Al Quoz to be taken over by stunning street art exhibition
Al Quoz is getting set to host the city’s first ever Street Night Art – Dubai’s biggest ever outdoor gallery showcasing the work of local and international artists.
Further cementing its reputation as Dubai’s most exciting cultural hub, an entire street in Al Quoz will be closed down on the night of Friday January 24 to make way for almost 50 artists, who will be entertaining the crowds with live painting, music, a break-dancing competition, beat boxing, open-mic sessions and performance art.
Organisers the All Quoz Project are expecting around 3,000 people to stroll along the temporary ‘BoulevArt’ to browse the exhibitions and watch the artists at work. Their finished creations will be auctioned off at the end of the night, with proceeds going towards establishing art workshops for labourers and creating public spaces in the neighbourhood.
Speaking to The National ahead of the event, founder Maria Urrutia, said: “It all began about a year ago when one of my best friends used to live in Al Quoz and we would always get lost when we came here. I felt sorry for the people who live there, that the streets were dusty and ugly, so we wanted to paint the buildings in colour and fill it with beauty — that’s when we founded the beautification project.”
She added: “The whole idea is to have a sustainable event and a high-level of community involvement. We are all volunteers here and have come together with a lot of goodwill. We are a bunch of passionate people who just want to do something for the community. We are hoping it will become a recurring event.”
Official water sponsor for the night is VOSS Artesian Water from Norway. They will have a dedicated bar in the middle of the arena, where visitors are encouraged to get involved in their competition which could see you win a year’s supply of VOSS. To be in with a chance to win, you must upload a picture of a bottle of VOSS in the most creative way possible, tagging @VOSSARABIA and #VOSSDXBSNA.
Street Night Art 2014 will stretch along 4B Street from Time Square to 15 Street from 6pm to midnight on Friday January 24.