Following its success last year, DIFC Sculpture Park has been turned into an impressive open-air art gallery once again. Under the theme Tales Under the Gate, this year’s edition features more than 70 art pieces exhibited both outside and inside, which represent a full range of art styles and are created by artists from all over the world. Artworks of prominent galleries (Firetti Contemporary, Leila Heller Gallery, Opera Gallery, Oblong Gallery, Belvedere Art Space, and others) as well as independent art practitioners are also on display.
The DIFC Sculpture Park, which covers the area from the Gate Building and through to Gate Avenue, encourages the use of various mediums: from traditional sculptures and paintings to digital art. Besides, it serves as a global platform for emerging artists to reach a wider audience. “The park allows the public to experience both art and the landscape of DIFC in an immersive and unique way”, Arif Amiri (CEO of DIFC Authority) says. “ The Park invites audiences to step outside of their day-to-day boundaries and open their minds to other realities and perceptions.”
The list of those who are showcasing their works at the 2nd edition of the DIFC Sculpture Park includes British-American sculptor Natalie Clark; British-American artist Anthony James; sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, artist Adonai Sebhatu, and sculptor Gianfranco Meggiato (all three are from Italy); Emirati jewellery artist and sculptor Azza Al Qubaisi; Lebanon-born architect and artist Michel Abboud; graphic designer and artist Emre Yusufi, sculptor Bilal Hakan Karakaya, and artist Mert Ege Kose (all of them are from Turkey); and many others.
What makes this year’s edition of DIFC Sculpture Park special is the amazing opportunity it gives to visitors: they are welcome to admire Salvador Dali‘s four famous bronze sculptures. These are Space Elephant (1980); Woman of Time (1984); Profile of Time (1977), the most recognizable Dalinian symbol; and Dalinian Dancer (1949).
You might also be interested in looking at Formation III: The Dappled Light of the Sun by Conrad Shawcross and in visiting the Open-air Sculpture Museum in Jeddah.
DIFC
Established in 2004 as a special economic zone in Dubai and a financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) markets, the 272-acre DIFC site has grown into an arts hub.
High profile works on show in 2022 have included City Gazing Dubai, a light-art installation by VOUW, an Amsterdam-based design studio and the financial district also doubles up as a creative quarter for twice-yearly art events.