Dare to Dream: Art Connects Women Exhibition Celebrates International Women’s Day

Alexandra Namuh and Xenia Joost, a Cypriot and Estonian artist respectively, will attend and exhibit artwork at the sixth edition of Art Connects Women (ACW), a regional hallmark event and exhibition in the UAE celebrating the spirit of International Women’s Day under the patronage of UNESCO. By uniting 112 female artists from 112 different countries from 8th – 11th March 2023, ACW is currently the largest all-women art event and exhibition in the UAE. Public viewing of the exhibition is from 10 am – 10 pm on the 10th and 11th of March at Le Patio Restaurant on the 2nd Floor of Al Habtoor Palace Hotel in Dubai.

The exhibition will showcase one piece of artwork from each artist including Alexandra and Xenia, and is themed ‘Dare to Dream’ aligning with the idea of dreaming as a way to inject courage into thoughts and inspire novel ideas that influence reality. All the artists and their artwork will also be honoured in a hardback artbook entitled ‘Women Artists around the World’ – now on its 4th volume.

Alexandra Namuh is a contemporary artist from Cyprus currently residing and working in the United Arab Emirates. Her field of art practice explores the complex and dynamic nature of human memory and its influence on the narrative voice. She is fascinated by the ways in which our memories can be shaped and reshaped over time or under different circumstances. Working with archival family materials, texts, film footage, found photographs and objects, she uses the medium of oil painting to create figurative and abstract representations of multilayer memory surfaces. Through her work, Alexandra incorporates her identity and reveals the power and potential of memory as a tool for constructing and deconstructing our personal and collective narratives.

Xenia Joost is an Estonian mixed media artist who creates large-scale paintings that speak to themes of transition, ego, and identity. Her use of bold, pop art-inspired colours, poster-style graphic elements, and commonplace Instagram adages, coalesce in works that unravel the cultural coding women are so often burdened with by delving into modern ideas of female emancipation through the lens of transformation. By engaging with the female form in expressive compositions, Joost supplies an independent vision of femininity and self-ownership of the female body and mind.

Alexandra will display her painting titled Wallpaper’s Tales and Xenia will present her artwork titled Was it – incorporating acrylic, ballpoint pens, oil pastels and neon markers on canvas.

Intending to encourage diversity, lend a hand to unrecognised talents and reduce gender disparity, ACW is an event focused on international female artists providing them with an opportunity to dream and break through setbacks by showcasing their creativity and mastery on the global stage, proving that anyone can be a recognised artist if they are bold enough to take the plunge. The event will take place over four days – from 8th – 11th March 2023 and span various activities such as an art exhibition, a conference, a special book signing, a cultural tour, an awards ceremony and a gala dinner.

Art Connects Women (ACW) is an annual initiative organised by ZeeArts Gallery – a Dubai-based global art incubator with a mission to connect creatives of disparate disciplines through a line-up of artistic initiatives and projects.

To find out more about the exhibition visit: https://www.artconnectswomen.com/

Exhibition Information:

●      Name: Dare to Dream International Art Exhibition by Art Connects Women

●      Dates: 10th and 11th March 2023 (free-to-attend and open to the general public)

●      Time: 10am – 10pm

●      Venue: Le Patio Restaurant, 2nd Floor of Al Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai