- What makes you an artist
is that you wake up in the morning
and you have this creative energy to produce.
(synth music)
Dubai has become a magnet for the most eclectic
and talented creative minds.
If I could sum it up in one word,
I would say potential.
(cheerful piano music)
- I'm Anna Devis.
- I'm Daniel Rueda.
- Together, we are architects and photographers.
- Our approach is to play with perspectives and geometry
within an urban landscape.
- And as architects,
we travel the world,
exploring and seeing aspects of buildings.
So we can tell stories to the image.
- We are on a journey to meet with other like-minded
and inspiring creatives in Dubai.
(upbeat music)
- We are exploring Dubai's foremost art hub,
Alserkal Avenue.
Bringing together established gallery exhibitions,
workshops, and studios where grassroots artists
are given the tools to begin creating.
- To learn how it came to be,
we meet with the Director of Alserkal Avenue.
- Welcome.
- I'm originally from Lithuania.
I studied in the States and then in London.
And then the last stop was Dubai.
- I'm looking forward for us to kind of walk around
and introduce you to the creative community of Dubai.
- Alserkal Avenue is comprised of ninety-one
different warehouses.
It used to be an old marble factory
that belonged to Alserkal family.
- I wanted to make a meaningful contribution
to arts and culture.
For me, Alserkal Avenue is about bringing
the community closer to arts and culture
through a variety of art forms and experiences.
(upbeat music)
- The art scene is just taking its steps
and just starting to create itself.
It's so important that there is someone
that believes in a young artist.
There's an incredible homegrown artistic community here.
And really, really talented individuals
that are involved in creating the history
and really producing fantastic work,
that's now becoming more recognized internationally.
- Hi. We saw the workshop from outside
and we're curious about what you guys do.
- We're here doing sneaker customization.
- How does it feel to be working in this space
with all this art around you?
- It's really good.
It's inspiring for us as artists
because once you arrive in Dubai
it feels like everything is super polished.
Once you get to know the creative scene
you realize that you can do whatever you want to,
just need to find the right place to do it.
- To date, we've worked with almost twenty
artists from all over the world.
And so you feel that step by step
we are building the infrastructure for the arts.
Not only for the city of Dubai
but for the UAE and the region.
In the past we produced about three thousand
cultural events open and free to the public,
anything from music to film screening to an exhibition.
And as a result, we saw a rise in our community.
- We had the pleasure to meet with local artist,
Shaika Al Mazrou, who was exhibiting her intriguing
debut works "Expansion/Extension."
Shaika's challenging the perception of the types
of artwork one might expect to find
coming out of Dubai.
- I always tend to say this.
When you're comfortable you tend
to make boring works.
And I like to push myself in this
kind of uncomfortable corner.
So these come in metal sheets.
I see this material and I really
want to change their physical properties.
You start, you know, squeezing it,
changing its norms.
- So funny how you use the word "squeeze"
when you're speaking about metal,
which is not a squeezable material,
so that's amazing.
- Next, we visit JPNF collection.
- A private museum bringing decades
of experienced artist prowess to Alserkal Avenue.
- We're very proud of our space.
It is really designed with abstract art in mind.
Every decision an artist makes affects
the results of their work.
- Totally.
- So whether it is the shape of the canvas,
size of their brush,
- Everything has a thought behind it, right?
- Absolutely.
- We kind of relate also.
We have this super simple images
but at the same time you have all the work done before.
- It's so important to constantly
embrace the history of the context
and the local elements before we're able
to create a story of our own.
- These local artists are proud
of where they've come from
and clearly see where they are going.
To be able to meet with these inspiring artists
felt like we were discovering the beginning
of something special in Dubai's artistic scene.
(upbeat music)
- When it comes to creative talent,
it's so important to create a platform
and the springboard where their work to be shown.
It's this access to opportunity
and potential to realize anything
that you set out to do.
And I think a city like Dubai allows you to do that.
(upbeat music)