CAAD designers in full force in Jameel Arts Centre’s Youth Takeover

Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai has been taken over by its Youth Assembly this week to feature an eclectic exhibition of contemporary art and design works created and curated by a group of up-and-coming creative practitioners dominated by students and graduates from the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS).

The group of nine curators participating in the event is comprised of five students and recent graduates of CAAD, with the list of commissioned artists also heavily featuring former students of CAAD. A new generative video installation entitled “In Time Things Align” by Associate Professor Zlatan Filipović, Interim Head of the Department of Art and Design, was commissioned for this exhibition as well.

The Jameel Arts Centre opened last November and started The Youth Assembly program as an opportunity for young curators and creative practitioners to select the artists who inspire them with their work and to give members of the public the chance to see contemporary work that is relevant for UAE audiences. The event features a curated exhibition entitled “The Youth Takeover,” a series of panel discussions and workshops, along with multiple digital, audio visual and art interventions and music by UAE-based creatives.

Filipović noted that the prevalence of CAAD graduates represented at this high-profile event is an indication of the significant impact that the College continues to have in the UAE’s art and design arena.

“The fact that five out of nine Youth Assembly members are from the CAAD community and six out of the 13 commissioned artists are CAAD alumni clearly shows that our Department of Art and Design graduates are leading the way in the UAE art scene,” he said.

The exhibition opened on Saturday, April 27 to a large audience of young creatives and established UAE artists and curators, providing valuable opportunities for interaction and exchange.

The Youth Takeover is open to the public until Saturday, May 4. Young creatives with an interest in art, architecture, design, culture, technology, media, literature and the future are particularly encouraged to register before attending at www.jameelartscentre.org.

For more information about the College of Architecture, Art and Design and its talented students, faculty and graduates, visit www.aus.edu/caad.