Four aspiring Emirati artists will have their creative interpretations of the Abu Dhabi Art 'wings' logo developed into design products for Abu Dhabi Art

Abu Dhabi, UAE - Abu Dhabi Art has announced the four Emirati winners of the annual Abu Dhabi Art Wings Project for 2017.

The Wings Project is a yearly competition that runs alongside the fair, created with the aim to support emerging Emirati creative talent. Artists and designers aged 18 and above are invited to recreate the ‘Wing’ shape that forms part of the Abu Dhabi Art logo, with the four winning designs for this year’s edition having now been selected. The four artists will receive a prize of AED 5,000 each and a VIP invitation to attend Abu Dhabi Art which runs from November 8th – 11th this year. The winning creations will be also used to create innovative and exciting merchandise sold through The Shop at Manarat Al Saadiyat, exposing the designs to more than 20,000 international visitors during Abu Dhabi Art.

The winners of this year’s Wings Project competition are Shaikha Aysha Saqer Al-Qasemi, Lateefa Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, Nour Obaid Al-Hefeiti, and Shaima Abdulrahman Al-Marzouqi. The winning designs drew inspiration from Emirati culture whilst childhood memories and playful games were also a dominant theme.

“As part of the ongoing Abu Dhabi Art community programme, the Wings Project gives emerging creatives the opportunity to express their inventiveness and showcase their designs to an international audience. We were delighted to see the number of original submissions rise this year and were all inspired by the ingenuity of the submissions that were put forward,” said Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art.

Emirati artist, Shaikha Aysha Saqer Al-Qasemi’s design is inspired by the colours of Abu Dhabi’s official emblem, pinpointing the both the capital as a host and extending an invitation for art lovers to visit the fair.

Lateefa Mohammed Al-Nuaimi’s design is called Connect The Wing, inspired by the classic ‘Connect The Dots’ puzzle from her childhood. Al-Nuaimi broke down the Wing logo into a sequence of dots but with non-sequential numbers, to create a contemporary twist on the design.

Architectural engineer Nour Obaid Al-Hefeiti’s design divided the wing into two parts that complete each other, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s quote: “There are colours which cause each other to shine brilliantly, which form a couple which complete each other like man and woman”.

Self-taught artist, Shaima Abdulrahman Al-Marzouqi, designed her Wing logo drawing inspiration from traditional Emirati clothing and the memory of her grandmother’s black shayla.

The Wings Project first launched at Abu Dhabi Art in 2010 and has had 34 winners to date.

For further details follow Abu Dhabi Art on social media: Facebook and Twitter or visit www.abudhabiart.ae  

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About The Department of Culture and Tourism
The Department of Culture and Tourism conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction that enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike.  The Department manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment.  Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.  The Department of Culture and Tourism supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage.  A key role played by the Department is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.  


About Abu Dhabi Art 
Abu Dhabi Art expands beyond the notion of a traditional art fair, in placing strong emphasis on a diverse public engagement programme, including art installations and exhibitions, talks and events that take place in different locations throughout the year. The culmination of this year-long programme is the Abu Dhabi Art event in November, which provides an important sales platform for participating galleries whilst also offering these galleries an opportunity to showcase ambitious installations and site specific works by their artists to an audience of over 20,000 visitors.

Media Contact:
Aamna Iqbal
Aamna.Iqbal@edelmandabo.com  
052 406 3854

© Press Release 2017