Emirati artist secures top location

posted on 19/09/2012: 653 views

An Emirati artist has reached new heights after beating tough competition to display his winning work at the Burj Khalifa's ‘At The Top' observation deck.

Hamad Al Falasi's digital photography art piece will be showcased for six months on the 124th floor of the world's tallest building and will serve as an introduction to local culture for visitors.

Efforts towards promoting Emirati art were lauded during the unveiling of Al Falasi's work on Tuesday.

The artist was one of five Emirati finalists of the ‘Art At The Top' competition, organised in conjunction with The Ara Gallery. The brief for participants was to create an artistic interpretation of the tower.

Al Falasi, a management professional, has a passion for photography and sought to use digital photography to illustrate the experience of a first-time visitor, familiar with the panoramic image of Burj Khalifa in the skyline but with a different experience in close proximity.

The winner told Gulf News: "When I received the theme — ‘What does Burj Khalifa mean to you?', I thought of presenting myself [in the traditional kandora] with my back to the camera, looking at the Burj Khalifa. I used techniques of staged photography done in two stages and merged these later into one 2.4x1.7-metre piece.”

Of the location for his work, Al Falasi said it would give his work global recognition but lamented the scarcity of Emirati artworks with global appeal. "There has been considerable growth in the Emirati art scene with young Emiratis embracing our culture and tradition through various mediums. Yet there is so much to Emirati culture that needs to be translated into art — an international language so it can connect to a global audience.”

Speaking to Gulf News, Mouza Al Abbar, spokesperson and owner of the Gallery, a dedicated platform for Emirati artists located in Downtown Dubai, said that competitions that promote Emirati art are a testament to the burgeoning local art scene.

"We wanted visitors to see something that is 100 per cent Emirati from a contemporary yet traditional perspective. As a minority [in demographic] it is a wonderful opportunity to show tourists our culture through the intellectual medium of art,” she said. – Gulf News

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