Running until 9 February, the festival features over 450 workshops and talks covering arts, design, architecture, visual storytelling, and traditional crafts. The event supports the Dubai Quality of Life Strategy, ensuring a rich cultural experience for attendees. The festival’s sessions are led by industry experts and artists, offering valuable insights and practical training. Al Shindagha Museum, the UAE’s largest heritage museum, has been transformed into a dynamic hub for creativity.

Sikka Art & Design Festival : Hands-On Artistic Workshops

The festival offers workshops tailored to various creative disciplines. Emerging City is hosting Gypsum Art, where participants explore gypsum carving techniques. The Traditional Jewellery House presents Jewellery Making: Marriyah (Necklace), providing hands-on experience in crafting traditional ornaments.

Visitors at the People and Faith House can join Henna Stencil and Prayer Bead Crafting sessions. The Traditional Crafts House introduces Spindle, a workshop on hand-weaving using traditional tools.

At House 355 – Masterpieces, creativity takes center stage with Graffiti Art: Express Yourself with Spray Paint, where participants learn graffiti fundamentals from a professional artist. House 341 – Realiity House offers Doodles & AI, transforming simple sketches into digital art using artificial intelligence. The Glitch Art session explores creative distortions inspired by digital effects.

Workshops at House 314 by Sxill Lab include Handmade Tile Making and Cheese Board Design. Meanwhile, House 326 – Sikka Platform presents sustainability-focused sessions such as Sustainability Now: Eco-Friendly Solutions and Perfume Making for Adults. At House 15, Tashkeel hosts modern printing workshops like Hand Printing on Bags and Riso Printing.

Sikka Art & Design Festival : Music, Writing, and Storytelling

At House 196 – Urban House by The Workshop DXB, singer Shilpa Ananth leads Unlocking Authenticity: The Psychology of Songwriting. The session delves into emotional and experiential influences on songwriting, helping participants refine their music composition skills.

The Merin Pavilion hosts Letters to the City: Writing Public Spaces, where attendees reflect on meaningful locations in Dubai by writing personalized messages dedicated to them.

Inspiring Talks and Creative Discussions

The festival includes Sikka Speaks, a dedicated space featuring leading creatives discussing industry trends. Highlights include:

• Creative Minds: Art Therapy for Young Explorers – Art therapist Caline Boghos guides children through therapeutic practices and imaginative play.
• Immersive Magic: Where Art, Music, and Technology Transform Experiences – A panel featuring Anna Lebedeva, Jalal Luqman, Maryam Al Obeidli, Denis Rosiev, Evgenia Romanidi, and Nicholas Mann, moderated by Elias Attallah.
• Decoding Humour: The Art of Multicultural Comedy in Dubai – Featuring comedians Shadi Jad and Saniya Abbas, moderated by Liz Baines.
• Artistic Intervention in Satwa: Tracing Urban Nostalgia – A discussion led by Khalil Abdulwahid and Karim Jabbari.
• Go Global! International Opportunities & Strategies for Dubai-Based Artists – Moderated by Sophie Mayuko, featuring Sanaz Askari, Giuseppe Moscatello, and Behrang Samadzadkan.

A Collaborative Effort

The festival is organized in partnership with Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Civil Defence, and the Emirates Council for Rural Development. This collaborative effort ensures a world-class platform for artists, designers, and cultural enthusiasts.

With an extensive lineup of workshops, talks, and exhibitions, Sikka Art & Design Festival 2025 continues to establish Dubai as a leading creative and cultural hub.

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Unspoken boundaries

Abu Dhabi Art goes beyond the concept of a traditional art fair, focusing on a diverse public engagement program that includes art installations and exhibitions, discussions, and events held throughout the year in various places. They recently announced Emirati artist Farah Al Qasimi as the artist for their 2022 Visual Campaign. “Abu Dhabi is my home, and Abu Dhabi Art was one of the first major art events I attended when I moved back home after college, so it’s amazing to be picked for this year’s visual campaign,” Farah, who was recently featured in The New York Times, said. I’m glad to be able to share some of my work with and for the Emirates.

The photographs in her campaign are from a variety of projects, illustrating the breadth of her technique, which ranges from watching the actual world to creating still lives and collages in the studio. “There’s also a link between performance and gesture,” she continued. She investigates the unwritten societal conventions and values entrenched in a place, a time, or an object through her vivid and vibrant images. Her thought-provoking photographs invite viewers to sense the unwritten restrictions that control the settings they see. Farah’s art is now on display at the Cultural Foundation of Abu Dhabi in an exhibition called Farah Al Qasimi: General Behaviour, which features photographic and video-based works from 2012 through 2021.

Creative, chicken wings

You only have a few days until May 10, to participate in Wingstop’s worldwide #ArtisFlavor Challenge if you’re a gourmet who wants to let your creative side fly. The restaurant is regarded for serving one of the best-flavored chicken wings in the UAE. It’s an open invitation for artists to showcase their skills, with the winner earning a year’s worth of chicken wings. Create artwork that demonstrates how ‘ART = FLAVOR’ while also expressing Wingstop’s brand feelings—bold, dynamic, cool, and flavor-packed. “As the UAE develops as a worldwide hub for promoting art and culture, the contest will serve as a platform for new artists in the country to demonstrate their talents and be recognized for them,” said the organizer.

Best-selling book live on the stage

The internationally acclaimed children’s show Dear Zoo is coming to The Theatre, Mall of the Emirates (May 25-28). This event is another of Art For All’s attempts to focus on constructing an exceptional family theatre program, which begins at the earliest ages and lasts a lifetime. Dear Zoo, written by Rod Campbell, produced by Norwell Lapley Productions, and directed by Michael Gattrell, will feature child-friendly puppets, original music, and audience participation. The performance would be appealing to anyone who likes the book. Since its original publication in 1982, Dear Zoo has charmed generations of young readers and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

The post This week in Dubai: Be part of the three amazing art events appeared first on Magzoid Magazine.