The Art Fair Guy visited the opening ceremony of the 2024 Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival, in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.
Founded in 2013, the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival has grown from a small festival of 30 emerging Ras Al Khaimah-based artists to become the emirate’s cultural event of the year. This year, the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival was reborn as Ras Al Khaimah Art. Beyond the Festival, Ras Al Khaimah Art is a beacon of creativity, nurturing year-round programs that ignite dialogue. Acting as a hub that empowers emerging creatives and the community through grants, masterclasses, and workshops to cultivate their crafts and talents.
The 2024 Edition of the Festival which runs from February 2nd to February 29th (with the outdoor exhibition open til March 31st) features 100 Artists from 30 different nations and 180 incredible Artworks. The Artworks are exhibited around the beautiful Al Hamra Heritage Village which once was a vibrant pearl fishing village and has been meticulously restored in the recent years.
This years theme of the festival was “In Motion”. Aside from a general exhibition with 40 different artists which was curated by Alfio Tomassini, the festival also hosted several special exhibitios:
- The Souq: Unveiling Human Echoes
- The US Mission to the UAE – Kim Carlino solo exhibition
- Artist In Residence – Indira Urrutia Zuniga
- Marinko Sudac Foundation
- W3rlds
- Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Abu Dhabi
- Ras Al Khaimah Gas
- Department of Antiquities & Museums
For the fourth time, scan.art is also part of the festival providing visitors digital and contactless artwork information through their personal smartphone. This is particularly useful at this exhibition since the artworks are exhibited outdoors and the festival site is open day and night without any artists present (aside from the opening ceremony). Just like at several other exhibitions, scan.art also hosts a visitor award which is awarded to the most scanned artwork after the festival.
More Information about the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival: www.rakart.ae
