Where Passion meets Poetry

Celebrate the friendship of these two artistic greats to close out Dubai Art Season 2016. If you’ve not had enough of Dubai’s Art Season, the last chance you have to catch it is at Alpha Soul’s Picasso and MirΓö£Γöé Passion Meets Poetry exhibition at the Burj Khalifa annexe. The exhibition goes on till the 31st of May; beyond the prescribed Dubai Art Season dates of 1st March to 30th April 2016. Previously, the exhibition was open only till the 17th of May, but due to popular demand it has been extended. This unique exhibition features the largest display of classical art in the UAE to date. The Picasso and Miro exhibition features over 267 art works of the world-renowned artists Pablo Picasso as well as Joan MirΓö£Γöé; tracing their friendship over four decades.

Curator Sergio Gaddi explains the thought process behind the exhibition and says, “The Exhibition’s narrative path crosses figures and themes that characterized the graphic experience of Pablo Picasso and Joan MirΓö£Γûô, linked with a ‘fil rouge’ which intertwined their lives. However, the exhibition is not merely a journey which tells a dialectic relationship between history and contemporaneity, but also a dialogue between the signs of tradition lived and interpreted by the artists, and the energies that lighted up their creativity.”

The exhibition is a testament to the two artist’s friendship and how MirΓö£Γöé drew influence from Picasso’s work and created his own style owing to his poetic tendencies. It’s titled ‘passion & poetry’ because it’s a representation of the art that these two artists represent. Picasso often is known for his revolutionary approach towards art and design, whereas MirΓö£Γöé’s work is often compared to poetry and elicits a feeling of emotion that knows not limit of space and time. The entire exhibition is arranged in a chronological order and captures the juxtaposition of the intertwining lives and work of Pablo Picasso and Joan MirΓö£Γöé through a series of original lithographs, ceramics and graphics specifically coordinated to flow through a narrative. The exhibition commences with a section titled Creators of Myth and continues on to investigate the works of Picasso and MirΓö£Γöé in chronological order with sections titled: Inventors of New Languages, Jugglers of Form, Poets of Color and Alchemists of Art.

The exhibition is open to people of all ages, including children. Co-Founder of Alpha Soul which is the sole sponsor and which leads the exhibition, Khalid Alhalyan comments that, “We believe that art is a universal language and that it will speak to each and every person that visits this exhibit and hopefully open their minds to other ways of viewing the world. This is especially true of young minds that are still in the process of being shaped and molded.” The exhibitors have additionally arranged 75 minute private tours and art classes at a cost of AED 80. These children’s works are then displayed at the end of the exhibition, giving them a chance to unleash their artistic potential. The tickets to the exhibition cost AED 125 and can be bought on site or online via Ticketmaster. 

The art movement has begun to pick up pace greatly in UAE of late. Studies released by Repucom and the Art Dubai Group revealed that the Design Days Dubai and Art Dubai exhibitions raked up US$35 million in revenues for the country.