Artist Statement
Swimming pools and construction sites. Dusty DIY stores and haberdasheries. The kind that have been there forever – or at least since 2002, when I arrived in Dubai. Jam-packed from floor to ceiling with thread, fabric, tools, and brightly coloured domestic objects, these spaces are crammed with possibility. They are often overlooked in a city best known for its malls and extravagance, but they are among my most cherished places in Dubai.
DUBAI is a five letter word, as is LOCAL. For years, I have been collecting five-letter words – from TRUST to TRUTH, VOICE to GRACE, ALIVE to TOUCH. Five is the limit of complexity for the human mind, according to mathematician Frank Ramsey. Beyond that number the thresholds for order grow at an extraordinary rate – faster than exponentials, faster than anything we can compute. My background in Graphic Design, studied in the 1990s, instilled in me a lasting fascination with the form and meaning of letters, numbers, and words; the emotional power of language intertwined with the visual power of art.
Beyond this, my visual palette and material inspiration are rooted in the streets. I am drawn to the beauty of cracked, stained, and weathered walls as well as surfaces patched with plaster or paint – they read like large abstract paintings. Corrugated cardboard, concrete, sand, rust, tangled wires, weathered wood – all find their way into my work, each carrying a story of time, place and texture.
I am captivated by the ordered mosaics that line swimming pools. Much like swimming lengths of a pool, repetition is central to my practice. The rhythmic act of gluing tiles or stitching, wrapping, knotting – repeating the same gesture over and over – becomes meditative, a quiet form of devotion. Whether working with paint, string, fabric or mosaic, I am fascinated by pattern, rhythm, and the quiet persistence of making.
About Jane Beveridge
Born in Edinburgh in 1976 and raised in Hong Kong, Jane Bailey Beveridge is a visual artist and dedicated art educator based in Dubai. She studied Graphic Design and Fine Art at the University of Brighton, graduating in 1998. In 2002, she joined the Art Department at Dubai College, where she has served as Head of Art since 2007.
Her work is informed by a background in Asian contemporary culture and graphic design, which fostered a lasting fascination with the form, symbolism, and emotional resonance of language. This interest is further shaped by the urban landscape of Dubai, particularly its ever-present construction sites. Drawing on these influences, Beveridge creates mixed-media assemblages that combine painting with mosaic, textiles, found objects, and concrete. She often refers to these works as “five-letter-word adverts”, exploring the intersection of language, materiality, and visual impact.
For more information, please visit https://www.xvagallery.com/.
