Yesterday, Tashkeel and Van Cleef & Arpels, which sponsors Design Days Dubai, announced Turning Point, the theme of the 2014 Middle East Emergent Artist Prize.
“In its second edition, The Middle East Emergent Artist Prize will draw on a lot of different media and practices, with works from artists all living and working in the Middle East,” explained Anabelle de Gersigny, Tashkeel Strategy and Partnership Development Manager.
Both Tashkeel and Van Cleef & Arpels consequently called upon debuting artists to submit their works in progress, in the form of sketches, photographs, and unedited videos—any type of artwork that is still in the making, and thus representative of a “turning point” in finalizing the art piece as an exhibition piece.
Van Cleef & Arpels will reward the selected winner with both a display of the artist’s work at its stand at Design Day Dubai, and a trip to Paris to attend courses at L’École, the Maison’s institution that teaches fine jewelry design and luxury watchmaking. In addition to this initiative, Van Cleef & Arpels will exhibit limited-edition designs for purchase during the regular fair days, from March 17-21 in Downtown Dubai. Finally, Tashkeel announced its intention to support local designers even further, by exhibiting custom-made design pieces from Latifa Saeed, Salem Al-Mansoori, and Zeinab Alhashemi during the same period.
