‘Art is the stored honey of the human soul’
Transformed into an #Artwalk the City Walk at Jumeirah was bustling and gleaming far more than usual on account of the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award 2015 Launch held there at 7pm, graced and inaugurated by the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman Of Dubai International Marine Club, a host of VIPs, an esteemed panel of judges and media members.
The exhibit features the 50 short-listed submissions of young artists based in the U.A.E in the categories of Fine Arts, Design, Multimedia and Photography. The proud artists walked about to explore the pieces on display, mingling with other creators, explaining their concept and work, sharing creative frustrations and ideas. Flashes followed HH Sheikh Mansoor as he patiently made his way from artwork to artwork, smilingly listening to the artist and paying close attention to the details of each piece.
The biggest surprise of the evening was the unexpected and grand arrival of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E and Ruler of Dubai. He was given a private tour of the exhibit by HH Sheikh Mansoor and took the time to have photographs taken with the artists.
The SMYAA has been encouraging artists since 2006 and, in this pursuit, has upped the stakes this year, with a total of AED 415,000 in prizes. AED 50,000 to be awarded to first place, AED 30,000 for first runner-up and AED 20,000 for second runner up are listed for winners in each of the four categories. In addition, the winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive AED 10,000 and the newly launched competition #ClickYAA winner will receive AED 5,000. Good reason to give in your work for next year, right? The winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner at the Armani Hotel on 26 Jan.
With honestly diverse styles, the open-air gallery is accessible to the public from 15 Jan to 24 Jan from 10am to 10pm. If you’re an artist or a lover of the arts, B-Change strongly suggests you hit this exhibit up, because here you may find a creative soul mate, some inspiration or even insights into your own aesthetics.
B-Change, as a promoter of the arts recommends: Share this with your artist friends – and you may be enjoying a lavish trip abroad because they’ll owe you if they win.
A special, proud and personal mention: A majority of the entries short-listed belonged to the American University of Sharjah. If it wasn’t evident enough, this speaks volumes of the quality of faculty and students in Arts and Design there.