Out in the open: street art back on Dubai’s artistic agenda

Recent weeks have seen street art firmly back on Dubai’s artistic agenda, with a stunning and massively successful attempt to claim the Guinness World Record for the longest graffiti wall, in celebration of the UAE’s 43rd National Day.

Don’t get thrown off by “graffiti” – this very old word refers to the marking of letters (usually) on walls, and is associated by some with illegal vandalism. Yet, the incredible artwork on display at the Rehlatna UAE project bears witness to a process of evolution that goes far beyond graffiti as we know it. Much of the work displayed at the site next to Jumeirah Beach Park truly deserves to be described as fine art, regardless of the fact that aerosol spray cans are the medium of choice – and this art form is as valid and striking an addition to our public spaces as any other form of landscaping.

Commentators the world over describe graffiti as “street art” – born of a distinctly urban subculture, mostly appearing on walls facing on to streets or alleyways, and often spontaneous, unsanctioned, unpaid and even anonymous. The artists seldom seek fame and fortune; the work stems from a genuine desire to provoke a conversation, or just to add colour and vibrancy to a blank wall, in an urban environment that desperately needs just that.

With so many bare walls in the UAE vying for artistic treatment, and the slowly increasing acceptance of this truly contemporary art form, we speak to the UAE-based artists Gary Yong, Ruben Sanchez and Madeleine Butcher about the potential for street art to become a more visible part of the landscape of our cities.

Original article by Jane Aldersley

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Out in the open: street art back on Dubai’s artistic agenda