Expo 2020 Dubai is truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment for our wonderful city,” says Benedetta Ghione, executive director at Art Dubai, the Middle East’s leading contemporary art fair. “I don’t believe there has ever been a time like this in which all eyes of the world have been on Dubai and visitors from across the globe come to explore what Expo – and the city itself – have to offer.”
Not only does the Expo provides opportunities for governments, businesses, and innovators to discover the latest global trends, but it is an equally important moment for culture. Alongside shining monuments to human advancement (courtesy of the pavilions), it is a space to discover art and artists from around the world. Here, Ghione takes us on an art tour of the Expo.
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One of my absolute favourite works on the Expo site is Emirati artist Afra Al Dhaheri’s large-scale Pillow Fort Playground. Located next to the UAE Pavilion the installation plays with the notions of memory and heritage as well as play and creativity. Al Dhaheri’s marble sculpture is made up of tikkay, traditional Emirati floor pillows and the installation recalls children building an impromptu fort made of pillows.