Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is cooperating with MORROW collective, the UAE’s leading NFT curatorial project, to present an exhibition of non-fungible tokens (NFT) commemorating the UAE, recognizing the good impact of collaboration in supporting the creative economy. The exhibition, titled 50/50, will feature 50 NFTs created by UAE-based artists, including Emirati artists Khalid Al Banna, Alia AlGaoud, and Dalal Ahmed, to commemorate the UAE’s 50th anniversary. It will open on January 15 at Al Safa Art & Design Library. This is the first show of its type to feature artists from the United Arab Emirates.
The pieces on display were chosen through an open call, and the diversity of the selections represents the UAE’s multicultural society. The NFTs include everything from 3D artwork to animation, digital sketching to traditional painting, and collages to photography. Some of the artists are making NFTs for the first time, and the pieces span a wide range of topics, including dramatic pictures of mankind, abstract meditations on the human condition, light-heartedness, compelling messages, and an exercise in pure visual enjoyment.
By displaying the pieces of art on digital displays, the physical version of the exhibition bridges the gap between traditional and non-traditional art worlds. Pieces by Marwan Shakarchi and Gigi Gorlova have already sold out of the 50 available, and an auction featuring three Emirati artists will take place at the end of the month.
“The UAE emphasizes tolerance, compassion, and safety, and it prides itself on being a country where everyone is welcome to make themselves at home,” Anna Seaman, curator of MORROW collective, stated. NFTs are a digital media that is not constrained by physical or geographical limits, and hence are a celebration of everyone in their own right.
From January 15 to February 15, 2022, the 50/50 exhibition will be held at Al Safa Art & Design Library.