For its 11th edition, Art Dubai (taking place March 15 – 18, 2017) is continuing to offer unrivalled access to the creative industry’s most exceptional artwork from across the globe. MOJEH looks to the fair’s most exciting highlights that will, once again, shed light on the city’s spectacular culture and heritage.
Real Life Inspiration
Abdul Rahman Katanani has had a hard, as well as unconventional, life. Born in 1983 within the heaving and immensely populated Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon, as a child he escaped daily torment through painting. Today, his heart rendering creations utilise the harsh realities that he, alongside fellow Palestinian refugees, suffered each day. After completing a post-graduate degree, Katanani began to incorporate objects from the camp into his artwork. Bottle caps, rags, corrugated iron and barbed wire are combined to craft elaborate settings of children playing and families socialising, in addition to various natural disasters. This year, Katanani decided to experiment with film and has subsequently produced Art Dubai Portraits, an online series available on the art fair's website, which briefly documents the lives of artists that are participating in this year's event.