For the next week, wherever you turn in the narrow alleyways of Al Fahidi, you will likely run into some art. After two years of pause owing to the pandemic, Sikka Art and Design Festival (formerly Sikka Art Fair) is back for the 10th year.
Named after the passageways between low-rise structures in the historical neighborhood close to the Dubai Creek (still called by most long-time residents as Al Bastakiya), the festival brings together visual artists, performers, designers, musicians and other creatives to present artworks, concerts, murals, poetry readings and film screenings.
There is an added vibrancy to the neighborhood thanks to outdoor art installations, carefully designed shading and signs, as well as brightly-coloured seats in front of the main stage and around the courtyards.
Despite the absence, Sikka this year proves that it is still one of few places to see what ideas young and emerging artists in the UAE and the region are thinking about and how their interests are changing. The programme has been strengthened by the team of curators Maitha Al Zaffin, Kamla AlOlama and Shamma Almheiri, with the support of artist Giuseppe Moscatello, who have brought together more than 250 participating artists for the festival.
Scroll through the gallery above for more pictures from Sikka 10.
Compared to previous editions, Sikka 10 features more multidisciplinary practices, from design-based work to tech-driven art, as well as more immersive installations that combine multimedia works, from video, photography and research-based projects.
Al Fahidi’s tenants, including the long-standing XVA Gallery and Tashkeel studio, are also participating by putting on their own exhibitions during the festival.
On opening day on Tuesday, crowds made up of tourists and locals navigated the winding alleys leading to gallery spaces (what used to be houses), courtyards and rooftops where works by artists such Ayesha bin Haider are on view.
Bin Haider’s project takes traditional henna patterns as inspiration for a collection of textile works. Using linoleum blocks to stamp layers of hand shapes and henna patterns on cloth, the artist says she wants to “document traditional henna in a contemporary way”, discovering that over generations designs have become increasingly minimal.
“I love everything about henna — the smell, the patterns,” she says, also saying that she inherited this interest from her mother and grandmother. To begin her project, she asked them about popular designs in their day, one of which was Gemsa (also the title of the work), where the henna would be placed in the middle of the palm and then spread by closing the subject’s fists.
An installation work, The people of my mother’s garden, by Abdulla bin Suqat, on the other hand, is less about tradition and more about the fantasy world of Plump’s Topia. Towering white flowers, handmade from tracing paper, fill a room where ethereal music composed by bin Suqat plays. Projected onto the scene are clips of leafy pathways and forests, filmed by the artist in areas such as Khawaneej, plus animated bougainvillea, pressed and hand-painted to resemble butterflies.
Over the years, bin Suqat has built up these fictional narratives that centre on the relationship between a mother (named Queen Alara) and her child. He conceived the idea for the work following a 2013 series of portraits of female figures.
“I was obsessed with princesses and queens, specifically,” he says. “I wanted these women to exist in a different world so no one could question the concept. Then I started realising that each character reflected something that I was going through in my own life and they helped me through it,” he explains.
The artist, who participated in Sikka in 2018, says this year’s event includes a stronger line-up of artists and programming.
“There are so many interesting artists this year. It’s very different from last editions. Going through Covid, I think they realised that there was something they needed to change, and they really elevated their thinking during that time.”
Sikka is also showcasing design projects, including an exhibition on creations by seven students from the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation that look at the circular economy and human development.
There’s also an installation on modular furniture by Omar Al Gurg, whose brand Modu Method is known for its minimalist and quirky aesthetic.
His work titled Swalef takes the form of a model Emirati house, from a terrace and garden area to a living room and bedroom, all created using one piece of furniture made from glass reinforced concrete. One unit looks like an arched stool, and many pieces can be placed secured together to form benches, shelves and beds.
Having shown at Dubai Design Week and 1971 Design Space, Al Gurg says Sikka is helping bring newer audiences to his practice.
Though trained in architecture, Al Gurg says he found interior design to be more fulfilling. “Architecture projects take time. I wanted to work on something that was more instant and that people could interact with on a more intimate level,” he says.
As with any art event as of late, NFTs and digital creations have also made an appearance in sections such as From Desert to Mars, where artists such as Kristel Bechara and Kaiwan Shaban have borrowed elements from science fiction to produce futuristic visions of the UAE.
Turn into another room and you’ll be met by a virtual reality demonstration and other tech-driven artworks, including the Mandarinizer by Jack B. Du. An artist and education at NYU Abu Dhabi, Du studied interactive media arts at NYU Shanghai and has been bridging the world of code and software with art. “I wanted to use technology in a creative way,” he says.
In Mandarinizer, Du’s custom software transforms moving subjects, picked up by a camera and exhibited on a screen, into a flurry of Mandarin characters. Sikka marks the first time that he has shown his work in the UAE, where he has been living for four years.
Until March 24, the festival is also hosting film screenings and concerts, as well as design, new media and art workshops led by local creatives. After two years of germinating, Sikka is back in full-force with a wider remit and more meticulously curated presentations.
Sikka Art and Design Festival is free and open to the public until March 24. More information is at sikkaartandesign.com
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Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Match info:
Wolves 1
Boly (57')
Manchester City 1
Laporte (69')
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
