Dubai, UAE, 9 March 2022: The second edition of Rethink Art is officially in full swing at Dubai Design District (d3), a global hub for art, design and creativity. Running until Sunday, 13 March, emerging and established local, regional and global names alike will be pushing the creative boundaries with immersive exhibitions and installations, workshops, talks and performances covering digital and fine art in all its past and future explorations. Rethink Art embodies d3’s principal mission to “Rethink the Regular” all whilst cementing Dubai’s position as a global creative capital.

Talking as the event kicked off, Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District (d3), states: “We at d3 are proud and deeply committed to being a community that promotes, inspires, supports and enables creativity – across both established and emerging names.  Our Rethink Art programme this week presents an exciting and enriching line-up of work and talent, and ground-breaking opportunities particularly in the fields of crypto and graffiti art.”

Among the many highlights of the programme is the Icons of Crypto Art exhibition, curated by The 721, and which opened with great anticipation last night. Comprising works by almost 50 pioneering artists and including some of the space’s most monumental works to date, the exhibition represents one of the most comprehensive showcases of crypto art yet. Leading the works on view is XCOPY's Right-Click and Save As Guy, which was released into the public domain by the artist earlier this year and which ranks as one of the most iconic and known works in the space. Further highlights include rare work by a host of artists, including Rare Pepes, limited edition blockchain collectibles that predate Crypto Art and Cryptopunks, the first algorithmically generated NFT collection.

Speaking on the exhibition, Omar Farha of The 721, states: “We are excited to be launching our first exhibition in Dubai, in partnership with d3. Dubai is positioning itself as a global hub for crypto art and d3 is a natural partner for us in this event, with their progressive approach and vision to be at the forefront of the new paradigm of art. Through this exhibition we want to emphasise education around crypto art and stimulate conversations around the history of the crypto art space, and we take great pride in showcasing nearly 50 different artists, most of whom are pioneers in the field changing the way that art is consumed.”

With street art becoming a worldwide phenomenon, a guest project by Alienz Crews, entitled Hypernova, is another exciting highlight. The multi-media graffiti art installation sees artists creating vibrant graffiti on plastic wrap using fluorescent spray and ultraviolet light. A combination of paints transforms the experience from every angle and explores the way people perceive colours and light. The installation will evolve over the duration of Rethink Art and world-renowned graffiti artist, Tazroc, who has been part of the Los Angeles graffiti scene for almost 30 years, is on-site to make his contribution to the design. Alienz Crews is also set to unveil live graffiti activations in which visitors can join in and spray, design, and build on the existing artworks.

Talking on their installation Hypernova, Sam Gauch of Alienz Crews states: "This is our first exhibition at d3 and we are delighted to showcase our work here and see our installation evolve in this space over the week. d3 has given us this platform - they believe in our concept – and we look forward to bringing graffiti art to an even wider audience in the UAE and region.”

Abu Dhabi-based artist Hussein AlMoosawi documents a facet of the nation's architectural heritage in his photography exhibition entitled Façade to Façade. His ongoing documentary project exposes the fleeting nature of ‘contemporary’ style through photos of buildings across the UAE and the eras they represent.

Live performances from eight emerging regional talents also started on the d3 stage. More than 100 artists entered a competition over recent months to earn the opportunity to perform at d3 and the winning eight performers taking centre stage over the coming days.

Further highlights include the True Colors by FLTRD Art b Dubai pop-up and the Authentic Marks & Glow printing exhibition. d3-based Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) also hosts a workshop on “Design Thinking and Systematic Creativity”, which aims to generate creative solutions and create social impact. Visitors learn how to develop a mindset for design thinking structured around human needs.  

For more information on the schedule of events from now until Sunday, visit dubaidesigndistrict.com/the-community/events.