generation, her roots are on the ground. Her long hair at zero gravity. The artists combined isometric art theories to evoke science and technology themes. A historical figure, Arab astronomer Ibn Yunus gazes toward the Red Planet looking into the same direction as the scientists profile in purple shades.
"The floor appears to be falling apart or falling together signifying that the past and the future are eternally connected. Mars is showcased gloriously at the centre of the artwork showing its atmospheric mysterious about to be discovered by Hope."
Mazroui said the work came to her at a time when a sense of hopelessness was looming over. "As an Emirati artist, I wondered what the future would look like. Everything was falling apart and I wondered how we would recover from this. The Mars mission gives us hope that we will stand together again. As an artist, I was honoured to celebrate this achievement."
Basheer, a designer with Art Painting Lab, has drawn the scientific elements in the mural. "The Hope probe launches into a future of unknown research and information on the left while Ibn Yunus gazes out towards Mars on the right. Eyes peering through black tubes represent the curiosity about the mysteries of a barely explored world and provide a fun Instagrammable moment at eye level."
Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, director of marketing and corporate communication and acting CEO of Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, said: "The successful launch of the Hope probe ... serves all humanity, thereby restoring the glory of Arab and Islamic civilisations and instilling the spirit of hope among Arabs."
anamika@khaleejtimes.com