Guest artists and performers at the Mangroves Festival

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

We would like to mention and thank all our guests artists and performers for participating in the Mangroves from the Water Festival this year!

Fatma Lootah

Studied art at the Baghdad Art Academy and the American University, Washington DCUSA. Fatma has lived and worked in Verona since 1984. She is highly regarded for having blended art to meld cultural barriers between East and West (http://www.fatmalootah.ae)

Karam Salahie

I was born in 1990 in Aleppo, Syria. My passion for music began when I was a child, I was always interested in many types of music genre specially oriental so I learned how to play the Oud.   I graduated from the Arab music institution in 2008,

I played in many music bands during the time I was at college.  I have  played music with the SharQ orchestra, and many other single performances around  UAE .  At the end I am an  incredibly thankful to have a supportive family that encourages me to keep playing.

Karam Salahie

Mohamed Abou El Naga

A multidisciplinary visual artist, professor, curator and consultant. Mohamed has produced internationally recognised work and created award winning art projects. He is a graduage of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria and later gained a master’s degree in Fine Arts and a PHD in Philosophy (http://www.aboelnaga.8m.com)


Morana Culinovic Kalajzic, Hula hoop performer and flow artist. Born in Croatia, currently living in Umm Al Quwain, UAE. Dancing and performing theatre arts since age 9. Currently teaching hula hoop dance classes at Flowground, Dubai and Al Taleb center in Ras Al Khaimah.
www.oopsmohoops.com

Morana

Sebastiano Sofia was born in Verona in 1986, he graduated in visual arts in Milan. In his work he tries to interact with the natural elements with man-made materials, creating alien organisms. In this sculpture coral becomes saturated with artificiality and color turning into another being.

Joan Stephenson is a certified Hatha Yoga Instructor. Her aim is to transmit the teachings of classical yoga with an authentic approach. Her focus is on alignment and breath awareness, with the goal of bringing students into a state of unity. Joan has studied many styles of Hatha Yoga, including Sivananda, Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow, Yin and Ashtanga.

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Exhibiting artists at the Mangroves from the Water Festival

On By Stephanie Neville1 Comment

We would like to mention and thank all the artists for participating in the Mangroves from the Water Festival this year, the first of its kind in Umm Al Quwain!

Afshan Qureishi

Afshan is a Dubai based artist having practiced for 30 years. She is highly passionate about art in all forms, and although she received little formal training her passion for art and eye for detail has helped her to bring in her own unique characteristic to her art. She essentially works in realist forms and in diverse media including lead, charcoal and graphite as well as oils, acrylics, gouache and molding forms.

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Farah Khan

Farah khan, from India presently living in Dubai, done her MBA and working in a buying house .She looks the world with her camera giving it completely different perspective. Loves to travel and capture the beauty. Photography is her calling, not her profession, and the thing that will undoubtedly drive her insane someday. She doesn’t photograph subjects, she photograph the way they make her feel.image1

Haider Al Qassam.

Haider was born and brought up in UAE, though he is originally from Iraq. He is a member of The Emirates Fine Art Society  and the Iraq Fine Art Society. Haider has participated in more than 31 group exhibitions and 6 solo exhibitions in UAE, Iraq and London. He has received many prizes and appreciation certificates for his work.

Humaira Hussain

BFA and MA (Honours) Fine Arts and Culture – Ireland. Humaira is a Dubai based contemporary artist who trained under Guljee. She was born in Pakistan. She has mastered the genre of nature, specialising in portraying flowers, birds and butterflies in her paintings. Calculated endeavours and exploratory strokes unite discovery and fulfilment. Humaira has made her mark in art exhibitions in Dubai, Ireland, UK and Lebanon.

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Jesno Jackson

Jesno is a self representing Indian artist who has been a painter and illustrator since 2000. Her works are influenced by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Her work is a mix of Realism, Impressionism, Contemporary,Abstract, Pop art, Modern art, Figurative and Floral which creates a unique and colourful,happy style that speaks to all ages. She is best known for her large-size abstract and contemporary paintings. She cultivated her interest in art during her childhood.Although she studied art, she considers herself as self-taught. Now settled in Dubai and working as Art teacher for a international school.

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Marina Roussou

Marina studied graphic design and painting. She did illustrations and DTP on travel and archaeological guides, books and fairy tales (Facebook/funstoria) while selling over 700 paintings on her eBay Art Shop. In Greece, she did voluntary art classes for children in need. Since 2015 she teaches art classes in Ras Al Khaimah.

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Mona Al-Assaad

Mona is a Lebanese Artist with a Sublime experience in the rocky cliffs and towering woods of northern California. Her emotive message is often delivered with fluid washes of color reflective of nature’s ornaments. and cheerfully crowded creations have routinely brought about continuous, incalculable joy to those cherished few whose estates include one adorning their institutional or residential walls. Mona has founded Dubai Art Fans  in 2014, a community of Artists and friends who constantly interact together around  Art Exhibitions, Events .Her objective is share her dream with like-minded art lovers and to reach out to the world with a message of peace mirroring her peaceful life in the UAE where people live side by side in  harmony and friendship. …her artworks are a reflection of her mind and her spirit, shaped by a reality she lives in. She has participated in numerous Art Exhibitions in California, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. www.daf.ae

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Nasrin Al Sanawi

Nasrin Al Sanawi was born in Beirut, Lebanon, Jordanian nationality. Graduated from Lebanese American University.  She is a former World Bank Finance staff for 27 years. Nasrin’s passion to Art and music lead her to study Art in Center of Farid Matta Arts in Lebanon for 7 years. Her explorations in the Art field made me lead her to discover new horizons and potential in her creativity.

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Lara Hussein

Lara Hussein is Jordanian, born and brought up in Dubai, UAE.  She is a self-taught artist with passion for painting. Lara uses vivid colors in a vigorous application to represent the fast changing light conditions of nature.  The love she has for nature is portrayed in her work through an immense energy with which she handles the color with palette knife and brush. Her impressionistic work shows maturity in style and demonstrates a distinct originality. Lara’s recent work concentrates on skies and landscape subjects with contemporary overtones, filled with endless sensations of optimism and hope. Lara’s work is displayed through social media (www.facebook.com/LaraArtCube & Instagram @laraartcube).

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Parul Parasramka

A BFA graduate from the International College for Girls, India, Parul has spent my early days amidst a rich and heady mix of history, culture and natural beauty. And it is to this affinity she felt for such glorious expression of human emotions, that she pursued Classical art training at the ‘The Julian Ashton Art School’, Sydney, which helped hone her skills and get exposure to working on different mediums.

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Seham Kabaly

My work comprises surreal representations that dwell within the concept of Inevitability and our unconscious as a source of art. By universally capturing fragments of our lives that we have lived and would either yearn to relive or never – childhood memories, time, freedom and struggle – I deconstruct these elements, by instilling a dreamlike and unreal quality within them and depict them in a world which I perceive to be perfect, like a Utopia.The Getaway (2)

Shefali Ranthe

One can’t detach the artist from her art when it comes to the work of Shefali Ranthe. Bright colors, vivid hues, strong tones and spontaneous brush strokes are merely manifestation and reflection of her personality. Her special world is constructed and crowded with birds, beasts, faces, figures, and plants, reminding the primordial period in human history, in which every entity was part of a larger community, may that consisted of living beings, vegetation or non-living objects.40x60 2016 The Mangroves Bird

Shrutika Gosavi

Originally from India, Shrutika is a freelance artist and has been in Dubai for five years. Shrutika has a masters in Fine arts and has participated in many National and International exhibitions. She has received numerous awards and a scholarship from Ministry of Culture in India. She recently participated in New York Biennial Art.MangrovesPainting

Siham Kasabry

Siham Kasabry, a Palestinian artist, has been living in Dubai for 13 years. She is a freelancer artist and art teacher, teaches children of different ages, using a variety of techniques and mediums.  Besides her love for art she loves developing people, and recently got certified a leadership and self growth trainer.20170215_222944

With her student Doga’s work:20170124_170814

Vanita Jairamdas Lakhani

Born in Mumbai, India. Studied Fine Art, Painting at L.S Raheja School of Art and Architecture 1993- 1997. Desperate I am for the lush green of ancient trees, the morning call of birds, the fragrance rising from earth at the first rains. Longing fuels my love, passion, appreciation and protectiveness for our environment. Nature inspires and motivates the colors , patterns, textures of my creative life at all levels, fills my heart with gratitude for it’s creator and helps me look up and smile in every circumstance.

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Vivek Nimbolkar

Vivek is an Indian artist who has been awarded several accolades for his art. He has completed MFA in Fine Arts and has done diploma as Art Teacher. He essentially creates abstract art that are inspired by his surroundings and constantly strives to challenge his artistic endeavors. In addition to this, he has published several research papers.vivek mangrove painting(1)

Yusuf Seidu Okus

Yusuf was born in Nigeria in 1973. He obtained a National and Higher National Diploma in painting and General Arts in I994 – 1997 respectively. Yusuf presently operates Lifestyle Art Studio and is also a Senior Art Production Officer in the occupational therapy unit at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City.BACK TO SENDER

Zeinab Slama

Born in 1985 in Alexandria, Egypt, Zeinab’s work is influenced by the abstract art, and works predominantly on stone carving and has a long history with other fields in Art. Zeinab  studied in Alexandria Fine Arts College, graduated in 2008 with an “Excellent merit” with honor, and due to the dedication and success throughout the academic years, and she joined the teaching team and still working there since then. Since graduation, Zeinab didn’t save any effort to be a part of a number of symposiums and workshops in different countries, she participated in Aswan’s Symposium in 2010 and workshops in France on 2014, Greece –under UNESCO- on 2015 and tens of other workshops and exhibitions. Zeinab is represented by collections in Egypt, Greece and France. She was appointed as an assistant lecturer in Fine Arts College in Alexandria, and currently lives between Alexandria and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

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The story behind the blanket. We’ll keep you safe (2016-17) Community Project

On By Stephanie NevilleLeave a comment

The story of the blanket

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We’ll keep you safe (2016-17) is a community project to raise awareness of the mangroves in UAQ.

The idea originated in 2015, whilst preparing for the first Mangroves from the Water group touring exhibition which opened in NYUAD Project Space Gallery, moved to Sharjah Fine Arts Society, UAQ Museum and Thejamjar Alserkal Avenue over a period of 5 months.

It began with one knitted blanket which was a temporary installation in the UAQ Mangroves and photographed over a period of time. This work was called I’ll keep you safe (2015). I then continued to create a few more blankets, which was installed in the Abu Dhabi mangroves on Saayidat Island, and Kalba.

I associate knitting and crocheting with the tender love and care of a mother. It is an act of compassion, nurture and protection — to keep you warm and safe, to wrap you up. In knitting a protective layer for the mangrove trees, it offers a little help to Mother Nature in taking care of her ‘family’.

The first “We’ll keep you safe” open call was in 2016, asking the local and international community through social media to send in 20×20 cm squares of knit, crochet or any other type of traditional craft. Squares came pouring in and the first blanket installed in the mangroves was 5 meters in length. When it was decided to continue the exhibition and turn it into a festival, another open call was placed. This time the response was immense, especially after the public saw the first project and many asked to be included in the next. We had a great deal of interest locally in the UAE and from India specifically. Though we reached much further than this, and received packages with squares posted from as far as Canada and Australia. The tally is near 700 squares received to date. Our blanket is now 45 meters long, which coincides with our goal to celebrate the 45 years Spirit of the Union (as of December 2016).

 

There seem to be a continued interest in the wider public to carry on with this project. As long as the squares are coming in, the blanket will continue to grow — as will our dedication to the whole concept of education, protection and preservation initiated by the Mangroves from the Water team, specifically the curator Zahidah Zeytoun Millie.

To participate, please send 20×20 cm squares of knit/crochet/needlework. Any designs, any colours, any techniques, to S. Neville, P.O.Box 62298, Dubai, UAE.