You don’t need to go to a gallery in Dubai any longer to appreciate art – some of the biggest and most impactful pieces in the city can be found gracing the buildings of City Walk. The area has become a giant open-air exhibition, courtesy of the Dubai Walls project, with some of the world’s best-loved urban artists using the various buildings as their blank canvases.
The style of work varies too, which only makes the display more intriguing. While turning a corner can reveal a fantastic, colourful wall installation, there is also miniscule pop-up art to be seen. The materials and techniques used also differ, with spray paint, fabric and props.
Highlights include Aiko, an artist born and raised in Tokyo, now living in New York, who has presented a colourful mural of a Japanese Geisha girl. In the past, Aiko has worked with other famous artists, including Banksy, and taken commissions from Louis Vuitton, Coach and the W Hotel.
Londoner Dean Stockton, otherwise known as D*Face, has brought his pop art skills to the area, with his work regularly selling at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams auction houses. He is also the only urban artist ever to be featured on the cover of Art Review magazine. Stockton likes to focus on the ideals of the American dream and the notions of good triumphing over evil.
Then injecting a sense of humour is Slinkachu, an artist from the UK, who uses miniature figurines to make small-scale yet meaningful statements. Taking model train set characters that he remodels and repaints, then setting up a scene on a street somewhere, images of his work have proven popular on social media and in a series of books. Look for the figures in specific miniature installations, and also in less obvious places, like the tops of security cameras.
A walk around the area could even see you channelling your own artistic vibe. Just as inspiring is the video below showing how each piece came together.