Under the patronage of Latifa bint Muhammad
Dubai Culture announces the program for the tenth edition of Sikka Art and Design Festival
Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture” and member of the Dubai Council, and in celebration of the successes of the Sikka Arts and Design Festival over the past nine editions and the completion of its first decade this year, Dubai Culture announced a program The tenth edition of the festival is under the slogan "We celebrate art... we celebrate prosperity", which is launched under its new umbrella "Sikka Art and Design Platform" and with its updated visual look inspired by the Sidr tree in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, where the neighborhood will welcome its visitors to tour its corridors and sides during the festival period from 15 Until March 24, 2022, to enjoy a rich program of creative events and activities.
The festival is held under the umbrella of the "Dubai Art Season", which continues during the months of February and March 2022, and is a comprehensive annual artistic celebration launched by Dubai Culture, to celebrate the growing creative and cultural scene in the emirate, and brings together various creative events and activities in public places, external art projects, and interactive initiatives Workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and performing arts.
The new direction of Sikka Art and Design Festival is to create an integrated system of emerging creative minds who start their creative journey during the festival.
Therefore, the festival was brought under the umbrella of the Sikka Art and Design platform to take them on a journey throughout the year to support them in their careers and help them achieve their goals of becoming professional artists.
This edition of SIKKA celebrates what has been achieved in the past nine editions of the festival, and the participating artworks were chosen so that they constitute an interesting narration of the exhibition's story for the audience to enjoy. From this point of view, the slogan "We celebrate art, we celebrate prosperity" came from.
Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, said: "Through this festival, we seek to achieve many goals, foremost of which is sponsoring artists in the UAE and the region, and providing them with ideal opportunities to present their artistic creations to a wide local and international audience in Dubai, under the supervision of experts in various fields. In order to achieve our mission to find opportunities for novice artists and embrace and encourage talent, by providing them with ideal platforms to hone their skills and flourish their businesses, in a way that supports the creative economy in the emirate and consolidates its position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, a forum for talents and a global capital for the creative economy.”
Sidra Sekka
Badri hinted that the concept of the visual identity of the festival this year stems from the most important element in Sekka;
Her community of tenants, artists and visitors, saying: "On the tenth anniversary of the launch of the festival, we salute all the people who walked the corridors of the neighborhood and established one of the most unique festivals in Dubai in particular and the UAE in general. This year we celebrate the deep roots, strength and growth that has been achieved over the years. We celebrate the generation of Sekka creators who started from this place.. We celebrate “Sedra Sekka.” In order to activate this concept, three artists were commissioned to create artistic installations using trees in the neighborhood: “Sedra Sekka Art Compositions”, and they are the Jordanian artist Sherine Shalhoub and the artist Russian Evgenia Silvina and Mexican artist Paula Lopez.
Badri added: "We have prepared for the public this year creative packages based on visual, theatrical and musical arts, films, singing and authentic flavors, with the participation of emerging artistic talents in the UAE and the Arab Gulf states. We invite art lovers from different segments of society to visit the festival's activities to enjoy the wonderful world of art and design."
Over the course of its ten days, the 2022 edition of Sikka Art and Design Festival will see artworks that are a true reflection of the festival's theme by emerging Emirati artists and artists residing in the UAE;
Three of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood's homes were designated for this purpose.
The festival's agenda also includes an exhibition entitled "Space NFT", curated by the Italian curator Giuseppe Moscatello.
“Bait Sikka”
In an initiative that is the first of its kind this year, Sikka will have its own house at the festival, which will be devoted to introducing festival visitors to the idea behind the inclusion of the “festival railway” to the “Platform Railway” through a package of various programs that will provide visitors with an enjoyable and distinctive experience that meets the needs of the festival. All their artistic tastes and interests, turning the corridors of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood into an open art museum.
One of the highlights of this year’s railway is the “House of Design and New Media,” which will include a wonderful interactive installation by artist Jacques Bedouin, which is characterized as reflecting the image of any person or object in front of it, as well as an artwork entitled “Swords from Modo” designed by Emirati artist Omar Al Gurg. It presents an interactive space that reinterprets concepts, forming a traditional Emirati home from the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood.
The Gulf House
Also featured in this edition of the festival is the Gulf House, designed by the Gulf Art Museum, the first digital museum dedicated to art from the Arab Gulf region, sponsored by the award-winning Emirati artist, Sumaya Al Suwaidi.
This house showcases the work of five artists from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries who celebrate shared positive human values before moving into a new phase after the pandemic.
A bouquet of creations
The Sikka Art and Design Festival also hosts a variety of design exhibitions and other creative installations, the most prominent of which is the “Return to the House of Roots” exhibition designed by jewelry makers in the UAE, where they embark on a self-journey through time, art and jewelry design, as well as exquisite murals by artists. Talents from the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries such as: Saqqaf Al Hashemi, Gary Young, Perry Al-Ashmawi and the Bahraini artist Hovel, in addition to distinctive artistic installations in the vicinity of the historic Al Fahidi neighborhood created by a group of artists, including the Lebanese artist Karim Tamerji and the Emirati artist Sarah Ahli.
Cinema and Animation
shines within the festival this year, an arena for cinema and animation, whose program includes fun shows by Locomotion Community Cinema for films from the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and three days dedicated to local talents from university students and independent filmmakers, in addition to two days of short Arabic films - version The fifth of "Beirut Animation", workshops and interesting activities presented by the animation room.
Workshops, authentic music and flavors
The festival will also host, over its ten days, a program of workshops in visual arts, design and new media sponsored by Art Dubai, as well as 10 days of live music, various activities and authentic local flavors in which visitors to the festival will experience its captivating atmosphere daily from six in the evening until eleven Ten at night on weekdays, from two in the afternoon until midnight on Saturday, and from two in the afternoon until eleven at night on Sunday.
For more information and to learn about the events, you can follow the official Instagram account of the festival @sikkaplatform;
Find out about the daily activities of the festival.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news