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Dubai / WAM
The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Culture, has successfully concluded SIKKA Art Fair 2018, which was attended by a record number of over 45,000 visitors, and saw 1,500 participants at more than 50 workshops.
The eighth edition of the fair was inspired by the ‘Year of Zayed’ and held under the patronage of HH Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture, in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Following the success of this fair, Dubai Culture has also announced that SIKKA will be hosting year-long activities through the “Sikka Around the City” initiative, extending the fair’s programme beyond its official home, the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Commenting on the fair, Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director-General at Dubai Culture, said, “The eighth edition of SIKKA Art Fair was particularly momentous, as it coincided with the ‘Year of Zayed,’ taking inspiration from the late founding father’s belief in cultural diversity, human development and advocacy through the arts.â€
SIKKA Art Fair is the flagship event of Dubai Art Season and the largest contemporary artist-led fair in the region to commission new works from Emirati, UAE and GCC talents.
During this important year, the fair united the community under his values, fulfilled our mandate to provide platforms where local talent can flourish and grow, and brought happiness to all segments of society, in line with our government’s vision of making Dubai the happiest city in the world. It was the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who planted the seed for this vision, and we are proud to be continuing his legacy.”
SIKKA Art Fair is the flagship event of Dubai Art Season and the largest contemporary artist-led fair in the region to commission new works from Emirati, UAE and GCC talents. This year, the fair strengthened the culture, heritage, arts and literature sectors with a rich series of new partnerships and initiatives, and also welcomed more than 20 “Champions of Happiness” from Smart Dubai, in line with its mission to spread joy throughout the community, along with a number of VIP guests.
With the aim of enriching the ten-day SIKKA Art Fair programme, Dubai Culture established a number of new partnerships with leading organisations including the Emirate’s Youth Council, Dubai Police, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, KHDA, and Meraas, as well as with regional and international influencers.
In partnership with the Emirate’s Youth Council, SIKKA Art Fair hosted a Creative Economy Youth Circle for the first time, which was attended by several leading figures from the arts sector, including Sheikha Latifa. Under the initiative, over 30 young Emiratis were invited to share their opinions on shaping new policies for the arts and culture sectors.