Tricking the eye with 3-D art at Dubai Canvas Festival

The artist Kurt Wenner in Times Square, New York, with his pavement art inspired by the Grand Canyon. Andrew Toth / Getty Images

It is quite astonishing art, not only because of its content but also its public execution. An artist draws and paints on a flat, two-dimensional pavement and when viewed from just the right angle, the 3-Deffect is so realistic, the viewer feels as if he or she could fall in.

Kurt Wenner, an American artist and former Nasa employee credited as being the inventor of 3-D street art, is the guest of honour at a new annual event called Dubai Canvas Festival, which kicks off today.

During the next week, Wenner will paint a piece he is calling Pearl Fishers.

“It is partly historical and ­partly allegorical,” he says. “As a literal work it shows the activity of diving and seeking oysters that yield pearls. As an allegory, it presents the extreme and surprising riches that have been bestowed upon the people of Dubai.”

The trick when Wenner draws and paints is to use anamorphic perspective, which is a mathematical way of drawing that makes the image appear to have depth and height, even though it is flat.

His scientific background helped him to develop the technique and it is something that he hopes to share with many ­aspiring artists.

“I think that the 3-D pavement art form is extremely flexible and offers an interesting format for young artists,” he says.

The Dubai Canvas Festival is organised by Brand Dubai, a subsidiary of the Government of Dubai Media Office. It has ­invited Wenner and a host of other artists to take part in the festival, which will celebrate a different art form each year.

“Through Brand Dubai, we are trying to introduce ­different forms of art to people. We ­believe innovation is one of ­Dubai’s genuine values and has always been an integral part of the city’s achievements,” says Mona Al Marri, director general of GDMO.

It has partnered with The ­Cultural Office of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to identify nine UAE-based artists who can shadow Wenner and the other artists during the festival.

Hatem Hatem, a 23-year-old Iraqi painter, furniture designer and full-time architect, says he is looking forward to learning from Wenner.

“I am very interested in the process of how Kurt Wenner gets to his final pieces,” Hatem says. “I want to see if he draws from photography or from his imagination. I know he has a master’s degree from Rhode Island and I would like to learn from him.”

Passing on his knowledge and experience is one of Wenner’s passions.

“It has been my major aim in the last decade to make this art form global,” he says. “I have been fortunate in this regard to have the participation of a large number of talented and energetic individuals. The art form of 3-D street painting is unique in proposing the participation of the public, who become part of the work. I would love it if the entire population of the world would participate in the visions.”

Joining Wenner during the festival will be fellow Americans Julie Kirk Purcell and Tracy Lee Stum; Peter Westerink, the founder and director of Planet Streetpainting in Germany; Juandres Vera from Mexico; and Anthony Cappetto, an ­Italian.

Mona Bin Kalli, the director of the Cultural Office, says it is part of its ongoing vision to expose artists in the UAE to as many different art forms as possible.

“It is a continuous wheel that never stops,” she says. “We don’t see much of 3-D art in the UAE, but the interest is definitely here to learn from them. We have carefully selected the artists involved in this programme so that they get the most benefits.”

Asma Bel Hamar, 26, a ­graphic designer, says: “I think it is a great opportunity for me and us, as artists in the UAE, to see this kind of art – we have never been exposed to this kind of thing ­before.

“I am really thankful to Brand Dubai and The Cultural Office as they created this chance for us. I will learn a lot from this and I may pursue this as something to work with in the future.”

• The Dubai Canvas Festival will run from March 1 to 7 at The Beach, opposite Jumeirah Beach Residence