Teal Flow, Alexandru Danu, 2020
A collaboration between UNBOX and The Paintly Store offers an art exhibition displaying some of the works of 7 artists in the region. As a gesture of support for local artists, this art exhibition has helped emerging talent to express their work to the public.

A collaboration between UNBOX and The Paintly Store offers an art exhibition displaying some of the works of 7 artists in the region. As a gesture of support for local artists, this art exhibition has helped emerging talent to express their work to the public. UNBOX is an award-winning workspace, which is holding the exhibition that has been running since 4th August to 30th September. The Paintly Store, which is a venture to support local artists, is founded by artist Maisoon Al Saleh. This initiative is open for the public at Bay Avenue. ‘Art during Covid-19 in UAE’ is a chance to see some of the works of local artists, and an opportunity to experience local artistic talent. With the works of 7 artists based in Dubai, this exhibition is a way to encourage emerging local talent, with hopes to support their work. It has 16 art pieces on display from the different artists that have worked on their art during this time. Alexandru Danu, a Romanian artist based in Dubai, has exhibited some of his art in this exhibition. His work is bold and expressive, with vivid colours in an abstract form. With a synchrony of bold colours, his work captures the interrelation of the human condition with the natural world, where he uses abstract art and intuition to express his message.

“I see the paint as a living entity, what I like to do is to take this raw material and give life to it without sacrificing its nature. I imagine the canvas as the meeting room where the colors are chattering,” shares Danu

With block colour backgrounds, and neutral shades of grey, his work stands out with bold colours of teal and yellow, red and green, in a random yet abstract manner that illustrates the nature of intuition and emotion. The work of Ismail CP is also very expressive, evoking feelings of local culture and heritage, using bright, bold colours and graphic designs. He shows Arab culture, love for animals and Arab identity and pride in his paintings. The works of Konan Lim are also included. Konan Lim is a Filipino artist based in Dubai with surreal art. Konan’s artwork is based on surrealism and a nostalgia, where the whimsical emotions that are expressed tell a story using mythical subjects. The painting below tells a story from the expressions painted within the eyes. It is about a girl who collects flowers when she feels sad.

Other artists include Mary Domantay, Marya Merchant, Nada Abdelghany, and Valentina Alexeevna. The art exhibition is held in Unbox Inc. at Bay Avenue and is running until the end of September, from 9am to 6pm.

Written by Iman Tahir