Dubai, UAE - September 9, 2024: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in partnership with Art Jameel, an organisation that supports artists and creative communities, announce the ten recipients of the Research and Practice Platform grants programme. These individuals were selected as a result of an Open Call for applications in October 2023, attracting a diverse pool of multi-disciplinary creatives – filmmakers, writers, curators, painters, designers, performance artists and more – from across the UAE. In its second edition, the Research and Practice Platform aims to support art projects that actively engage with the climate emergency in intent, theme, practice and process, with a focus on providing opportunities for UAE-based artists and practitioners. This year’s edition offers micro-grants ranging from AED 3,600 ($1,000) up to AED 22,000 ($6,000) to individual artists and collectives. The Research and Practice Platform is launched in collaboration with Al Quoz Creative Zone and is in line with the Authority’s support for the Year of Sustainability under the theme ‘Today for Tomorrow’.

The recipients are: Fatema Al Fardan; Zara Mahmood; Pauline Doctolero; Akari Yasuda; Zahra Jewanjee; Abubaker Eltom; Marvarid Qasem; Mayssa Kanaan; Kathryn Legaspi; and Datecrete Studio. The proposed projects range from pottery and filmmaking to botany, painting, research, community programmes and public art installations. Recurring themes include water scarcity, pollution, the history of botany, erosion and deposition, oral history and much more.

Khulood Khoory, Director of Projects & Events at Dubai Culture, affirmed the Authority’s commitment to developing skills and encouraging certain practices to ultimately achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, saying: “Through its diverse projects and initiatives, Dubai Culture seeks to provide creatives and entrepreneurs with all the tools that enable them to present innovative ideas and adopt advanced solutions in cultural and artistic fields, and the Art Jameel Research and Practice Platform grants provide them a means to address the climate crisis.”

Nora Razian, Art Jameel Deputy Director and Head of Exhibitions and Programmes, said: “This is the second edition of the Research and Practice Platform, supported by Dubai Culture, and marks a joint interest in and commitment to activating the role of the arts in raising awareness and engaging the broader public in sustainability. The Open Call launched last year, in line with the UAE Year of Sustainability and the lead-up to COP28 in Dubai. We see the influence of these milestone events reflected in the breadth of innovative ideas we received from young, UAE-based creatives, who are deeply engaged with local ecological concerns. We look forward to seeing these ambitious projects come to life over the next year.”

This programme builds on the success of the 2020 Research and Practice Platform, which was developed and managed by Art Jameel, with support from Dubai Culture, and responded to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector. The second edition continues the joint commitment to supporting and nurturing the artistic and cultural landscape of the UAE.