To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates in December, the Khawla Foundation for Art and Culture is launching 50 Years, 50 Creators. It will feature Emirati calligraphers, painters, musicians, poets and other artists in a series of lectures, workshops and exhibitions. The aim is to showcase young UAE talent in the many classical art forms that Khawla encompasses.
As part of the initiative, the foundation is staging an exhibition of 50 paintings by Emirati artists at the K Gallery. It will showcase the development of highly refined Emirati culture and art among young people.
Through 50 Years, 50 Creators, Khawla will celebrate the UAE’s golden jubilee, while honouring the long tradition of Emirati cultural and artistic expression that comes alive in books, on paper, in art and a multitude of other ways. This wellspring of creativity never dries up. It increases in scope and value as time passes.
Khawla’s charter is based on upholding art and popularizing culture as a civilized language to bring UAE residents of many different nationalities together. The K Gallery exhibition and other 50 Years, 50 Creators events will continue the theme of Khawla’s exhibition of artists from around the world at the Dubai Opera Studio in September, Unity in Diversity.
The fifty-year life of the UAE has been a journey through light, time and memory. There have been myriad, unimaginable accomplishments, fulfilling the dream of a tomorrow that turns night into day, dream into reality.
What has happened in 50 years took several centuries in other countries. The desert has given birth to skyscrapers, and the sand blooms with progress thanks to this country’s forward-thinking, inspirational people.
The Khawla Foundation for Art and Culture is a star of the desert, with a cultural vision that transcends boundaries and speaks all languages. We look forward to inspiring and nurturing the UAE’s artists over the next fifty years, to this country’s first centenary. God willing.
The 50 Years, 50 Creators exhibition at K Gallery runs throughout December.