Abu Dhabi all set for sculpture event

The six-week event till April 7 will also see a renowned artist from the UAE taking part in the event at the Armed Forces Officers Club.

• Salah Khedr, Director of Operations, Armed Forces Officers Club, Abeer Al Mutawa, Community Services Advisor of Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, and Salwa Zeidan at the press conference in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi: Renowned international and regional sculptors will participate in the Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium (Adiss) starting here on Thursday.
The six-week event till April 7 will also see a renowned artist from the UAE taking part in the event at the Armed Forces Officers Club.
Seventeen international and regional artists will participate in the event, to be held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Students of Zayed University and members of the public will have the opportunity to interact with the sculptors through a series of workshops and lectures during the symposium.
"Under the guidance of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and President of Zayed University, the Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium is truly an exceptional event that marks an important historic milestone and is destined to transform the art and cultural sector in the UAE," said Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, Vice-President of Zayed University.
Adiss, whose theme is "Bridging Societies through the Language of Art", is organised by Zayed University in collaboration with Salwa Zeidan Gallery, while its strategic partners are the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and the Armed Forces Officers Club.
"The response to the announcement of this symposium from artists around the world was overwhelming, resulting in over 400 applications and each artist was carefully selected to give the symposium a multicultural context. The artistic concept of the submitted works ranged from abstract ideas to semi-realistic designs, mainly aimed at complementing the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi, its history, and its culture," said Salwa Zeidan, Symposium Director of Adiss and the Director of the Salwa Zeidan Gallery.
Land within the grounds of the Armed Forces Officers Club will be made available for the sculptors to create their individual pieces using various materials, including steel, marble and fibreglass.
"This initiative is in line with Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed's vision of establishing Abu Dhabi as the cultural centre of the Middle East region by 2030 ..." said Abeer Al Mutawa, Community Services Advisor of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.