Hidden Talents | Uncovering BSBG’s artists in Dubai Art Week

Words by BSBG Media Team, Thursday 22 March 2018

The seventh edition of Dubai Art Week is being held this week, from 17th to 24th March 2018, during which more than 500 exhibitions and activities will be held across Dubai and the UAE in different galleries, malls, hotels, outdoor public spaces and educational facilities such as Al Quoz, DIFC, Alserkal Avenue and D3 Dubai Design District. The week culminates at the Madinat Jumeirah with Art Dubai, an international art fair exhibiting contemporary works from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

To commemorate Dubai Art Week, we asked our creative talent at BSB Group to share their own artistic creations with us for a special blog. We were overwhelmed with the responses and the fantastic quality of work on display. Thank you to all those who went to the effort to contribute!

Enjoy the best of our creative artists, sculptors, designers and photographers, as they share their work, ideas and thoughts on the enigma that is ‘art’…

Scott Orwin - Director

“I love looking at art created by others and I really enjoy the process and the journey of creating my own pieces. What comes out of that process is interesting because on every occasion, the finished work is always foreign to the image’s starting place.”

'Blue Polar Bears’ (Top centre)

“I painted this piece after reading a story on how areas of the habitat of the bear were being affected by climate change. While this mother and cub appear to be relatively happy, the colour for this work just needed to be blue…”

‘Flying Fox’ (Top right)

“Flying Foxes are types of bats that live in Australia and I‘ve been painting quite a few lately. For some reason when I was chatting to a friend, the subject of bats came up, and it just seemed to stick. I enjoy painting seemingly simple images that convey movement in some form and this guy is flying… or about to swoop.”

‘Green Penguins’ (Bottom left)

“Penguins are really interesting as they seem to stand around in groups apparently not doing much, but I think there’s actually a complex level of connection between them all living in such large groups. One of these little dudes has a fish and it’s not really bothering those that are very close.”

‘Prayer’ (Bottom right)

“This is an image of an Australian criminal by the name of Ned Kelly who lived around the end of the nineteenth century. He manufactured himself a suit of armour to help avoid bullets which were fired at him by others. My painting depicts Ned (in his armour) looking for a little help I guess.”

Sreejit Shashi - Senior Structural Technician

“For me, art is something that inspires people, something that transports us into different realities…”

'My Baby Boy is on Canvas’ (Top centre)

"A painting of my son..."

'Ancient Statue' (Top right)

"Sculptors detail them, eyes capture them."

'I Don’t Know Where I’m Going' (Bottom)

"Remembering someone saying, ‘silence is the most powerful scream'"

Ahmad Al Homsi - Interior Designer

"Art to me is like a sanctuary from this busy crowded world to the unlimited space of imagination."

Beauty in Heritage (Top centre)

Catching Details (Top right)

'Nature' (Bottom left)

"It always impresses me with its magic and how it creates perfect beauty by gathering small random elements. That's what has motivated me to reflect this concept using the small sketchy lines to form the full image."

'Chained' (Bottom right)

Mark Vaughan (MCIAT) - Lead Architectural Technologist

“To me art is a form of expression, outside the day-to-day confines. Life can be suppressive, often making it difficult to truly understand ‘the wood through the trees’. Art to me gives an alternative route when seeking to understand and express.”

‘An object out of place’ (Top centre)

Abstract acrylic painting on canvas.

"This painting was an improvisation of expression, resulting in the right decision.”

‘Mystery’ (Top right)

Figurative acrylic painting on canvas.

‘Hard times shared by good friends’ (Bottom left)

Graphite/charcoal. “The clue is in the name.”

‘Clay Pot - (Synthesis)’ ('Back' - Bottom centre and 'Front' - Bottom right)

Clay pot designed, constructed, then painted with acrylic

“The shape is inspired by and based on the Russian artist Vasily Kandinsky’s later work, which is very geometrical, using a range of shapes. The base is engraved/painted with his earlier work representing his foundations and the top with his later work representing the maturity of his style. The design of this piece is a play on multiple juxtapositions.”

Chiragh Bhatia - Architect

‘Contrails’

“A juxtaposed view of old town looking towards the new. For most people like myself that grew up here in Dubai, it is almost a mirage how it has changed. Kind of how the new part of town appears in this image. At the same time, this has always been a dynamic city, always on the move, so the evolution is hardly surprising…"

John Weston - IT Manager

“Art is something that has no real purpose other than that what it is. Art is sensory.”

‘Hidden’ & ‘Shadow’ (Top right & bottom left)

“A friend wanted his portrait photos taken. I wanted something creative. We met in the middle.”

‘Alina’ (Middle left)

“A makeup artist friend asked for some photos. She wanted sultry and moody. She got this.”

‘Mango Seller’ (Middle right)

“To me the shot is more about what you don’t see; what’s not in the frame. The surroundings hint at it, but we can’t be sure.”

‘Old’ (Bottom right)

“During a recent trip to Paris, I was sat on the top of a moving bus and happened to see this shot. I stood up, took one shot, and hoped it came out.”

Gabby Fernando - IT Assistant

‘The Last Jedi Master’ (Top right)

“I used Photoshop with this scene from Star Wars VIII - The Last Jedi, which to me is one of the best and most iconic scenes in the whole Star Wars movie series. I used cloning and then a watercolor action effect for the sky.”

'Explore' (Bottom left)

'Precious Gift' (Bottom right)

Reagan Lu - Senior Architect

“Art brings joy and unexplainable satisfaction to people when they see it, touch it, and feel it. There are no rules!”

‘Lightning McQueen’

“One of my hobbies is customising or painting over anything, like shoes, bags or toys (mostly for my wife). This one is very special because my wife is very fond of Lightning McQueen from the Disney Pixar animated film ‘Cars’. She has a big collection of Lightning McQueen collectibles. I bought this plain white vinyl toy seven years ago (pictured top right) at the first Comic Con here in Dubai, but hadn’t had the chance to start it, so one day when she was away on a business trip I painted it and surprised her with this. The joy of seeing her so surprised and happy when she saw it was priceless!”

Gabrielle Robles - Senior Architect

“Art for me gives life to anything, like how colours create emotions…”

‘Roofs’ (Top right)

“This is a sketch I made on my iPad Pro during some of my rare free time.”

‘Elise - Little Brat’ (Bottom centre)

"Another sketch I made on the iPad Pro. My favourite little daughter's look when she doesn’t get what she wants.”

'Joker McJoker' (Bottom left)

"I was eating a McDonald’s while watching Batman. Came up with this cross-idea and drew it on a piece of paper.”

'Iron Lise' (Bottom right)

"Had a vision of my daughter inside the Iron Man suit battling the bad guys. Drawing was done on the iPad Pro."

Charlotte Wareing - Brand Manager

“Art is liberating - it’s whatever you want it to be, there is no right or wrong.”

'Long live print' (Top right)

“Where typography truly shines… on paper. Combining typography, texture, letterpress, foil – a real passion of mine. The results are endless but the real beauty for me is how tactile this media is in today’s digital word. For typography enthusiasts, check out the ‘Kerntype’ game: http://type.method.ac/ … what’s your score?!”

'When music and art come together' (Bottom right)

“Music is art and art is music – typographic print with subtle emboss and spot UV varnish applied to the lyrics.”

Jemar Valencia - Junior Graphic Artist/Designer

'Archer' (Top right)

“We can reach our goals in this life with focus and determination, just like the archer and his/her bow… The arrow can travel through thin air, faster than our eyes can see. Sometimes an archer misses but they still have only one goal in mind, to hit the centre of everything, every time.”

‘Warrior’ (Middle right)

“This piece is a representation of us as people against the wealthy businessmen that hide behind their greed. We all have the strength, passion and bravery of a warrior somewhere deep inside, but it remains confined to within, as we instead let our centralised society control everything for us; from what we eat, to what we believe, what we are allowed to watch, and how we must live our lives…”

‘The Woman and the King’ (Bottom right)

“This piece depicts man and woman, with man being the king, represented by the lion. Despite progress being made in offering equal opportunities, man is still seen as ruling everything. I believe that women can do anything a man can do; a lot of the time they do it better!”

‘7 Deadly Sins' (Bottom left)

“Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future… We are all only human, I designed this for a streetwear clothing brand in the Philippines called Vendetta."

Ravi Madurai – Project Engineer

Sea Creature (Centre)

Apple (Right)

We did ask for your own artwork but we suspect Ravi has had some help from a family member with his... Nevertheless, these are great contributions!

Find out more about Dubai Art Week

To learn more about Dubai Art Week events and exhibitions, please click here.

BSBG Media Team

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