In a rush to see the artworks.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

DIFC Art Nights (Mar. 24 — 25) was held with the theme ‘The Future is Here’. The 13th edition of the biannual event showcased creative and visionary artworks from talented local and international artists.

The two-day event took place at Gate Village, DIFC, and featured established as well as upcoming artists from around the world. In line with this edition’s theme, futuristic installations were displayed, including non-fungible tokens (NFTs), digital artworks, and artists’ depiction of what the ‘future’ means to them.

The artworks and installations were on view both outdoors as well as in some of Dubai’s most prestigious art galleries and auction houses, such as Opera Gallery, Sconci Art Gallery, Tabari Art Space, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s Art, among others.

Opera Gallery is one of the leading dealers in modern and contemporary American, European and Asian art. Founded by Gilles Dyan in Paris in 1994, it is internationally established, with branches around the world.

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Globally, the gallery has displayed artworks from some of the world’s biggest names, including Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. The gallery strives to provide access to a diverse range modern and contemporary artists through curated exhibitions and fairs.

The list of Opera-affiliated artists includes a number of contemporary, post-war, impressionist and modern specialists.

Sconci Art Gallery holds and displays a wide range of artworks dating back from the seventeenth century to the present. Modern and contemporary art is its main focus.

Its exhibitions are devoted mainly to the great masters of modern and contemporary art; emerging artists frequently come to create their artworks on site.

For the last two decades, Tabari Artspace gallery has played a vital role in connecting international audiences and institutions to the modern and contemporary art of the MENA region. 

 Children are mesmerised by a musical performance.

Grounded in the notion that art has the capacity to dismantle borders, foster new ways of knowing and stimulate cross-cultural understanding, the gallery attempts to form a bridge between worlds; it is a platform pioneering a diverse roster of exhibitions at the intersection of the local and the global.

For over twenty years, it has chartered the evolution of MENA art and advanced by an all-women team, foregrounds female figures and marginalised perspectives in contemporary art.

Physical programming is supplemented by digital counterparts, talks, publishing, workshops, and community events. The Tabari Artspace international residency programme encourages the artists of the region to expand their practice amid new contexts.

ARTIANA Gallery exhibited a medley of evocative virtual art pieces that transported visitors to the future. The gallery’s first NFT-selling exhibition – The Mythical Metaverse – featured artworks of Sakti Burman. He is a contemporary Indian artist, who fills his art with mythic and fantasy content, saturated with rich colours. The NFTs are based on the artist’s oil paintings and were now presented as digital versions.

ARTIANA is an online auction house founded by Lavesh Jagasia that provides an auction and private sales platform and exhibitions and viewing spaces. Jagasia is an art connoisseur with close to three decades of experience in the field of Indian Art. He is a specialist in Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art.

A collection of unique NFTs on the fifth element of matter and one that occupies the world beyond our planet, designed by four conceptual artists, allowed visitors at DIFC to experience the best of digital artwork.

Nada Debs, Levantine designer known for her ability to distil culture and craftsmanship, had a unique new collection of spiritual carpets named ‘Transcendence’ that sparked a dialogue on the inter-connectedness of faith, in collaboration with Zuleya by FBMI, which is supporting and engaging carpet weavers in Afghanistan.Artezaar also hosted workshops for children, and displayed artworks by talented kids. Artezaar is an online art gallery that connects artists in Dubai and artists across the UAE with art enthusiasts, art lovers, collectors and art professionals.

Additionally, CareTechMENA, Al Manzil Center and Repton School Dubai showcased artworks by children of determination around the themes of tolerance, unity and the future.

Artworks of a variety of artists, including Christopher Florentino, popularly known as Flore, a celebrated American contemporary fine artist whose distinct style fuses pop and street art, were shown. Through his pieces, Flore strips away all filters that society places on our lives, the habits we are stuck in, the rules we blindly follow, and the stereotypes we subconsciously subscribe to.

Additionally, there were artworks on display by artists such as Jake Michael Singer, Ranjeet Sarkar, Ajay Samir, Abdullah Ali, Kishore Pratim Biswas, Dilip Choudhury, Priti Mandal, Bishwaranjan Bhunia and Anil Gaikwad.

Live performances were on, including roaming entertainers, The Picasso Musicians, and a singer and a saxophonist who performed ‘out of a painting’.

Complimentary art workshops for children aged 6-14 took place across both days. They took part in a mandala art workshop, an acrylic painting workshop and a tassel wall hanging art workshop.

Dot mandala painting class, a watercolour painting workshop and a personalised name board workshop were also held, and art supplies were provided.

“Supporting Dubai’s art movement and positioning the city as the leading art hub in the region is an integral part of DIFC’s vision,” says the host. “DIFC Art Nights is a unique experience, (where one can be) inspired by local, regional, and global art in a vibrant urban destination that promotes innovation and sustainability.”