Mohammed Al Qassab says he is delighted and proud to have his work hung in the new gallery space that has been purpose built in the lobby of the Kempinski hotel, Mall of the Emirates.
The Emirati artist who is one of the founding members of the Emirates Fine Art Society was selected by the team who redesigned the hotel and asked to created two commissions, both of which now hang permanently in the hotel.
“It’s a great honour to have my artworks permanently exhibited in such a prominent space,” says Al Qassab. “I hope that through my work people have a greater understanding and appreciation of my country and my culture – both of which highly inspire my artwork.”
The brightly coloured abstract works rely on geometry and form to make up the patterns, which almost resemble the skyline of Dubai whilst at the same time conjuring up memories of the windtowers of times gone by.
“In these particular two artworks the use of geometric shapes and patterns can be traced back to traditional Emirati architecture, as well as a popular local fabric called Sadu,” Al Qassab explains.
Leila Abdulrahim, director of Hirsch Bedner Associates, a hospitality interior design company and the designer responsible for spearheading the project said that she chose his paintings because of the style as well as the colour.
“The whole theme of the lobby is very neutral in colour and the space itself is quite structured so with that in mind we wanted the art to be colourful and we also allowed the space for it to be chaotic, which it is.”
Abdulrahim, who moved to the UAE 12 years ago, says she was delighted to find a project were art was integrated into the project from the beginning and says that it indicates a marked change in how the community think about art in Dubai.
Rachael Brown, co-founder of Capsule Arts, who helped in a consulting role to put Al Qassab’s work forward for this space agrees with this point.
“Public space in Dubai is an interesting concept right now; the way we congregate and interact in hotels, malls, and restaurants means that we’re seeing a real interest in featuring high-calibre art and design throughout these spaces.”
Abdulrahim was also surprised by the quality of art within the Emirati community. “There was a lot of choice and some really avant garde work but for us we had in mind the end user. We looked at hundreds of artists for this project and Al Qassab was the perfect fit.”
