Splash! Art Week comes to colorful Dubai

Dubai is all set to showcase its talented artists amid lots of colors in its Art Week that will run from March 14 to 24. The annual event will include major shows, such as, Art Dubai, Designer Days, and Sikka Art Fair.
The strategic partner of Art Week is Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated authority for culture, arts, and heritage. Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is also a partner in the ArtBus project — an annual program marking its seventh year as it continues to offer a diverse view of Dubai’s arts and culture scene, with three routes each leading to distinct art areas in Dubai.
ArtBus is organized by ‘ArtintheCity,’ which introduced the project in 2007 as: “The UAE’s shuttle to the arts, the ArtBus, provides guided tours of the city’s prominent galleries, studios, art centers to spread awareness of UAE galleries and arts initiatives to an international audience visiting the UAE during international arts events.”
This year’s ArtBus project embraces several young Emirati and local artists, designers and architects, such as, Maisoon AlSaleh, Talin Hazber, Abdulaah Lutfi and Ruben Sanchez. All of the commissioned artists will be working on their concepts and preparing their final designs to be released by ‘ArtintheCity’ in the weeks leading up to March 21-23.
Caroline Mosely, project coordinator of ArtBus, said: “The aim of the ArtBus artist commission program is to provide an opportunity for Emirati and local artists to create new work that fits a unique format, and has the ability to reach a wide audience across Dubai.” She said this year they invited artists to submit their design proposals through an open call, and that the winning proposals were selected based on the strength of their design, and the originality of their interpretation of this year’s theme ‘UAE: Then and Now’.
How has the initiative been perceived among Dubai residents and visitors? “The ArtBus is a great opportunity to visit a varied selection of exhibitions and events in Dubai during March. Many of the galleries are hard to find, and so both residents and tourists find the ArtBus a stress-free and enjoyable way to catch the best of art in Dubai during this busy month,” said Mosely.