By Praseeda Nair www.khaleejtimes.com
DUBAI – A new sculpture, titled ‘Together’, was unveiled at Downtown Dubai on Monday, celebrating the uniqueness of Arab culture.
Sculptured by Syrian artist Lutfi Romhein, ‘Together’ features an Arab couple dressed in the iconic white dish-dasha and black kandoora in typical Emirati style, made from Italian Carrara marble and Swedish black granite.
Commissioned by the owner of the Courtyard Gallery, Samia Saleh, the 4.25 metre-high sculpture rest on a granite base, near the entrance to Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
‘Together’ complements two sculptures that were unveiled earlier in Downtown Dubai; Al Sidra, a free-shaped bronze sculpture by Kuwaiti sculptor Sami Mohammed Al Saleh; and Horse 2007, a bronze sculpture by world-renowned figurative artist Fernando Botero.
Eager to strengthen Downtown Dubai’s appeal as a centre for the arts, Mohammed Alabbar, Chairman of the Emaar properties, sees the addition of this sculpture as a turning point.
“The Arab world has a rich artistic and cultural heritage that are given modern interpretations by our talented artist community. Through our art showcases in Downtown Dubai, we are putting the spotlight on the region’s high creative and artistic standards,” he said.
Sculpted in Carrara, Italy, ‘Together’ was inspired from a small wooden sculpture that consists of two slender and tapering shapes that follow the same curving moments. The artist, Romhein, said the sculpture uses simple and pure lines to demonstrate the universality and simplicity of the duality of man and woman.
“Man and woman – they stand for the origin of life, as well as the door of life. They stand for strength and tenderness. They are different, yet so similar,” he said. The Chinese concept of yin-yang resonates in the sculpture, with the juxtaposition of black and white and female and male, suggesting the symbiotic relationship between the two. The sculpture promises to be one in many new additions to the up-and-coming haven of arts.
