Emaar Properties will host 68 artists from around the world at its third International Art Symposium to be held from January 7 to 27, 2007, at Emaar’s Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club and Global Village in Dubai.
A much-awaited fine arts event in the calendar of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), the annual shopping and entertainment extravaganza, the Emaar International Art Symposium will be highlighted by a painting and sculpting competition in which all invited artists take part. The winners will be feted at the award ceremony and gala dinner on January 28.
The participating artists – 41 sculptors and 27 painters - have been selected for the Art Symposium based on their creative flourish, contribution to art and international appeal. The artists will also judge each other’s works with the jury to have the final say on the winners. Prizes will be awarded to the first three winners in each category.
“The Emaar International Art Symposium completes the spectrum of art and entertainment events offered as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival,” said Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, UAE Managing Director, Emaar Properties. “The event, now in its third edition, underscores our commitment to strengthen the fine art culture of Dubai, and takes art – as a process and product - from the confines of galleries and exhibition halls to the people’s midst.”
He added: “Emaar is a key sponsor of DSF and the International Art Symposium will add to the appeal of the shopping and entertainment event to art-lovers from around the world and inspire them to visit Dubai and watch international artists at work.”
Mr Saeed Al Naboudah, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Shopping Festival, said: “Emaar’s International Art Symposium truly embodies the ‘One World, One Family, One Festival’ theme of DSF by hosting artists from around the world. The event is also one of the activities highlighting the artistic heritage of the region through sculptures and paintings.”
Abdul Redha Ali Bin Redha, CEO, Global Village said: ”We are extremely happy to take part in such a prestigious event. The Global Village will always support the initiatives that aim at elevating the cultural and artistic standards of the community. We look forward to further enhancing our co-operation with the private sector and the DSF through similar events that are coherent with the universal concept of the Global Village.”
This year’s artist line-up include acclaimed sculptors from Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the UK, the UAE and the USA. Eight of the artists participated last year too. Emirates Airlines is the official carrier and title sponsor of Emaar International Art Symposium.
The participating painters are from Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, France, Georgia, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, The Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE and the USA.
The sculpting competition will be held at Global Village from January 7 to 27 and the painting competition at Emaar’s Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club from January 14 to 27. Public can watch the artists as they work on their sculptures and paintings. The sculptures will eventually be displayed at Emaar’s master-planned developments in Dubai.
Last year’s winners were: Nazar Yahya – Iraq; Ebrahim Bussad – Bahrain; Carlos Barao – Portugal; Hassan Bourkia – Morocco; Bachar Al Issa – France and Mohammed Eunus – Bangladesh (Painting); and Caroline Ramersdorfer – Austria; Ali Jabbar – Denmark; Aktham AbdulHamid – Syria; Kemal Tufan – Turkey; Antonios Myrodias – Greece and Joe Kley, Germany (Sculptures).
As part of its support of DSF, Emaar is also working on other events that will reflect on the key message of the event - ‘One World, One Family, One Festival.’
About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based Public Joint Stock Company and one of the world's largest real estate companies, is listed on the Dubai Financial Market and is part of the Dow Jones Arabia Titans Index. The company recently announced that its net profits for the three quarters ended September 30, 2006 reached AED 4.658 billion (US$1.268 billion) – a significant gain of 26 per cent over the same period in 2005 - reflecting the remarkable growth the company has gained since its inception in 1997.
With more than 14,500 homes handed over to customers, Emaar has several major real estate projects under various stages of development in Dubai. An ISO9001:2000 quality certified company, Emaar is marching ahead with the construction of its AED 73 billion (US$20 billion) Downtown Burj Dubai mixed-use development that encompasses Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower when completed in 2008.
The company has joint ventures and projects across the region covering Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon and Tunisia. In Saudi Arabia, Emaar is developing the US$26.6 billion (SR 100 billion) King Abdullah Economic City, the single largest private sector project in the Kingdom.
Emaar also entered the US market by acquiring John Laing Homes, the second largest privately held homebuilder in the US for AED 3.856 billion (US$1.050 billion). Emaar joined hands with The Turner Corporation, a leading international building services provider, to form a new entity, Turner International Middle East Ltd (Turner International ME) to jointly tap regional growth opportunities.
In a move that scaled up its core competency in product sales across the international arena, particularly the Western hemisphere, Emaar acquired Hamptons International, the UK-based subsidiary of premier property developer Wheelock Properties (Singapore) Ltd in a deal worth AED 562.45 million (US$153.05 million).
Last year the property developer announced plans to aggressively expand the retail sector with investments of over AED 15 billion (US$4 billion) to develop approximately 150 malls in the larger emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and the Indian subcontinent. In addition, Emaar has teamed up with Giorgio Armani S.p.A to build and manage 10 Armani hotels and resorts across the world; an Armani hotel will feature in Emaar's flagship Burj Dubai tower.
Emaar’s education initiative will involve the establishment of international schools in the MENA region and India, which will offer premium quality education and an integrated curriculum for students ranging from kindergarten to tertiary levels. Emaar's healthcare diversification will see the company invest around AED 18.35 billion (US$5 billion) over the next decade in the MENA and South Asia markets with the construction of hospitals, clinics and medical centres and the investment in the provision of world-class healthcare services.
Emaar has diversified into related business lines to further build value for its shareholders, which includes the Government of Dubai. Emaar owns and manages EMRILL, a joint venture with the UK-based Carillion which provides innovative property and facilities management services. Emaar also holds 30 per cent equity in Dubai Bank, focused on retail and commercial banking and is the majority shareholder in Amlak Finance, UAE's leading Islamic home financing company. For more information, visit www.emaar.com.
