Bangalore-based artist selected for Dubai award

Bangalore-based artist Anup Mathew Thomas, whose works featured at the Kochi biennale, is among five winners of Dubai's Abraaj Group Art Prize.

Besides Thomas, the other winners are Abbas Akhavan and Kamrooz Aram (both Iran), Basim Magdy (Egypt) and Bouchra Khalili (Morocco).

The annual award, into its sixth year, is given to five artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia on the basis of proposals for new artworks, which become permanent additions to The Abraaj Group Art Collection following their unveiling at Art Dubai.

According to the organisers, the winners are a diverse group combining outstanding artistic ability with a desire to engage and champion the arts throughout the region.
The artists will now start working closely with the selected guest curator Nada Raza (Pakistan). She has the responsibility of supervising the production of the artworks, their display at Art Dubai (from March 19-22, 2014), and the publishing of an annual catalogue.

"The Abraaj Group Art Prize has consistently shone a spotlight on diverse creative talent from the MENASA region and propelled its winners to even greater achievements. It will be exciting to see how these five artists work with our guest curator towards the exhibition that will be unveiled at Art Dubai in March 2014", Savita Apte, chair of The Abraaj Group Art Prize, said.