Dubai: If you’ve not been to the 2nd December Street recently, you’re in for a surprise. An additional set of 16 striking murals by international artists await you.
Twelve prominent international mural and graffiti artists painted the murals on themes drawn from the UAE’s history and rich heritage. The murals comprise the first phase of the Dubai Street Museum project. They included German artist Case Maclaim, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, French artist Julien Malland, also known as Seth, and Russian artist Julia Volchkova, among others.
Being jointly implemented by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, and Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Street Museum is a valuable addition to Dubai’s creative and artistic environment.
Shaima Al Suwaidi, Project Manager, said the murals depict many key aspects of the UAE’s culture and tradition on buildings located along the famed road. “The participating artists, who come from all over the world, have translated the objectives of the project in a creative way. We made sure to provide the artists with all the background information necessary for portraying the scenes we selected so that they could create murals rich with detail,” Al Suwaidi said.
“The artists spent a long time working out the details of the proposed scenes as well as understanding the historical background to the scenes,” she added.
“During the preparation period, we thoroughly reviewed every proposed theme so that each scene depicted by the artists would accurately portray life in the UAE. This attention to detail was necessary since the themes, which included ‘Abra’, ‘Clothes’, ‘Traditional Games’, ‘Henna Designs’ and ‘Dallah’ (coffee pot), mark out the UAE’s culture from other countries in the region,” she added.
One of the artists, Maclaim, is considered a pioneer in photo-realistic graffiti. Maclaim is widely recognised for his breathtaking images of twisted, abstract portraits and body shapes that go beyond reality and step into the realm of the surreal while challenging the audience’s preconceptions of what beauty actually is.
Ernest Zacharevic combines fine art techniques with a passion for creating outdoor art. Experimentation lies at the heart of Ernest’s style, with the only constant being the dedication to his ever-changing concepts.
French artist ‘Seth’ is an exceptionally talented Parisian street artist who works in a wide variety of mediums including paintings, sculpture and tapestry. He is internationally recognised for his eye-catching and dreamy murals of child-like characters painted in locations across the world.
Other artists who participated in the project include Polish artist who goes by the name of ‘1010’, Tunisian artist Mohammed Kilan, also known as ‘Inkman’, Chinese artist Hua Tunan, French artists Zepha, Kan and L’atlas, as well as Norwegian artist Martin Whatson and UAE resident Diaa Allam.
