With art incorporated in every element of the hotel’s design - from the light shades to the bed heads and even hanging in the bathrooms, the Noon Hotel Apartments in Dubai’s Al Barsha area is not your average hotel.
On the first floor, they also have a permenant gallery where they have regular exhibitions. This month, photographs by Yousif Alharmoudi, also known as Bin Amin were displayed alongside the calligraphic works of an emerging artist Sheikh Saifi. Alharmoudi’s photographs concentrate on the fading traditions of the GCC Bedouin tribes before the discovery of oil. He spent five years travelling through the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi capturing falconry, women embroidering telli, men weaving sadu and the treasured art of brewing, boiling and serving Arabic coffee. Whilst you will have seen images like these before, what is interesting about Alharmoudi is that he has used a specific high definition technique, transforming his portraits into something much more contemporary - bright colours shine through at the edges and each image is incredibly detailed.
The decision to show his work was partly educational, to let visitors and guests know about the real cultural history of the UAE, but it was also an artistic move as Alharmoudi, from Sharjah, is one of the UAE’s brightest home-grown photographic talents.
Also on show was calligraphy from Pakistani artist Sheikh Saifi. The artist is still trying to find his style but his use of colour and composition show promise. Combining Islamic patterns and architecture with calligraphy and in bright colours is the result of a passion that he relies upon like a friend, he says.
Both artists were grateful to the hotel for giving them a chance to exhibit and I think it is commendable that they are giving emerging artists a support platform.
* For more info visit: www.noonhotel.com
