The Sikka Art & Design festival 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the annually held unique celebration of visual and performing arts and films, in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood under the umbrella of Dubai Art Season during March.
The theme for this year is ‘Celebrating Art, Celebrating Growth’ under which the Platform seeks to support the professional growth journey of emerging creative talent. Here’s the views from the team and participants of the Sikka during their discussion with Magzoid.
Dr. Saeed Mubarak Kharbash Al-Marri
Chief Executive Officer – Arts & Literature at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
Dr. Saeed Mubarak Kharbash Al-Marri, being one of the leaders helped Sikka Art flourish, as it offers the public a unique path to showcase a series of events. He aims to instill local art in the present and the coming generation. According to him, talent growth is a very essential element, as it includes encouraging and nourishing talent in the UAE. This was just a sneak peek, but the initial plan was to make Sikka the biggest platform for talent growth. They also aim to push the festival to a longer period, maybe
across the whole year, and not just to end during March. They encourage all the students in UAE to come forward and be a part of the art and design sector. Everyone will be given equal rewards and respect.
Kamla AlOlama
Designer and Design Historian – Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
This tenth edition is vital for them to come up with a new strategy for Sikka to make sure it is a sustainable platform. Every year it is operated for ten days, but now the new direction is to run the event whole year-round. The main purpose of the platform is to have a sustainable ecosystem that fosters young and emerging talents. Focusing on talent development, they also try to highlight the different aspects of an artist’s journey. Part of the ecosystem is to have mentors from established organizations. It is more sustainable to have an event that makes you learn rather than leave you hanging after some time. They are trying to diversify the offerings. Sikka is an important platform for opportunities. It will offer them to find their paths and connect with the community locally, leading to international recognition as well. It is a gateway to new opportunities
Noor Khalfan Alroumi
Project Specialist – Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
The 10th edition of Sikka is quite exciting. They have many other editions in the 10th edition alone. it’s a 9th-year transformational path, and it will be a platform moving forward. After nine editions, the goal is to establish an environment that supports developing artists, art, and design. Sikka Art and Design Festival 2022 was graced with 1,269 artworks, 250+ artists, and 70+ live performances. They will be adopting strategies and goals next year, and the fare will remain the same. The tenth edition, according to Noor, will focus on new media companies that focus on new art and realty firms. There are a variety of houses, including an Emirati mansion that endorses jewels and the well-known Khaleeji house. This event will provide attendees with a sneak peek at some of the platform’s upcoming services. Their main focus is on open calls for new and rising artists. A committee is in charge of these artists.
Sara Ahli Abdulla bin Suqat
Artist
Sara Ahli is a visual artist based in Dubai. Sara is a newcomer to the world of art, with a background
in fashion design. She was chosen as an upcoming talent. The first public sculpture she made for Sikka Art is a continuing development in which she used a balloon to represent an abstract figure. The concept is to examine the body and space, as balloons are light and enjoyable, as well as our psychological bodies. Sara says that we utilize the body as a canvas in fashion, but in art, it feels like we’re delving into the body, rather than just making sculptures on the body. It is beneficial to artists who are eager to create and grow. “I’m quite interested in learning more about contemporary art. I’m willing to expand and explore, and I’m humbled by the UAE’s continuous support and upliftment.
Abdulla bin Suqat
Artist / Designer
Abdulla bin Suqat is an artist and designer based in Dubai. An installation work, ‘The People of My Mother’s Garden’, by Abdulla, is less about tradition and more about the fantasy world of Plump’s Topia. Towering white flowers, handmade from tracing paper, fill a room where ethereal music composed by bin Suqat plays. Projected onto the scene are clips of leafy pathways and forests, filmed by the artist in areas such as Khawaneej, plus animated bougainvillea, pressed and handpainted to resemble butterflies. Over the years, Abdulla has built up these fictional narratives that center on the relationship between a mother named Queen Alara and her child. He conceived the idea for the work following a 2013 series of portraits of female figures. “I was obsessed with princesses and queens, specifically,” he says. “I wanted these women to exist in a different world so no one could question the concept. Then I started realizing that each character reflected something that I was going through in my own life and they helped me through it,” he explains. The artist, who participated in Sikka in 2018, says this year’s event includes a stronger line-up of artists and programming.