City Walk to transform into ‘open air canvas’ for 3D artists

City Walk, the urban living destination by Meraas, will transform into an ‘open air canvas’ for the world’s best 3D street artists to create stunning artworks during the Dubai Canvas 3D Art Festival 2017.

The high-end lifestyle destination, stretching over 10 million square feet, will provide a vibrant venue for artists to create and display their 3D artworks at the Festival. To be held from 1st to 7th March 2017, Dubai Canvas will feature the works of 25 international artists shortlisted for the Dubai Canvas 3D Art Award.

Dubai Canvas 2017 is organised by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), in partnership with Meraas, one of Dubai’s leading holding companies.

3D street art is an emerging art form in which images appear to rise from or fall into the ground when viewed from a specific angle. The optical illusions created by the artist pull audiences to engage with the art more closely. City Walk’s distinctive urban space and creative vibe provides the perfect backdrop for audiences to intimately explore the 3D art featured in the Festival.

Saleh Al Geziry, Vice President, Promotions and Recreation of Retail at Meraas, said: "We are delighted to create opportunities for local and international artists and the public to connect through Dubai Canvas. Urban events like these are engaging for residents and visitors, and hosting Dubai Canvas at CITY WALK will enable us to create a common thread between our unique destinations and the community that will shape urban life now and into the future. CITY WALK already features a selection of street art and therefore offers an ideal backdrop for artists and visitors to socialise, explore, and learn."

Project Manager of Dubai Canvas Ayesha bin Kalli said: "One of Brand Dubai’s objectives is to take art beyond its traditional indoor boundaries into public spaces in order to provide audiences with opportunities to experience it in unique ways. Public engagement is at the heart of the Dubai Canvas 3D Art Festival, and City Walk provides a unique venue for the artists at the Festival to both showcase their art and interact with the public. Our partnership with City Walk also allows us to highlight the cosmopolitan and creative environment Dubai offers as a venue for global art events."

The artists will start working on their creations at City Walk during the week preceding the Festival, from 22nd – 28th February, giving the public an invaluable opportunity to watch them at work. The 25 artists will be competing with each other to win the AED2.3 million Dubai Canvas 3D Art Award, the world’s first award that recognises excellence in 3D art. The Award saw a total of 122 entries from 35 countries.

A jury comprising of renowned international and local artists will evaluate the 25 shortlisted artworks to select three winners. The winners will be honoured at a ceremony to be held at the Festival. There will also be a ‘People’s Choice’ award based on votes from the public.

Dubai Canvas 3D Art Festival 2017 aims to build on the success of last year’s Festival. The 2016 event, which featured the works of a wide array of artists from across the world, received an overwhelming response from both residents and visitors to Dubai.