MF Husian, the 94-year-old Indian artist who relinquished his passport for Qatari citizenship following a backlash from right-wing Hindu extremists in his homeland, will be the chief guest at the Hues of Harmony exhibition at the InterContinental Hotel, in Dubai's Festival City.
"Despite years of unsettlement between the two countries, art is a means to open dialogue and promote unity amongst mankind," said Jyoti Karmali, the exhibition's director.
"Indian and Pakistani art is becoming increasingly visible at art exhibitions across the globe.
"Many people do not realise the strong inter-connection between the two cultures, and how this is portrayed in the artwork of both Indian and Pakistani artists alike."
The exhibition will have a private opening on Saturday featuring a performance by the artists Fahim Hamid Ali from Pakistan and Achyut Palav from India, who will create two works to the beats of Sufi music.
The two paintings will then be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to The Children's Hope Foundation, a Dubai charity for impoverished children.
On Sunday and Monday, the exhibition will be open to the public for free from noon until 10pm.
"We mustn't build borders, we are neighbours," said Zainab Mirza, a 25-year-old Indian abstract artist who lives in Dubai.
The exhibition marks her debut show.
"It's just the politics that have caused this drift.
"The border divides us, but culturally we follow the same things."
She will be selling her work starting from Dh4,000 to Dh25,000.
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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