The completed painting.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Art promoter Funun Arts, along with Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre, recently organised Cherish: Time of Giving, to correspond with the ambience of the Holy Month. It also saw 25 artists along with 25 talented students from the Special Needs Future Development Center and North American International School, pay tribute to the 25 years of Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre. Each participant was given a part of a picture to be painted: none of them knew what the completed result would be. The outcome was a splendid art collage, 2m x 1.5m in size. The collaborative artwork was envisioned by Shiba Khan and Farah Khan, Funun Arts Founders. They are sisters; both of them emphasised the need to be compassionate to make the world a more liveable place.

“The Holy Month of Ramadan is the best time to begin a noble venture, built on love and kindness,” they said. “One should be kind to people and be more inclusive, because the world needs more people who think this way.” The event aimed at imparting knowledge, promote inclusion, and create an artistic masterpiece that could be a part of the permanent collection of Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre. “We are grateful for all the blessings that have been showered upon us,” Farah Khan said. “We are artists and the only way to share our blessings is through art. With the support of our loving artists, Funun could organise Cherish. It has become a memorable day to artists and students alike.

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“The kids literally astonished us with their talent. Given the right opportunity and resources, they can create wonders. We were blessed to have them with us for Cherish.” Commenting on the event, Cluster General Manager Nishan Silva said: “We are absolutely honoured to have hosted the students of Special Needs Future Development Center and North American International School and their families for the live art and Iftar at our hotel. These talented students also have their work showcased at our Artist Playground by Pullman at t-Lounge by Dilmah, for all to see”. The art event was graced by the presence of eminent personalities from different walks of life. They included Mohammad Al Aidroos (Director, Expert Mark Group); Saeed Al Shamsi (Vice Chairman, Expert Mark Group); Yaqoob Ali; Asma Al Janahi (Emirati Influencer), Lubna Naeem (Director of Operations, Gargash Hospital); Pamela Serena (Mrs. UAE Universe); eminent artist Nada Al Barazi; Maitha Al Balooshi (Emirati Emcee) and Ahmed Al Awadhi.

They spent time with the students and the artists and painted along with them - which turned out to be a great confidence booster for the students! They also interacted with the parents and appreciated their tireless efforts in empowering their kids.

 Farah Khan (left) and Shiba Khan are Founders of Funun Arts.

Each artist-student duo was supplied with T-shirts, paints and brushes by Funun Arts. They were given a canvas with a reference picture, which they had to recreate on the canvas. The artists guided the students and helped them complete their piece of the puzzle. The 25 “puzzle pieces” were later put together to form the painting.

Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre is displaying this artwork on their premises as a memento of their 25th anniversary. Parents of the students of SNF and NAIS averred that it was indeed a matter of pride for them to see their children’s work being a part of a huge art piece.

The event was followed by an award ceremony where certificates and mementos were distributed to the participants. A talk was delivered by Mohammed Al Aidroos, who emphasised the need of spreading happiness through “inspiration, communication and connection”. Funun Arts has been working with the SNF Development Center since 2016 by giving a platform to students to showcase their talents. The students were part of the Annual Student Art Show organised by Funun in 2022.

The award ceremony was followed by an Iftar for the students, artists and guests. Shiba Khan expressed her gratitude to media partners The Green Revolution, Expert Mark Group, Dabur, My Booktopia and Mahfuz Canvas, for sponsoring the gifts.

Artists and students who participated included Alia Amin, Amira Azmy, Anjini Prakash Laitu, Bhavica Khatri, Deepti Mittal, Dr. Devisree S., Dr. Poonam Chauhan, Edcel Cabalan, Fatma El Zahraa Mohamed, Kadambini Chaubey, Khan Ayaan Abdulla, Mahfuzur Rahman, Minal Sinha Srivastav, Mussarat Yasmin Abid, Nelia Fabia, Ngaka Sam, Nitu Kumari, Safa Peshimam, Saida Banu, Shereen Abraham, Shilpi Dabral, Soobika Fawad, Stefania Pomillo, Tumpa Banerjee and Mira Singh.

Students from SNF Development Center were Aayan Mahakan, Anamica Vyas, Ayesha Zarnosh Khan, Deepakram.G.B, Dhiren Bhatia, Dinal Ekanayake, Elbin Alias, Eshaan Aakash, Harish Ramakrishnan, Heba Ali Khan, Ijjas Nauphal, Mohamed Feroze, Muhammed Zohaib, Rinkita Samtani, Safa Ayisha Ghori, Salem Salim, Samay Bhatia, Samyah Hussain, Sujith Shenoy and Yeswanth Ram. Students from North American International School were Khalid Numan, Maryam Syed and Mohamed Wali Arwani. Funun Arts is a non-profit platform which exhibits locally and internationally, collaborating with galleries and participating in international art fairs, along with hosting a number of shows in the UAE.

Over five hundred multinational artists are part of Funun. It strives to be a one stop solution which creates bridges between artists, collectors, art enthusiasts, architects, and interior designers.  Located ten minutes’ away from Dubai International Airport and near Deira City Centre shopping mall, luxury 5-star hotel Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre stands watch over the historic Dubai Creek and the rolling green fairways of Dubai Golf and Yacht Club.