The first Bulgari Contemporary Art Award, a partnership between Dubai Culture and luxury brand Bulgari, has chosen 17 artists to compete for its inaugural prize.
From February 3 to 8, artwork proposals by the artists will be exhibited at the Van De Goudenberg Art Gallery in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Those participating are: Abdul Rahim Salem, Aisha Al Ali, Alia Lootah, Chie Nakano, Farid Al Rais, Ioannis Kadras, Jassim Al Awadhi, Juma Alhaj, Kamal Alzubi, Madar Alsuwaidi, Magda Malkoun, Nima Nabavi, Niveen Meguid, Saeed Almadani, Shamsa Juma, Tala Worrell and Valerie Vincent.
Bulgari Contemporary Art Award organisers have tasked the artists, all living in the UAE, to create works around the theme Beauty Connects People.
Speaking at the launch of the award last year, Hala Badri, director general of Dubai Culture, expressed how it would help support the emirate’s creative industry. “Part of the strategic pillars is to support talent. With this partnership, we’re opening a platform for new talent to be recognised,” she said.
“Each sector is dependent on another, whether it is the local or international level. By supporting this sector, we are allowing productivity in other sectors.”
The award has three categories in visual arts: drawing and painting, photography, and sculpture, and the candidates were chosen from Dubai Culture’s database of artists.
A committee of three experts, cultural adviser Giuseppe Moscatello and artists Nujoom Alghanem and Patricia Millns, will select three works for the shortlist. From there, an unnamed jury from Dubai Culture and Bulgari will determine the winner.
Dr Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, chief executive of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, said the award offers a “new platform" for artists to "express themselves creatively”. He said that the selected names “demonstrated a deep understanding of the award’s subject matter and presented innovative and highly expressive works”.
A selection of mentors from Italy will help to bring the artist’s winning proposal to reality. The winner will be flown to Rome for a week to observe Bulgari workshops and meet with the brand’s designers. He or she will also be given tours of historical sites and cultural locations linked to Bulgari.
The winning work will be exhibited in the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The date on which the winner will be announced has not yet been revealed.
