Held from 26 January to 4 February 2024 inside the area developed for Expo 2020, now known as Expo City Dubai, the Dhai Dubai Light Festival has marked an important step towards the activation of the area, with the aim of transforming it into an urban district for innovation, focusing on people and maximizing social, environmental and economic benefits.
The Dhai Dubai Light Festival, held from 26 January to 4 February 2024, celebrated the variety and interest of the artistic scene in the United Arab Emirates. Curated by Amna Abulhoul and Anthony Bastic AM, the festival examined the value of light in Arabian culture, as a distinctive part of the region’s art and architecture – emphasized by Anthony Bastic AM – through the works of many local artists, including Reem Al Ghaith, Mattar Bin Lahej, Najat Makki, Abdalla Almulla, Khalid Alshafar, Dr. Mohamed Yousif and Maitha Hamdan. Each work narrated the history of Dubai, offering visitors a luminous journey under the immense Al Wasl dome of Expo City Dubai, the main location of the festival. Amna Abulhoul, co-curator of the event, underlines the fact that the festival is an opportunity to honor the spirit of the nature, “telling stories that define the identity of the Emirates.” The objective of the Dhai Dubai Light Festival is to offer an experience that celebrates the beauty of light, culture and artistic expressions.
In particular, Reem Al Ghaith, known for her exploration of urban transformation through the use of mixed media, utilizes photography and an installation to represent the dynamic evolution of Dubai. Her work has been presented in international contexts like Art Basel and the Venice Biennale, where she represented the United Arab Emirates in 2011. The installation featured here was composed of three gateways representing the decorative culture of Dubai: iconic motifs that became dynamic thanks to evocative backlighting to bring out a game of lights and forms.
Another interesting contribution was made by Khalid Alshafar, an artist known for the merger of traditional Arabian calligraphy with elements of contemporary design. The installation presented by Khalid used 24 lighting fixtures in motion and a series of angled mirrors, creating a fascinating canopy of light emitted from a palm trunk at the center.
The monumental installation “Echoes of Memories” made by the Emirates-based artist Najat Makki, known for her abstract and colorful representations of natural landscapes of the United Arab Emirates, projected visitors into an immersive experience. The artist recreated a landscape made of female silhouettes in mutable colors. Strolling through the luminous profiles, an audio installation gave visitors the possibility of sharing the memories and experiences of the artist.
