Dubai, UAE: Dubai Artist Teachers, a diverse collective of artist-educators in Dubai, is presenting its first exhibition at Media One Hotel, transforming the hotel’s heart into a colourful gallery.
This show offers a rare window into the personal worlds of artists who also teach. They shape the next generation while pursuing their own art.
The group works across the UAE, and their backgrounds span painting, photography, ceramics, embroidery, textiles, and printmaking. They share a belief: to teach art with meaning, one must live as an artist. The group teaches art students and aspiring artists, through workshops, studio sessions, and peer critiques.
Featured Artists and Their Work
Alexandra Bolshakova is a multidisciplinary painter. She blends fashion, colour theory, and hand-stitched detail. Her work explores the human figure and storytelling through fabric.
Chelsea Cooney moved from ceramics to photography. Her photographic practice captures overlooked moments in Dubai’s urban landscape. She documents its constant shifts.
Hakan Erkam creates emotional, textural oil paintings. He also makes sculptural works from reclaimed materials. His art often touches on resilience, displacement, and identity.
Daniel Simon is a photographer and writer. His visual work roots itself in place, memory, and emotion. He turns travel and geography into lyrical photo essays.
Gareth Pyper brings street culture energy into fine art portraiture. He blends bold marks with cultural references from London to Abu Dhabi.
Jessica Lee is a self-taught artist. She creates emotive, abstract pieces using bold colours and textures. Her work taps into meditative flow and intuitive expression.
Lillian Mackey is a textile and porcelain artist. Her delicate, ritual-based work explores heritage and memory. She uses stitched language and symbolic domestic materials.
Simon Alexander Johnson is a portrait artist and printmaker. His practice blends traditional oil techniques with found materials. He also engages in community-driven outreach, especially in North East India.
