PROFILE
SCENE SHIFTERS The Dubai art world is booming, as ever more investors, artists, dealers, gallery owners and collectors are drawn to the emirate by an irresistible air of excitement. Now meet the key figures who are helping to shape what is increasingly looking like a defining moment in time. PHOTOGRAPHY: NADINE KANSO KOLEILAT MAKE-UP ARTIST: ELIANO @ BOBBI BROWN STYLIST: GHADA MELKI
It’s increasingly difficult to ignore the hugely exciting wave of art activity in Dubai. From the multitude of galleries across the city to record-breaking international auctions, from cuttingedge student shows to the mammoth annual Art Dubai event, the emirate has transformed itself into a worldclass hub for Middle Eastern art. Yet, five years ago, one would have been forgiven for thinking that the idea of Dubai competing with markets such as Hong Kong, Basel and Miami was as unlikely as the emirate hosting the winter Olympics in June. The Dubai art explosion is due to a number of factors. Geographically, Dubai has always been a cultural meeting point – and given the current economic boom, there are plenty of art-hungry collectors, and those willing to finance artistic progress. Naturally, where there’s money, there are artists looking for a slice of the pie, and the region’s best creative minds are now setting their sights on the city and looking to increase their profile – and not just in the Middle East. Thanks to Dubai’s emergence as a global gateway for all manner of activity, the rest of the world is in reach too. Over the next few pages, we look at just a few of the key players in a world of art that’s ever growing…
SUNNY RAHBAR, CLAUDIA CELLINI 3RD LINE An effervescent figure, Sunny Rahbar has lived and worked in London and New York and is now one of Dubai’s leading cultural lights. Since founding the Third Line gallery in 2005, Sunny has set the standards for contemporary Middle Eastern art in the city. Today, the Third Line is the Emirates’ leading gallery, bursting energetically into 2008 with a programme chock-full of exhibitions, events, cultural exchanges and much more. Along with Claudia Cellini, an American sinophile who has done everything from founding an Asian art consultancy to running an art café in Tibet, the pair are comfortably positioned at the very forefront of Dubai’s artistic movement. Artwork by Farhad Moshiri. Claudia: Dress by Zac Posen. Shoes by Sergio Rossi. Necklace by Bil Arabi. Jewels by Sogol. Sunny: Dress by Issa. Bracelet by Mawi. Earring by Wendy Mink. Guns by Kuhn Keramik.
__Arsalan Mohammed
84 ALEF MAGAZINE March/April 2008
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