Abu Dhabi Art has announced the four 2017 winners of its annual Abu Dhabi Art Wings Project: Shaikha Aysha Saqer Al-Qasemi, Lateefa Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, Nour Obaid Al-Hefeiti, and Shaima Abdulrahman Al-Marzouqi.
The Wings Project is a yearly competition that runs alongside the fair, created with the aim to support Emirati creative talent; artists and designers aged 18 and above are invited to recreate the wing shape from the Abu Dhabi Art logo.
The four winners each receive AED 5,000 and a VIP invitation to attend Abu Dhabi Art (8-11 November). The winning creations will be also used to create “innovative and exciting merchandise” to be sold in the Manarat Al Saadiyat shop during the art fair.
“We were delighted to see the number of original submissions rise this year and were all inspired by the ingenuity of the submissions that were put forward,” said Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art.
AUS team wins pavilion design
Another Abu Dhabi Art initiative will be unveiled at the art fair – the first edition of the Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize, a competition for the country’s university students and recent graduates from across to develop an architectural design proposal for a Pavilion and social hub at Abu Dhabi Art.
Dyala Nusseibeh described the Art Pavilion Prize as “a unique platform that will allow aspiring architecture students in the UAE the opportunity to exhibit their designs to a global audience of visitors and to gain experience in the production of a public project at an early stage in their career”, which just about sums up its appeal – there are very few chances for students here to develop projects that actually get built and used.
This one will be live during Abu Dhabi Art as an informal meeting space for galleries, collectors and artists. It will then be installed at the British Ambassador’s Residence for two months afterwards (Abu Dhabi Art is partnering with the British Council on this initiative, as part of the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration).
The prize goes to two students at the American University of Sharjah Salwa Al Khudairi and Nada Al Mulla. In what looks very much like An Official Statement, they expressed their thanks to the selection jury, to Abu Dhabi Art for the opportunity, and to AUS for their education. “We hope this will act as a strong foundation for our future advancement in the field of architecture.”
Kevin Mitchell, Professor of Architecture at AUS, expressed his pride in the students’ success and praised Abu Dhabi Art for expanding the role of the art fair to develop programmes that recognise and support young designers in the UAE. “The commitment to providing opportunities for students and recent graduates is commendable.”
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