Maitha, a nine-year-old Emirati child artist, was smiling with delight as she watched the opening of an art exhibition featuring her work. The MRK Contemporary Art Gallery, which aspires to recognise and promote the creations of Emirati artists, especially child prodigies, in order to maintain the rich diversity of Emirati culture, was founded with Maitha Khalilabdul Wahid as its youngest artist.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation’s chairman of the board of directors and a former speaker of the UAE FNC, H.E Mohammed Al Murr, officially opened the event. Other notable Emirati artists present included Dr. Najat Makki, Abdul Qader Al Rayes, Faisal Abdul Qader, and Khalil Abdul Wahid (Maitha’s father).
It was reported that Maitha and two more young Emirati artists dazzled the elite of the art world with their provocative digital art pieces. Explaining her art pieces that were primarily digital sketches of girls displaying their different emotions, little Maitha said, “My art works display different phases we girls experience in our daily lives and how we want people to understand us. Just drawing these different forms makes me happy. My father, who is also an artist, always encourages me to draw what I love. Today is one of the most memorable days of my life as this is the first time my artworks are being displayed at such a reputed gallery.”
Aisha Abdul Karim, a self-taught Emirati adolescent, also presented about nine of her fashion-related sketches of people from varied origins, hues, and nationalities. The 14-year-old says that reality and attractive ladies and girls are her primary artistic subjects.
“I am glad and nervous at the same time as this is the first time my works are being displayed publicly and are being appreciated by some reputed artists from around the world. Art motivates me and encourages me to take up new challenges. If I feel satisfied with my artwork, my day goes well, and I want to keep the creativity going. It just makes me very happy,” says the teenager, who aims to become an engineer when she grows up. The massively attended opening night of MRK, which was held in two locations at the Mazaya Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, was attended by ambassadors, consul generals, members of the media, directors of art institutions, businesspeople, art collectors, artists, and art enthusiasts. The gallery primarily supports avant-garde Emirati artists, as well as the creations of young talents, many of whom are Emiratis.
H.E Mohammed Al-Murr explains that each gallery enriches the cultural scene of the Emirates. “MRK Contemporary Art Gallery will further provide an opportunity for Emirati artists and others to display their talent,” he said. “Dubai can be described as an art hub, the hub of happiness and development and a melting pot of cultures,” said Meena Rao Kamal, a well-known abstract landscape artist and Founder and Owner of the eponymous gallery. “The incredible transformation of Dubai and the UAE following the vision of its Founding Fathers and Rulers has been beautifully documented by the pioneering Emirati artists of the Emirates.”
MRK Contemporary’s collection includes Eurabian (European + Western) artists even though its primary goal is to promote Emirati artists. The Eurabian artworks in the gallery’s collection, which are from well-known worldwide painters from the Americas, Europe, and Asia, are mostly influenced by Arabic and Islamic elements.