What’s On has news of another boost for art in Dubai after Emaar unveiled Camels by Donald Greig, three bronze sculptures of camels near Burj Khalifa.


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A new artistic tribute the Arabian camel has been in unveiled in Downtown Dubai.

The three life-size bronze sculptures are the work of Donald Greig and have been placed in the heart of the area, next to Souk Al Bahar and alongside the iconic Dubai Fountains.

The project took a year’s hard work – eight months to create the sculpture and four in the foundry – the result of which are three individual pieces standing at 3m (adult), 1.9m (calf) and 1.3m (laying), and weighing in at a combined 800kg.

The trio were created in clay over a steel and polystyrene armature before being moulded into silicone, casted into wax, dipped in ceramic, and finally topped with molten bronze.

“The gracious and majestic Arabian camel is a reminder of our past and a cue of how significantly the city has evolved,” a spokesman for Emaar, who have positioned the pieces, said. “Donald Greig’s Camels is a seamless fit into Downtown Dubai’s collection of sculptures and artworks from around the world by accomplished artists.”

The artist himself added: “I look forward to viewing Camels in the heart of this magnificent city, which, in my mind, is home to some of the world’s greatest engineering and architectural feats of the 21st century.”

The figures join a growing number of easily accessible art pieces on show around Downtown Dubai, also known as The Centre Of Now, such as Colombian figurative artist Fernando Botero’s Horse 2007, a free-shaped bronze sculpture by Kuwaiti sculptor Sami Mohamed Al Saleh, Syrian artist Lutfi Romhein’s Together, Spanish sculptor Xavier Corbero’s Gathering, and Korean sculptor Jaeyhoo Lee’s Chorus.