By Carlos Mundy
Disc oriental by Chahine Khosravi. All images courtesy The Jumeirah Creekside Hotel.
“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy Warhol
Enveloped by Lateefa bint Maktoum.
As an international art advisor, I must admit that I was very Impressed with the art collection owned by Jumeirah and on permanent display at its Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai. What are the reasons for a business such as Jumeirah Creekside Hotel to collect art and exhibit it to its patrons?
1. Art creates a culture of Creativity
2. Art boosts their brand
3. Art demonstrates a connection to the community
4. Art is an investment
5. Art provides networking opportunities
Flying Carpet by Halim Al Karim.
Art allows us to see the world from diverse vantage points, which makes us more empathetic civic agents and stimulates us creatively, which makes us better, more productive, more entrepreneurial business agents. Art can speak so subtly that it forces us to think more deeply, feel more fully, engage more wholeheartedly. Art can speak so loudly that it upsets entire governments and sparks uncomfortable but necessary global conversations.
The Jumeirah Creekside Hotel collection consists of works from contemporary artists from Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, and Iran. The collection consists of 4 monumental sculptures, 8 video works, 18 sculptures, 17 paintings, 19 mixed media works and 416 limited edition series.
Belly Raining by Asmae Alami.
The Jumeirah Creekside Hotel is a contemporary lifestyle hotel firmly rooted in the essence of the region’s culture. The hotel designed by architect Hazel Wong and with Magus Designs, a boutique interiors practice established in Dubai by David Moore in 1981, brings together a fusion of contemporary design and distinctive architectural features, with exposed concrete walls, high glass ceilings, culturally inspired carpet designs and a glass infinity pool over the lobby.
Most of the art collection has been specially commissioned to firmly connect the property to the region’s vibrant art and cultural heritage. Committed to providing a renewed perspective on Middle Eastern contemporary art, the collection is playfully placed throughout the hotel and its grounds.
Impasse by Driss Ouahadi.
As a fully integrated part of its environment, the works can be discovered through a series of chance encounters, the collection has been curated by Camelia Esmaili, the founder of l4 Atelier Camelia and it brings together both acclaimed artists and emerging talent from the region such as Harim Al Karim, Rokni Haerizadeh, Kader Attia, Zoulikah Bouabdellah, Tala Madani, Latifa bin Maktoum and Abdulnasser Gharem.
The Ruins by Zoulikha Bouabdellah.
I can only applaud this extraordinary initiative. It is worth staying at the hotel just for the opportunity of discovering the art collection. To be surrounded by an ever-changing display of human creative endeavour leads to a sense of us wanting to identify our own creativity. It also leads to in depth discussions about the works, how they make us feel, how we relate to them. Somehow the art makes us feel better, it enhances us, we are proud of it by proxy! We are most definitely the better for it.
The Hare imagining Himself in his Burrow by Rokni Haerizadeh.
Day 1 Night Pink by Reza Derakshani.
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