SHARJAH // Tall tales and all manner of weird and wonderful characters dreamed up by creative youngsters are on display as part of this year’s Children’s Biennial.
The fourth annual event, taking place at the Children’s Centre in Mughayder until February 9, is a chance for Emirati youngsters aged six to 12-years-old to express their creativity through art and storytelling.
Using artificial feathers and wigs the children created costumes for their characters and devised a story about each of them, which was then recorded to be played back to visitors to the biennial alongside photographs of their creations.
In one of the exhibits, a girl wearing rabbit ears and a cat’s nose tells the story of her character called the “Bewitched Princess” and describes how she lives in the middle of a strawberry field where butterflies and roses are her friends. In another a boy tells the story of a flying pirate who likes to eat bears and elephants and lives in a cave on the mountains overlooking the sea.
The meandering stories illustrate beautifully the children’s wild imaginations.
On December 2 last year, Emirati children with disabilities participated in the biennial and created artwork inspired from the UAE’s desert and marine environment using wires, paper, plastic and small rocks to create to express their love for their home and their celebration of National Day.
The Sharjah Children’s Biennial is organised by the Department of Children Centres in collaboration with the Sharjah Museums Department and is dedicated to children in the UAE and the Gulf. Its mission is to develop children’s artistic talents.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
