ABU DHABI // The Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation will mark its return to Abu Dhabi Art Fair next month by showcasing award-winning pieces by young Emiratis.
The emerging artists’ work will be part of the fair, which runs from November 5-8 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Works from two local artists will be displayed at the foundation’s pavilion, which itself is considered a work of art by the university students who designed it.
When designing the pavilion, the aspiring architects said their main inspiration was Zaha Hadid, the world-renowned Iraqi-British architect who designed the Sheikh Zayed Bridge and other high-profile projects.
One of the featured works is Fatma Fairooz’s oil painting on canvas titled Katharina, a portrait of one of her former professors at Zayed University that won her the Gulf Capital-Admaf Creativity Award this year.
“I can’t believe I won, and being displayed in Abu Dhabi Art sounds like it is way over my head,” said the visual arts graduate, who competed with 26 other students for the prize. Fairooz, 22, also won the Sheikha Manal Young Artist award last year. She said having her work displayed at the fair was a boost to her confidence and encouraged her to continue as an artist.
“I hope to contribute to the cultural value of this city because it’s more than just architecture pavilion, the aspiring architects said their main inspiration was Zaha Hadid and business – there’s a lot of art and culture here,” she said.
The four day fair, organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, will open to the public from 3pm-10pm on November 5-6 and 2pm-10pm on November 7-8.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae