Art lovers in Dubai can take part this week in an ArtBus gallery tour, where they can board coaches for three very different routes featuring an array of exhibition spaces.
The venture, organized by ArtintheCity, in tandem with the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, is taking place as part of Art Dubai, a week long appreciation of creativity in the city.
Organizer Caroline Mosley of ArtintheCity spoke to Al Arabiya to explain exactly why such an event had been organized.
We want “to spread awareness of UAE galleries and arts initiatives to an international audience visiting the UAE during international arts events,” she explained.
“The ArtBus creates a hassle free ride without the stresses of traffic or parking… the day-long tour is a chance to see art by international, regional and local artists while meeting like-minded people.”
A diverse view of all that Dubai has to offer in terms of culture and art is being offered up to passengers. The Al Quoz route offers modern and conceptual art from a range of Middle Eastern contemporary artists, for example.
Politics and art: ‘Til death do us part'
The politics of the region form the conceptual basis for most of the works on display. Artistic interpretations of society and frustration with local politics feature widely along this route, and also along the two other tours.
The DIFC & Downtown route features a mixture of established international artists and modern masters.
The Jumeirah & al-Fahidi route takes visitors to the heritage site of the al-Fahidi Historical Neighborhood - Dubai’s original arts and culture area.
The buses are decorated with specially commissioned work by locally-based young artists.
ArtBus was launched in 2007 and has since continued to develop new audiences for the arts in the UAE, the tours will run from March 21 until March 23.
By Saffiya Ansari
