The Bulgari Contemporary Art Award, in partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and facilitated by The Luxury Hive
Award Ceremony
In the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Member of the Dubai Council, the Authority has announced the winner of the first edition of the Bulgari Contemporary Art Award at a ceremony held at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The winner, Nima Nabavi, was selected by an international panel of 8 distinguished judges who chose his work from among three shortlisted pieces. Dubai Culture selected 15 UAE national and resident artists from its talent pool to compete in the first edition of Bulgari Contemporary Art Award.
Taking inspiration from the theme of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai – ‘Beauty Connects People’ – the artists were tasked with using colour to creatively express this powerful concept while reflecting a key element of Bulgari’s creative matrix.
Three finalists were chosen by a panel of award consultants, hand-picked for their depth of expertise and extensive contributions to the art world.
The Luxury Hive was proud to facilitate this inspiring collaboration between Dubai Culture and Bulgari, born of a shared belief in the importance of artistic expression in building bridges of communication between peoples and cultures over the world.
The prestigious Bulgari Contemporary Art Award embodies the vital role such alliances can play in supporting creative industries and talents.
BCAA Press Event
To mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the UAE and the forthcoming Expo 2020, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority is partnering with Bulgari to launch the Bulgari Contemporary Art Award. Supported by the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020, the Award emphasizes the importance of contemporary art in the cultural development of the emirate and the nation.
The first Bulgari Contemporary Art Award aims to provide an innovative platform to support local talent throughout Expo 2020 Dubai. The theme of the Award, 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,' encourages entrants to express how ‘beauty connects people,’ as well as the mutual artistic inspiration of cities such as Dubai and Rome. Dubai Culture will select 3 – 5 nominees for each award category (drawing and painting, photography and sculpture)
from its talent pool. These artists will be invited to attend inspirational online lectures and workshops that will introduce them to Bulgari, the master of coloured gemstones, as well as to its vision and craftsmanship for creating unique colour combinations. The deadline for submitting the participating works will be in mid-December 2021, while the winning work will be announced early February 2022, and will be selected by a judging panel comprising experts from Dubai Culture and Bulgari, as well as other jurors selected by the two partners.
The winning work will be exhibited at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020, and the winning artist will be offered the opportunity to experience Rome through the eyes of Bulgari as part of a week-long journey through the Bulgari universe that would include visits to the gem table, DOMVS, design centres, workshops, historical sites, and a range of exclusive cultural locations. In addition, the winning piece will be exhibited at venues associated with Dubai Culture and Bulgari, according to a pre-defined schedule.
The Award was officially launched at a press conference at the Etihad Museum in the presence of HE Hala Badri, Director-General of Dubai Culture; Lucia Boscaini, Brand Curator at Bulgari; Paolo Glisenti, Italy’s Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai; HE Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE; HE Giuseppe Finocchiaro, Italian Consul-General in Dubai; and other top officials from Dubai Culture, Bulgari and the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020. The press conference, which featured a video address by Jean-Christophe Babin, Group CEO of Bulgari, was attended by representatives from national and regional newspapers and other media institutions.