It attracted more than 120,11 visitors in its <>th edition

«Sikka Art and Design». Successes and achievements that reflect the spirit of Dubai

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Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Member of the Dubai Council, the SIKKA Art and Design Festival has achieved new achievements and records that reflect the vitality of Dubai's creative scene, as Dubai Culture revealed Sikka's success in attracting more than 120,000 visitors, who followed the creations of more than 200 artists and creators who decorated the rooms and walls of the houses of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, and interacted with dozens of workshops. Work, talks, entertainment and musical performances witnessed by this year's edition of the festival.
Noor Khalfan Al Roumi, Project Manager of SIKKA Art and Design Festival, said that the figures achieved by the eleventh edition reflect the magnitude of the impact and strength of the festival and its position on the local and regional scene. "SIKKA Art & Design has succeeded in becoming an essential part of the growing local cultural and artistic scene, thanks to its ability to give artists broad horizons that enable them to produce works and designs that highlight the richness of Dubai's cultural and creative industries ecosystem," she said.
Al Roumi added: "The successes of the current edition of the festival reflect the vitality of the cultural movement in Dubai, which reinforces its position as a supportive platform for professional and emerging artists in the UAE and the Gulf region," noting at the same time that the festival continues its artistic giving, and its constant endeavor to present works that reflect the renewed spirit of Dubai, and enhance the emirate's position as a preferred destination for living, working and leisure.
This year's edition of the festival was launched with the participation of more than 200 Emirati and resident artists and creators, in addition to 3 international artists and two from the Arabian Gulf region, who displayed in front of SIKKA visitors more than 500 artworks distributed over 6 squares and 14 houses, most notably: "Sikka House", "Talli House", "Ceramic House", "Photography House" and others. Over the course of its 10 days, the event opened its venues to nine outdoor installations that express exceptional cultural experiences that reinforced the strength of the 'Art in Public Spaces' strategy to transform Dubai into an art museum open to the public, with the artwork 'Threads of Time: Weaving' presented by artists Hamda Al Falahi and Rima Al Muhairi, as well as the work of Frenchman Alex Joji (Once Upon A Snack), the sculpture "The Ring" by Emirati artist Jassim Al Awadhi, and the work of "Drisha" by Emirati Rawda Al Ketbi.
Sikka also displayed six huge murals inspired by the spirit of Dubai and its heritage and traditions, including the mural "Dubai" by Emirati artist Abdullah Lutfi, the mural "The Future is Here" by Badr Abbas, and the mural "Ya Labs Al-Talli" by Emirati Fatima Al Ali, among others.
On the other hand, Bait Al Talli represented a qualitative addition to the activities of the eleventh edition, as it came to celebrate the UAE's success last December in registering the craft of "Al Talli" on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, and included within its walls innovative works bearing the fingerprints of five Emirati artists inspired by the details of the threads of "Al Talli", while visitors were given through the group exhibition organized by the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children at the House of Ceramics the opportunity to explore the masterpieces of ceramics and clay and their artistic uses, through a collection of ceramic sculptures. A variety presented by 35 innovators from the UAE and the world.
On the other hand, the festival launched this year its first-of-its-kind initiative "Sikka Speaks", which included 14 various dialogue sessions, presented by a group of artists and experts, who shed light on the local cultural scene and the trends of the arts sector globally, while the "Sikka" program appeared full of interactive workshops, as it witnessed the presentation of more than 136 workshops for adults, which attracted more than 600 visitors, and the "Little Sikka" program included more than 100 workshops that attracted the attention of more than 1,500 children, while the "Sikka Center" shook hands. Al Jalila Children's Culture through 28 workshops, supervised by a group of experts and specialists in the arts and crafts sector.
The festival witnessed the active participation of 13 tenants who took up residence in the houses of the historic neighborhood, including Tashkeel Center and Akkas Center. for Visual Arts", the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding, the Urban Heritage Society and others, showcasing the creations of a group of artists and creators from the UAE, the region and around the world.
Throughout the festival, visitors to the festival were on a date with a wide variety of musical and entertainment performances, film and poetry evenings hosted by the rooms of «House 45» in addition to the stage, which raised its curtains in front of 127 performers, artists and musicians who dazzled the audience with their various musical and artistic masterpieces, and the festival lit up its screens with scenes of 59 films, and presented 10 various entertainment workshops.