Artist Hada Badr confirmed that she suffered from sugar addiction, which is why she chose this topic for her work. She explained that she now has her addiction under control and wanted to send a message to the public through art, especially indirectly, to show that there is always time to change habits. She noted that ceramics are experiencing a major comeback, as the public now has a greater appreciation for artworks, especially those used daily. The beauty of these pieces lies in their uniqueness. This material is like life, and one must accept its final result, letting go of the need to control it because it's impossible, just as in life.
Artist Sibyl Mitrane stated that she tried to create works that express courage, aiming to highlight the moment of gathering inner strength and positivity to face fears. She explained that small pieces come together to form larger sculptures.
The artistic director of this pavilion, Kamal Zubai, mentioned that he created a special blend of the technical and artistic aspects in the pavilion. The novelty this year was the participation of a group of students. The artist emphasized that the internal dialogue embodied in the sculptures is taken from reality and from all the situations couples go through, whether anger or joy. She pointed out that the artist uses various materials to express their emotions, and ceramics, as a material that is fragile yet flexible in its shaping, directly intersects with human emotions.
In the current 'Sikka' Arts and Design Festival, the ceramics pavilion allowed university students to present their own ceramic creations. Student Hada Badr presented her artistic project, through which she worked on an installation that highlights sugar addiction and its long-term impact on humans. She noted that the work consists of layers, and building these layers is a process that requires patience. She always strives to let the work take the form that suits it, which is why the pieces sometimes come out slightly tilted, but they express themselves.
Artist Nadia Hassan presented an installation in the 'Mind & Soul' pavilion, which featured an exhibition of several artists. She noted that the exhibition changes every two days, and the pieces range from vessels to art objects. She explained that she chose teeth as the subject for her sculptures because it is the most part of the human body that a person sees daily, yet we don't feel anything wrong with it until pain begins. She presented 36 pieces, corresponding to the number of teeth in a human mouth, with each piece highlighting a different form of pain and how people suffer because of it in their lives.
The artists participating in this pavilion used clay to tell stories or express human emotions and personal suffering, employing diverse artistic methods, from sculpture to composite works, alongside traditional vessels, which occupied a significant space among the displayed pieces.
Artist Ruwa Al-Mahdawi focused on the internal dialogue between men and women through her sculptures, presenting this dialogue in two states: abstract and realistic, explaining that she expressed all forms of dialogues that couples go through.
From artistic forms and flowers to wings and finally to the aesthetics of Arabic letters, the material of clay in the ceramics pavilion, held as part of the 'Sikka' Arts and Design Festival organized by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), overflows with a wealth of aesthetics.
Jordanian artist Majd Habashne spoke about her installation titled 'Ramha Huruf' ('Moving Letters'): 'I merged Arabic letters with horses, seeking to highlight the relationship of ceramics with light and shadow, so that light moves in the background with the song of artist Hussein Al-Jasmi.'
She also spoke about her installation 'Dalalu', saying: 'The design has the form of wings suspended by metal chains, representing personal beliefs that control a person's life path, and it is the person who determines their place in society.'
The artistic director of this pavilion, Kamal Zubai, told 'Emirates Today': '45 artists are participating in this edition, presenting various styles, in addition to an art market where five Dubai studios are participating. This edition also focused on people of determination who participated in the market and sold their products for two days, in addition to displaying products from 35 children who participated in the 'Little Potters' program.'
She expressed her happiness at the opportunity given to students to attend this exhibition.
