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After the Camel Caravan swept into the city in a riot of colours, the Arabian Horse is now on the final leg of its victory gallop. At the gala dinner cum auction to be held later tonight, Patricia McGourty Palmer, director of the Dubai-based ArtWorks ...
and founder of the project is expecting a glittering array of local decision makers and society figures to help the art-meets-charity programme top the Dh5million mark they set the last time around with the Camel Caravan project. In an exclusive interview with City Times, she talks about Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse and the spirit behind the endeavour that has made public art so successful in the city.
Compared to the Camel Caravan how far has the Arabian Horse project gone in terms of generating awareness as far as public art in UAE is concerned?
Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse (DCAH) has not only built on the earlier success of Dubai's Camel Caravan, it has attracted an entirely new audience of horse lovers and art enthusiasts. I'm so thrilled at the increased amount of attention that the UAE's arts community is receiving and I hope that DCAH has contributed to this momentum.
From the charity point of view do you expect the Arabian Horse to outrun the Camel Caravan?
It's difficult to say at this point, but we have received a great deal of support for the project as a whole from both corporations and private individuals. Last year more than Dh5 million was raised for charity by the Camel Caravan and we're hoping to surpass that figure this year.
We are confident that funds raised during the equine auction will exceed all expectations, reinforcing Dubai's reputation as a city where the spirit of charitable giving is alive and well. The important thing to remember is that the charities involved don't just need a one-time contribution as their important work continues year-round.
Will Christie's involvement with the bidding process at this year's auction make a more significant impact when it comes to generating charity-led revenues?
Christie's of London, the world-renowned auction house, supervised last year's Camel Caravan auction and contributed significantly to the overall success of the event. Having recently established a representative office in the UAE, Christie's is bringing an even greater degree of public awareness about works of art and the enjoyment of auctions to the DCAH project, so we're delighted to benefit from their expertise and professionalism again this year.
Could you tell us more about the involvement of local and UAE-based artists in the Arabian horse project?
There has been an incredible response to the DCAH project from both UAE-based and regional artists. Tasmeem, the graphic art agency in Sharjah that has eight beautifully designed horses in this programme. They design as a team and the group is Emirati, Palestinian, Yemeni, Syrian, Jordanian — a great Middle Eastern mix and an excellent group of creative folk. They saw DCAH as an interesting way for their agency to get exposure in Dubai — it's worked very well for them. They also have the Sharjah Biennale account. I think theirs is a very interesting story and I'd also like to inspire more creative agencies to get involved in public art. To further encourage the development of Dubai's arts community, Godolphin sponsored five international artists from some of Dubai's most prestigious art galleries to create their own interpretations of the Arabian horse for display in the Emirate's public parks and spaces.
Among the accomplished artists behind the 'Gallery Herd' is UAE painter Abdul Rahim Salim, who created 'Abstract' on behalf of the Emirates Fine Arts Society. Iranian artist Shaghayegh Arabi's 'Harmonious Movements' sculpture represents the Total Arts Gallery, while Syrian-born Mahmood Hesso has highlighted the Green Art Gallery with his sculpture, 'The Winner'.
European contributions include Norwegian artist Tina Tobiassen, representing the Majlis Gallery with her 'The Majlis' and Susan Mulvaney from Britain, whose 'Bougainvillea' represents the Dubai International Art Centre.
In addition to these accomplished artists, local school children were also invited to paint the horses. Each artist has brought their own individual, highly creative and contemporary interpretation to the classic image of the Arabian Horse.
Who are the beneficiaries of this year's charity fundraising?
Among the charities who will receive the proceeds from the sale of sculptures featured in Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse are the Dubai Autism Centre; Dubai Centre for Special Needs; Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre; Emirates Children's Symphony Orchestra; Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, Al Noor Centre For Special Needs, Medicins Sans Frontieres and the Riding for the Disabled Centre of Dubai.
During the gala evening itself, a cheque for more than Dh300,000 will be presented to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment. This money was raised during the Dubai Shopping Festival's (DSF) 2005 'World Family Commemorative Gold Coin Promotion', where 10-gram pure gold mementos were sold throughout the month-long festival, with one per cent of the sale proceeds earmarked for charity.
What do you think makes UAE so special when it comes to reception that public art has received twice over in the same number of years?
Dubai is an emerging global hub for the arts, tourism and sport — making residents and government bodies much more receptive to public art exhibitions such as DCAH, which has truly captured the imagination of everyone since its launch during DSF 2005.
How many people are expected to turn up for the gala auction?
A glittering array of local decision-makers and society figures have been invited to the gala dinner and auction, and we're expecting more than 500 attendees. Hopefully the majority will be bidding on Arabian horses as well as having a good time.
And what comes next - the falcon, the oryx, or does it still remain a surprise?
We need to finish this project, including distributing the funds to the charities — and that's actually the best part! And then who knows? There certainly has been a lot of interest in additional art-meets-charity exhibitions, both in the UAE and around the region.
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