Art Jameel, an organisation that supports artists and creative communities, and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority announce a major programme offering opportunities for UAE-based artists and multidisciplinary creative practitioners to address climate change in their practice. This second edition of the Art Jameel Research and Practice Platform (RPP), supported by Dubai Culture, launches in association with Al Quoz Creative Zone – an integrated creative hub in Dubai – and has a special focus on addressing the climate crisis, in line with the UAE Year of Sustainability and the lead-up to COP28 in Dubai.

The programme awards up to twenty grants that range from AED 3,600 ($1000) to AED 22,000 ($6000) each to UAE-based individuals or collective creative practitioners (nationals and long-term residents). Applications will be considered from artists, filmmakers, writers, curators, illustrators, designers, performers and other creative practitioners whose projects are dedicated to or include a particular conceptual or material focus on sustainability and the environment. Applications are accepted from October 4, 2023 through to December 15, 2023.

Nora Razian, Art Jameel Deputy Director (Arts), said: “This second edition of the Research and Practice Platform, supported by Dubai Culture, marks a significant stride towards fostering sustainability within our creative community. Our collective vision is to support UAE-based creative practitioners who embrace sustainability across various disciplines, exploring the intersection of culture and climate change in pressing global conversations surrounding our shared future. With a forward-thinking ethos and a commitment to innovation, the UAE has become a thriving hub for artistic and creative expression. The first edition of the Research and Practice Platform was so enthusiastically received, and we have no doubt that this edition continues the momentum and passion for investigating all the ways in which culture is embedded in pressing global conversations surrounding the environment we share.”

Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects & Events Department at Dubai Culture, commented: “At Dubai Culture, we are dedicated to fostering creativity and issue-based engagement, and this partnership with Art Jameel exemplifies our commitment to innovation and sustainability. By supporting UAE-based creatives in addressing climate change, we continue to position the emirate as a thriving hub for artistic and cultural expression, contributing to Dubai’s vision of becoming a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity and a thriving hub for talent.”

The Art Jameel Research and Practice Platform, supported by Dubai Culture, launches in association with Al Quoz Creative Zone – an integrated creative hub in Dubai. This edition builds upon the success of the 2020 Research and Practice Platform programme, a collaboration with Dubai Culture that responded to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second edition continues the joint commitment to supporting and nurturing the artistic and cultural landscape of the UAE.

The Research and Practice Platform 2023-24 runs in parallel with the MENA-wide programme Anhar: Culture and Climate Platform, a collaboration between Art Jameel and the British Council. While UAE-based individual practitioners are encouraged to apply to the Research and Practice Platform, organisations are welcome to send their proposals for decarbonisation strategies and collaborative projects to ‘Anhar’.

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About Art Jameel

Art Jameel supports artists and creative communities. Founded and supported by the Jameel family philanthropies, the independent organisation is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and works globally. Art Jameel’s programmes – across exhibitions, commissions, research, learning and community-building – are grounded in a dynamic understanding of the arts as fundamental to life and accessible to all. 

Art Jameel’s two institutions – Jameel Arts Centre, an innovative institution for contemporary art and ideas in Dubai, UAE, and Hayy Jameel, a dedicated complex for the arts and creativity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – are complemented by digital initiatives plus collaborations with major institutional partners and a network of practitioners across the world.

About Jameel Arts Centre

One of the first contemporary arts institutions in Dubai, Jameel Arts Centre presents curated solo and group exhibitions, drawn both from the Art Jameel Collection and through regional and international collaborations.

The Centre is a 10,000-square metre, three-storey, multi-disciplinary space designed by UK-based practice Serie Architects. The building is punctuated by seven gardens, designed by landscape architect Anouk Vogel, which reflect local and global desert biomes. Sitting alongside is the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, designed by waiwai, and a collaboration between Art Jameel and Dubai Holding.

Located by the creek in Dubai's Jaddaf Waterfront neighbourhood, the Jemeel’s galleries are complemented by the Jameel Library, an open-access research centre dedicated to artists and cultural movements in the Gulf states and beyond. The Jameel also includes project and commissions spaces, a writer's studio, an artisan seasonal dining concept ‘Teible’ and the Art Jameel Shop.

The Centre serves as a hub for educational and research initiatives for diverse audiences. Its wider programming embraces partnerships with local, regional and international artists, curators and organisations.

About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is committed to enriching Dubai’s cultural scene based on the UAE’s heritage, and is building bridges of constructive dialogue between various cultures to enhance Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

Dubai Culture is keen on reviving and preserving the emirate's historical heritage and developing the regulatory frameworks for the cultural and creative sector in line with its strategic roadmap 2020 – 2025.

The Authority also seeks to empower the enablers that seek to support talent and stimulate active participation from society members by investing in the various cultural and heritage assets under its remit, including the management of six heritage sites, five museums, Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children and eight Dubai Public Library branches, all of which help contribute to creating an economic system that stimulates the cultural and creative industries.

For more information, please visit the Authority's website www.dubaiculture.gov.ae

About Al Quoz Creative Zone

Al Quoz Creative Zone was announced in April 2021 and aims to establish an integrated creative zone that meets the requirements of creatives from all over the world, and works to provide a suitable environment for them in all fields to enable them to succeed and develop, and to contribute positively to the cultural fabric of Dubai.

Al Quoz Creative Zone is one of the key projects of Dubai’s Creative Economy Strategy to transform the emirate into a global capital of the creative economy by 2026.

The Higher Committee of the Al Quoz Creative Zone approved in October 2022 the master plan for the Al Quoz Creative Zone. This provides a detailed blueprint for developing the infrastructure, public services and spaces, and artistic ecosystem of the zone over the next four years.