The selection committee of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize today announced the three recipient curator/artist teams of its first competition -  Cristiana Perrella & Kutlug Ataman; Carol Solomon & Zoulikha Boubadellah; and Leyla Fakhr & Nazgol Ansarinia.

Their projects will be unveiled during Art Dubai in March 2009. As Art Dubai is the Middle East’s largest modern and contemporary annual art fair, the unveiling during this event will offer the winning artists an unparalleled opportunity to widen their global reputation and network.  The works will become part of the Abraaj Capital corporate collection, said an official.

“By supporting artists from the Menasa region in this way we aim to empower them as important agents of cross cultural respect,” explained Frederic Sicre, executive director of Abraaj Capital. 

“With increasing awareness of our region’s rapid rate of economic development around the world, the time is right to also promote understanding and appreciation of the burgeoning art community as another important pillar of societal development,” he added.

“The spectacular reception that this inaugural Abraaj Capital Art Prize received within the art community exceeded our most ambitious expectations,” said Savita Apte, chair of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize.

The Abraaj Capital Art Prize, one of the most generous art prizes in the world, provides an exciting opportunity for creative collaboration between international curators and artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (Menasa) region.-TradeArabia News Service