TAKING PLACE AT THE MAGNIFICENT FIVE JUMEIRAH PALM DUBAI ON 21ST NOVEMBER 2018, THE REMARKABLE AWARDS GALA WILL BE ONCE MORE ATTENDED BY INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS, CRITICS, ROYALS, PRESS AND MORE…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Recognising excellence and innovation in art and design, the world’s renowned Global Art Awards return for a second successful year at a brand new venue, FIVE Jumeirah Palm Dubai at the Penthouse 16th Floor with the backdrop of the astonishing Dubai skyline.

Celebrating exceptional achievements of artists from across the globe and featuring 16 Visual Arts categories, including Photography, Street Art, Illustrationand Painting, the awards are set to receive significant support from the UAE and global art authorities.

Recognising the growth of home-grown talent in the Middle East and with a special focus on the UAE arts and culture scene, the Global Art Awards will devote three categories to the region.

The Global Art Awards will also honour one artist from amongst the winners to receive the title of The Best Global Artist of 2018, claiming a title for life, and includes exhibiting in UAE.

Amongst the judging panel for these prestigious accolades are art moguls, business leaders and industry experts; Mr Sina Fattahi, Executive Board Member of Royal Front; acknowledged art collector Dr. Farzam Kamalabadi, President & Chairman of the Board Future Trends Group; Ms Dilyara Kamenova, Founder of Alpha Soul, Art & Culture Development Office and curator of the first acclaimed Salvador Dalí exhibition to take place in the Middle East.

Commenting on the awards, Mr Fattahi said, “I believe it is important to recognise the efforts of outstanding artists and provide the arts and culture community with a platform to celebrate outstanding creativity. Arts and heritage are an integral part of bringing people and cultures together.

"The awards are an effort to establish an inspirational international competition on the global stage. They reach out towards a wider horizon, one which embraces talents and nurtures them to their fullest capacity. I am confident that the short-listed artworks will demonstrate a range of unique, creative perspectives and innovative techniques."

Joining the judging panel is Sophie Neuendorf, Director, Gallery Network and Partnerships at Artnet, New York, and Head of the Department of Econometrics at Artprice, as well as Jean Minguet, an expert in the field of art market analyses, who adds, "A prize has the ambition to recognise the contribution of an artist, his or her creativity and virtuosity. It intends to reward all the efforts made. A meaningful award should therefore move the artist as much as it should draw the attention of public institutions and private collectors. It is a miraculous thing to have “The Oscars for the Visual Arts.”

Among the artists shorlisted for the Global Art Awards 2018 are the following:

LYDIA MOAWAD for Freedom- PAINTING category

Winner of the Award of Excellence 2018 in Hong Kong, Winner of the Water, Energy & Fire 2015 Contest in Milano, Lydia Moawad is considered one of the most renowned artist painters in Lebanon. Her works were auctioned at the Modern Art Show in Jeddah, KSA, in 2014 alongside the works of Picasso, Van Gogh and Fateh El Mudaress. Moawad’s works are held in private collections around the world as well as being exhibited in museums in Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, Berlin, Austria, Rotterdam, Florence, Paris, Milan, Kuwait, Dubai, Qatar, KSA, Amman, Agadir, Niagara Falls and many more.

AKSHITA GANDHI for Painfully Concealed Silence- MIXED MEDIA category

An entrepreneur and an artist, Akshita Gandhi (India) photographs quaint lanes and slums of different cities and uses mixed media, her unique style and bright colours to convert them into innovative pieces that bring smiles. It is through this transient happiness evoked by looking at her work that she believes her viewer has already lived an eternity. Akshita is represented by ArtSmileywww.artsmiley.comonline gallery based in Dubai.

ANA SOLANAS for VITAL EMERGENCY - MIXED MEDIA category

Ana Solanas (Spain) winner of Golden Canvas 2014 by Federation Nationale de la Culture Française; International Award Francisco De Goya 2017 and MUSA International Award 2018. Ana is famous for her artworks in sand which are characterised by their depth and expressiveness and her work has been exhibited all over the world. She is one of the Spanish plastic artists to have earned the greatest international recognition, having exhibited her work at Grand Palais de Paris, the Louvre, Paris and the Florence Biennale 2017.

SÈVE FAVRE for Evanescent Aurore - MIXED MEDIA category

Sève Favre (Switzerland) has exhibited in Geneva, Zürich, London, Brussels and Hong Kong. In 2005, she created her first modular artwork on canvas which the public could touch and move. Sève Favre has focused the main part of her artistic work on abolishing the classic frontier between a work of art and a spectator. The keys words that support her art concept are Interaction, Change and Activity: Intervariactivity.

AARTI BUXANI for A True Warrior's Heart over Head - for SCULPTURE category

Aarti Buxani (India) is one of the world's top 100 artists in contemporary art of excellence. Since 2016 she has gained recognition and popularity with her Recycled Sculptures and Shri Yantra Paintings. Singled out for praise by the BJP president's wife in 2018 in India for the ability of her artwork to talk and perform despite being still, she has exhibited all over the world and sold her artworks in Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, UAE, Nigeria and India. Specialising in turning trash into artistic treasures, Aarti finds beauty in abandoned things.
Her nominated sculpture resonates that "A True Warrior fights not because he hates the one in front of him, but because he loves those behind him". This sculpture is a tribute to all such warriors who ruled with their heart over their head, representing an inspirational message as well as a powerful piece of art. It is currently housed at Teatro Bond, India's leading art and fashion theatre in Pune.

A word from Finalist Rima Chahine, Canada:

"My artistic journey began as an art collector and consultant that bloomed into my own authentic style of materializing my feelings, and love for the universe on a canvas.”

Rima is delighted to be a Finalist and will be exhibiting her art at the Global Art Awards Ceremony.

Other shortlisted artists are:

Yulia Altas; Nanda Khiara; Timothy Taylor; Franco The Creator; H.E. Shaikh Rashid Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa; Joyce Moloney, Maurice van Tilburg Glimne; Osama Khalaf; Rima Chahine and Lisa Levasseur.

The Finalists:

All the Finalists are all announced online here: http://www.theglobalartawards.com/finalists-2018/

Awards Gala

The programme will culminate in an exquisite red carpet gala event in Dubai on 21st November 2018 at the FIVE Jumeirah Palm. Hosted by TV presenter Rania Ali, the high-profile evening will see internationally acclaimed artists, art critics, art dealers, art collectors, art fair directors, museum directors, TV & radio personalities, and business leaders in attendance.