Mike Davis (City of Quartz) goes to Dubai (via.)
Albus Cavus just visited Dubai to paint with local artists. Diya Ajit, who collaborated with the American art collective, was interviewed about the project in Time Out Dubai: “Dubai lacks a lot of character in terms of the urban landscape. It’s very beautiful and clean, but it lacks personality – you don’t get a sense of the people that live in the city by looking in the city. I think that’s what public art does, it reflects that community within a city. It’s great to do this, but it’s been ignited by Albus Cavus, it would of course be essential eventually that we have more local artists because they know the city and have something to express about the place.”
Research group ArtTactic estimates, “contemporary Arab and Iranian art at auction has increased from £1million in 2006 to £17million so far in 2008, a figure that could more than double by the end of the year. Average prices, says the report, have increased by 260 per cent over the same period.” On Oct. 23, Sotheby’s is having its first ever sale of exclusively Middle Eastern contemporary art. Some names to know: Farhad Moshiri, called “Iran’s answer to Koons,” Mohammad Ehsai, whose “Homage to the Moon” is one of the most anticipated sales, Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, and Sadegh Tirafkan. (Full list of Sotheby’s auction.)
5 Underwater Habitats. The flashiest, unsurprisingly, is in development in Dubai. Anyone want to run off to Maldives with me, and dine alongside the stingrays?
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