On this, the most romantic day of the year, Dubai Mall has unveiled its latest artwork. Called <em>Love Me</em>, it is a large, three-dimensional, heart-shaped sculpture formed from polished steel by famed sculptor, Richard Hudson. Situated outside the mall, the shimmering, voluptuous shape is directly in line with the towering Burj Khalifa at the opposite end of the Waterfront Promenade. Emaar, owner of the mall, is growing its portfolio of art and Hudson's work is in high demand, with collectors all over the world enamoured with his iconic, abstract pieces that are inspired by the female form. The 64-year old Madrid-based Yorkshireman has pieces in private collections owned by the likes of Elton John, Michael Douglass and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and model Claudia Schiffer. The reflective surfaces of many of his best-known artworks allow observers to become 'present' within them, and <em>Love Me</em> – the first of his public works to be commissioned in the region – is no exception. Hudson says he’s inspired by “the true organic wonders of the world; nature’s complexity and its never-ending metamorphosis” and credits his artist mother with instilling within him an appreciation for expressing himself through art. “What I attempt to capture, to enclose, as a kind of homage,” he says, “is a form around which on every surface it is possible to trace a continuous line that holds frozen in its moment, the flux, shape and movement of the billions of particles that nature draws together from their unbridled chaos to create pure natural beauty – that is the essence of my practice.” The results of his interpretations of natural form are breath-taking, thought-provoking and beautiful, while managing to combine timeless classical elegance with a highly contemporary aesthetic. Hopefully <em>Love Me</em> will be just the first of many Hudson pieces to make their way to the UAE's public spaces. Hudson has made other variants of<em> Love Me</em>, some of which are tiny while others stand 7 metres high, and the one at Dubai Mall is soon to be replaced by a larger version. _________________ <strong>Read more:</strong> _________________