Culture & Education | Wednesday 17 October, 2018 3:00 am |

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development for the UAE, recently visited the first international retrospective of Emirati artist Abdulqader Al Rais in Paris. During her visit, the Minister toured the exhibition, organised by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts, heritage, and literature.

Her Excellency’s visit came as part of the UAE Cultural Week in Paris, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, to support the UAE-France Cultural Dialogue 2018/2019. Upon her visit, Al Kaabi was welcomed by His Excellency Jack Lang, President of the Arab World Institute; Eric Giraud, diplomatic advisor at the institute and ex consul general of Dubai; and Rafia Sultan Al Suwaidi, Manager of International Relations Office at Dubai Culture. The UAE Cultural Week in Paris will allow the public to access various elements of Emirati Culture, including art exhibitions and films. The week will also feature a series of interactive discussions to explore cultural and creative cooperation between the two countries.

As part of its vision to serve as a platform for cultural exchange and innovation, Dubai Culture has a number of collaborations that strengthen cultural relations both regionally and internationally. By introducing the cultural scene to an international audience and launching events for global cultural exchange purposes, the Authority focuses on research initiatives, committees, and events, as well as mobilises support to promote cultural and creative collaborations.

Retrospective Abdulqader Al Rais was inaugurated by Dubai Culture at the Arab World Institute in Paris on 25th September and will remain until 21st October. The exhibition provides a comprehensive display of over 50 of the artist’s works spanning from the 1960s until today. It covers various periods in the artist’s career, from his time in Kuwait to his current life in Dubai. Considered one of the pioneers of contemporary art in the Arabian Gulf Region, Abdulqader Al Rais played a pivotal role in enriching the nation’s arts scene. This exhibition is significant as it coincides with the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ initiative and emphasises the cultural heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the UAE’s rich heritage. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilizations and cultures to enhance Dubai's position as a creative and sustainable global city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature, with the aim to empower these sectors by developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally.