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Artists
“I whisper vibrant tales of beauty in diversity against monochromatic silences.”
Kristel Bechara, a renowned visual artist based in Dubai, is celebrated for her vibrant art that contrasts dynamic patterns and vibrant colours with monochromatic backgrounds.
Originally from Lebanon, Kristel Bechara has established herself as a renowned contemporary artist for over fifteen years in the UAE. She has earned international recognition with exhibits from Tokyo to London and has been featured in major publications like Forbes and Harper’s Bazaar ART.
A pioneer in integrating NFT technology, Kristel is recognized as one of the first Middle Eastern female artists to venture into this realm. Collaborating with global brands such as Lenovo and Samsung, she underscores themes of innovation and empowerment.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Susan Kosti is an international media artist and motion graphic designer working globally. Her works include large-scale public artworks and projection mappings that combine light, music and language to recall emotional responses and perspective shifts in the minds of her audience. She started her career in 2010 as a video designer for live events and since then she has developed a distinctive visual language, born from a high-detailed mixture of unique forms, graphic design and animation.
Her visual installations were presented at Free Fire Guiness Record Las Vegas, Moment Factory, Tokyo Disneyland, United Arab Emirates National Days, and Müpa Budapest among others. In 2023 she debuted her new data visualization project for the largest light festival in the world, Vivid Sydney.
Collaborations with kanvas:
The Arts Network is the first professional repertory theatre company in the United Arab Emirates. It comprises highly experienced professional performing/creative artists based in the UAE, professionally trained performing arts graduates from the MENA region, and international guest artists. Along with producing new and original theatre pieces, the Arts Network also connects artists worldwide. It provides them with support and opportunities in the theatre industry to collaborate, connect, learn, and develop throughout their careers.
Amy Jessop, the Artistic Director of TAN is a UK-born performance artist and coach, now based in Dubai, UAE. She has strong links to the theatre industry, predominantly in London’s West End and has worked in the education space for over 15 years. Amy graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London with a BA (Hons) degree in Performance.
Gemma McMeel, the Creative Director of TAN is a Northern Irish-born actress, who graduated from Arts Educational Schools, London in 2017 with a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre. Gemma is currently based in the UAE and is passionate about the growth and development of the arts across the region. She is currently a Senior Acting and Singing Lecturer for Urdang International providing weekly vocational training across colleges in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Gemma is also the Vocal Director of Wellington Singing Scholars, which runs throughout the GEMS Wellington Cluster.
Collaborations with kanvas: coming soon
Jérémy Oury is a French sound and visual digital artist who combines audio and visual skills to make singular digital forms such as architectural mapping, immersive full-dome, light installations and original theatre creations. He focuses his artwork on research about illusions from geometric distortions, on the synaesthesia between sound and video, and on immersive forms in order to place the viewer at the center of a minimalist virtual universe to disrupt their perception of space.
Since 2014, his artwork has been awarded in various international video mapping festivals (FIMG 2015, Luz y Vanguardias 2017, Skopje 2019) and fulldome festivals (HIFF 2022, Macon 2019, Fulldome Festival Jena 2018). His work has been introduced in many digital festivals and exhibitions including MUTEK MX 2022, Mapping Festival 2021 and 2023, ISEA 2019, FILE Festival, +CODE, Domo Lleno, and many others.
He also promotes fulldome production with the curation for the Sous dôme festival in Paris.
Collaborations with kanvas: coming soon
Vernissage is a curated digital art gallery and professional network founded by a dynamic art-lover couple, Richard and Tatiana Zalan. It provides a platform for emerging digital artists, with the aim of bringing together creatives, professional investors, curators and other art professionals. The main idea is to allow collectors to recognize artists’ potential before they become stars. Conversely, artists can get global exposure on the Vernissage platform, which may not be easy in the initial phase of their careers.
During the Vernissage exhibition at kanvas Dubai in early November 2023 entitled “Technology and Humanity Canvas”, carefully selected digital artists creatively merge their art with technology.
Collaboration with kanvas:
Féminin Pluriel (“Feminine Plural”), is a collective of French women artists based in Dubai, founded in 2020 by artist Geraldine Lenogue (@geraldine.lenogue) and with the help of the French Social Club (FSC). Sharing experiences and knowledge is at the very heart of the groupwhich is united by a common language, “Art”.
The team of artists focuses on supporting each other while embracing new challenges. The diversity of their disciplines such as painting, photography, ceramics, digital art, drawing and mixed media is the true wealth of the collective.
Creative minds influence creative work. As a result, a series of exhibitions have sparked across Dubai: “Visions of Femininity” at the Alliance Française (February 2022), an exhibition that was later shown at the French Pavilion of Expo 2020 and at the Sofitel Downtown (September 2022). In November 2022, they presented their second exhibition “Interpretation” at Deep Gallery, Dubai, while inFebruary 2023 the team exhibited again at the Alliance Française with a new theme “Together”, featuring the talented Nujoom Alghanem and some of her fabulous works.
From 17 November to 2 December 2023, the collective will introduce Chapter 1 of its new theme: “Beyond the City” in collaboration with kanvas. Each artwork, created for this exhibition offers a vision of contrast between the City and Nature, a strong commitment in line with the year of COP28 in the Emirates.
Featuring: Agnès Sheikh, Alexandra Raynaud, Alison Ladegaillerie, Bénédicte Joland-Chazelle, Bénédicte Leymonerie, Bianca Dolman, Clémence Powney, Julie Migayron Arfaoui, Karine Roche,Valérie Schmitt-Manouvrier (Manou)
Collaboration with kanvas:
Julie E Gordon (AKA Julie Valentine) is a versatile artist, voice performance director, and producer whose talents have led her on a profound creative journey. Wearing multiple hats, including CEO, singer-songwriter, performing artist, actress, radio host, producer, director, and artist liaison consultant, she has soared to new heights in her creative independence. At the helm of TheVocalPod, a voice development enterprise, Julie serves as the director and development consultant, shaping impactful projects that have made waves across the UAE.
Although Julie’s work often operates behind the scenes, her influence is palpable, collaborating with established artists and lending her skills to live bands and producers. Her prowess as a songwriter is evidenced by her contributions to celebrities and releases under prestigious labels such as Sony, EMI Universal, and Warner. Julie curates a carefully selected portfolio, showcased to a limited group of professionals, attesting to her artistic excellence.
In her role as an entrepreneur, Julie draws from her extensive experience in session work to lead a company specializing in vocal styles, empowering both emerging and established artists to shine. Her recent collaboration with the acclaimed immersive incubation hub, kanvas Dubai, has garnered significant attention in the realms of music and art. Through her coaching and support, Julie has nurtured an eclectic portfolio of original compositions tailored to the unique personalities of four young individuals based in Dubai. These talented individuals have harnessed their creativity to captivate audiences citywide, a testament to the combined efforts of kanvas and TheVocalPod in realizing the ambitions of these budding artists, who are undoubtedly destined for more stellar performances in the future.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Astrid Lesuisse, a French creative arts specialist, landed in Dubai in 2020 with notable fine arts experience from working with different amazing galleries, art fairs, hotels and companies in art: curating art exhibits, managing artists, selling fine art, conceiving collaborative projects, organizing events, and implementing fully integrated campaigns.
Since then, she has been contributing to Dubai’s growing prominence as a leading cultural and arts hub. She has been working towards making art accessible through original, creative and inspiring concepts.
Over time, Astrid has established herself as a reputable figure in the art scene, particularly for her work with a diverse range of innovative Emirati and UAE-based international artists. She represents both emerging and established artists who possess strong theoretical and aesthetic foundations. Her curatorial approach is collaborative and multicultural, reflecting her deep commitment to the artists she represents. She also builds close relationships with galleries, collectors, and brands on a global scale.
Given her international background, Astrid is passionate about nurturing new talent by providing artists with a dynamic and inclusive platform to introduce their work to local and global audiences. She collaborates closely with other curators, collectors, developers, designers, and architects to develop unique and exciting exhibition and collection concepts. Therefore, she is capable to understand your needs as an artist, an art enthusiast, a collector or a collaborator, and provide an ultra-personalized service.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Harshini J. Karunaratne is a Sri Lankan-Peruvian digital artist working at the intersections of film, theatre and technology. Rooted in a practice of artistic research and performance, she develops projects that explore themes of eco-grief, gender, the body and afterlife. Harshini’s explorations are centered in the visual, combining a background in photography with VJing, utilizing Resolume and TouchDesigner primarily to create interactive and real-time performances. She is a graduate from New York University Abu Dhabi where she pursued a double major in Film & New Media and Theatre.
Harshini has had her work shown in the UAE, Italy, Germany, Japan, Peru, Greece, at the FILE Festival in Sao Paulo, Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada and at Art Dubai. Based in Berlin, she is a lecturer at the University in Europe for Applied Sciences and at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, specializing in media theory and performance studies. Harshini is also the organizer and lead curator for MANIFEST:IO, a symposium for new media and electronic art that launched in Berlin in February 2023.
Collaborations with kanvas: coming soon
Sébastien Labrunie is a French multi-disciplinary visual artist born in 1982. He specializes in crafting immersive installation art, 360 fulldome films, music videos, experimental VR experiences and live A/V performances. Using a mixed media collage approach, he blurs the boundaries between digital and analog realities to create sensory experiences that explore human perception through organic textures and light. Blending surrealist and impressionist techniques within digital art, his work often carries a contemplative and spiritual dimension, especially perceptible in his large-scale installations.
He recently won the Audience Award for his short film “Jacinthe.xyz” at the SATFEST 2022 Fulldome Festival screened at the Satosphere in Montreal.
Collaborations with kanvas: coming soon
The Azerbaijani-American multi-disciplinary artist, architect, designer and philosopher represents the 3rd generation of the Salakhov dynasty of artists. Science fiction has fascinated him since childhood, and most of his creative insights are related to the future.
His art is more than just a collection of creative works; he was the first artist in the world to apply quantum mechanics, superstring theory, integral theory of consciousness, multiverse theory and the methodology of developing cosmic civilization by stages on 8 levels of consciousness evolution, covering all areas of human activity from architecture to space exploration in fine art. Kaikhan is the founder of Astral Space Exploration, a cosmological meta-narrative that aims to explore the cosmos and gain a deeper understanding of the universe, ultimately benefiting humanity. He has developed his own unique style of art called Astral Space Exploration: Cosmocybernetic Art.
The main representative of Astral SpaceX is T.A.H.I.R.A – 108, a family robot created by Kaikhan as a tribute to his grandfather, Tahir Salakhov, an internationally renowned artist. T.A.H.I.R.A – 108, also known as Transcendental A.I. of the Holarchic Integral Radiant Awareness, is an advanced anthropomorphic robot in a female form that also serves as a receptacle for the consciousness of all generations of the Salakhov dynasty. T.A.H.I.R.A – 108 is an A.I. who helps us reach the highest peak of spiritual development, but also protects life forms to maintain peace in the multiverse and prevent their extinction.
Collaborations with kanvas: coming soon
Ram Nath is a seasoned Show Director and Curator, boasting a career that spans over 18 illustrious years. Throughout his journey, Ram has adeptly overseen a myriad of events spanning diverse divisions, countries, and platforms. From meticulously choreographed events to grand commercial extravaganzas, resounding concerts, vibrant festivals, and captivating exhibitions, Ram has consistently demonstrated his mastery in crafting engaging and immersive experiences.
His multifaceted role has encompassed curatorial brilliance, strategic planning, seamless execution, technical finesse, stage management, artist hospitality, seamless streaming and broadcasting. Moreover, his prowess extends to the creation of stunning 3D concepts for experiential events, adding a unique visual dimension to his creative endeavors.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Kati Katona is a Budapest-based multimedia artist. Her work focuses on generative and 3D animation, interactive installation art, and projection mapping. Most of Kati’s artworks are heavily inspired by the elements of nature, biomorphic structures, patterns and algorithms. As a visual artist, she has performed at audiovisual festivals such as the Live Cinema Festival and Patchlab Festival. Her artworks have been introduced at festivals like Vivid Sydney, Zsolnay Light Festival, White Night Melbourne, Ghent Light Festival, and the Free Fire Guinness Record in Las Vegas. As an artist, she participates in the digital art museum Cinema Mystica Budapest. Since 2016 she has participated in various large-scale artistic projects and is constantly focused on experiencing the latest technologies.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Project22 is an international digital art curatorial project that aims to bring digital artists together with physical galleries, introduce the digital art industry to the world, develop and expand the digital art environment.
22 is one of the strongest numbers in numerology, it appears in many cultures and religions because it symbolizes unity and renewal.
Every month, Project 22 selects 22 digital artists and showcases them in galleries and city spaces around the world on the 22nd of each month, exhibiting how varied digital art can be and open a path for young artists.
To read more about the collective, visit their website or Instagram.
Collaboration with kanvas:
Malte Kebbel, founder of Studio Kebbel, is a German artist who creates large-scale light and sculpture installations for public spaces. Kebbel’s current work focuses on questioning our evolving relationship between urban space, light, nature and energy.
He uses lighting technologies, synthetic materials, parametric design and 3D technology to create monumental structures with geometric shapes and patterns reminiscent of nature. His installations are like temporary temples, shrines or places of contemplation that create grounding experiences of light and interventions in public spaces to give new meanings to urban space and create new connections.
Collaboration with kanvas:
Light Art Experience by kanvas at the Sharjah Light Festival; 2023
Daniel Labrosse is a self-taught French-Hungarian visual artist, illustrator, art director and animator, born in Budapest, in 1997.
In his works he brings attention to people’s unique attributes and oddities, exploring what makes us individuals. Employing many different techniques, he often experiments and explores old and new mediums, including street art, found objects, polymer, pen and ink, acrylic, oil, gouache, digital illustration, film, traditional, animation, CGI, augmented reality and virtual reality.
His visual style is in large part inspired by comic books, cartoons and artists such as Keith Haring, Hieronymus Bosch, David Shrigley, Charlotte Solomon and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Boulevart New Media Art Festival 2023
Metropolis: A Utopian City by Daniel Labrosse
András László Nagy was born in Budapest, where he studied visual art and classical music in the hope of combining the two in the best possible way. Since 2012, he has devoted himself to creating audiovisual performances, light sculptures, and 3D video mappings.
Over the years he has worked on several audiovisual installations and performances and has also started TouchDesigner workshops. In these courses, he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and experience with real-time media. After many successful events around the world he was invited to represent TouchDesigner in the jury of the Moscow Art Vision Festival 2018.
His signature style is easily recognizable by its minimalist elements. His works mainly focus on finding an innovative visual language in the field of generative and interactive media. He believes that light is one of the essential elements of our lives, constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in terms of experimentation and immersive experiences.
Collaborations with kanvas:
Boulevart New Media Art Festival 2023
Lighthouse Is Coming to Town
Born and raised in Azerbaijan’s culturally rich city of Ganja, pioneering new media artist and creative director, Orkhan Mammadov has made a name for himself on the international scene since representing his home country at the 2019 Venice Biennale.
Orkhan has been shaped by his deep personal interest in digitalization and the revival of cultural heritage. He explores the alternative conditions of cultural heritage perception with artificial intelligence and generative art.
Through a strong research-based practice, Orkhan’s works unquestionably demonstrate the importance of traditions and history in understanding and nurturing the tangible and intangible heritage of Azerbaijan and the Middle East.
He is internationally known for his cultural data sculptures and dynamic carpet installations. His practice explores the relationships between machine intelligence and culture. Using the Girih patterns and carpet illustrations as a dataset, he elaborates on the many official and unofficial emblems that represent the cultural heritage of the Middle East to create digital alternatives for future generations.
Collaboration with kanvas:
Revival of Aesthetics 2.0
