Artists and Sheikh Mohammed’s tweets inspire creative synergy at Rashid Centre for the Disabled

In a small room full of easels, paints and canvases at Dubai’s Rashid Centre for the Disabled on Tuesday morning, 25 children between the ages of 12 and 18 looked on in excitement as Hesham Malik explained the process of painting and then let them get their hands dirty.

The 39-year-old Indian artist, who divides his time between Dubai and Bahrain, where he was born and raised, was working on a one-day project with special-needs children at the centre.

“The idea is that the work should be a collaboration between me and them,” says Malik.

The paintings, along with 20 others donated by the artist, will not be exhibited but will go on auction at One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai next month. The event is being held in partnership with Sotheby’s and all proceeds will go to Rashid Centre.

Together, Malik and the children produced four canvases – two of which the artist had already outlined with a Kufic Arabic script, while children painted the background of the other two, which Malik will later adorn with calligraphic details.

Malik, who has exhibited frequently in the UAE and whose artworks feature in private collections all over the world, says collaborating with kids is one of the most rewarding parts of his work.

“In the few hours I have been here, these children have not stopped smiling,” he says. “They are very happy and, unlike adults, they paint how they feel.”

Original article by Anna Seaman

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Artists and Sheikh Mohammed’s tweets inspire creative synergy at Rashid Centre for the Disabled