Brownmonkeys leads a Street Art Renaissance in Deira

Despite the seeming contradiction of street art and the strict anti-vandalism laws in the UAE, the urban art movement is slowly creeping its way into the heart of Dubai, lending a voice to a new generation of settlers and creating a counter-culture bent on exposing the soul of the city. 

At the forefront of this creative revolution is a group of Pinoy artists collectively known as the
Brownmonkeys, who were commissioned for Street Connection, a 10-day Art festival held  recently at the Al Ghurair Center aimed at reviving the city’s pioneering roots.

Ground zero to Dubai’s very first metropolitan center, Deira continues to be among the handful of old neighborhoods in the city that offers a real sense of urban community drawing in a diverse mix of nationalities, including a significant Filipino population. 

Busy, vibrant and pedestrian friendly, very few areas in Dubai can rival the authentic street cred of Deira such that various art installations, creative displays, live exhibits, graffiti, music, and street performances fell right at home in its inner city streets.

Visual artist Mark Ganzon shares his thoughts on the current popularity of Street art and takes their group’s involvement at the recent Street Con as a sign of good things to come.

“I feel that it (Street Art) is getting slowly accepted by the city which is good. At the moment the art scene in Dubai is a bit locked down in sterile environments of galleries. Street art is for the people.  It's for the average person walking down the street, for them to find something interesting other than just advertising billboards that they can relate to.

Rollan Rodriguez, founding member of the Brownmonkeys and curator of Street Con says they chose the venue in Deira because most people don’t realise “how rich Deira is in terms of culture and diversity – it’s a perfect incubator for art”. Describing it as the “original urban community”, Rodriguez also noted that the Street Con aimed to expose urban art to the wider public.

“Urban art is created by artists living, depicting or experiencing city life,” he explained. “This may be the illustration on your T-shirt, the design of your sneaker or the shape of your toys. The artist’s responsibility is to amplify these visual cues and reinterpret them.”

Indeed, the community in Deira has been very receptive, with the Street con gallery conveniently hosted just beside the grocery and the right across the mall. It served as a great platform for the artist to communicate their ideas and engage audiences of all ages and from different background. 

Locals, tourists, laborers, regular office workers, passersby, were treated to a burst of creative energy. Everyone was welcome to take part in the graffiti, toy decorating, sticker-making and even the live performances.

Filipina artist Victoria Viray-Ganzon describes the experience as enthusiastic.

“I loved the whole vibe, how it was very down to earth and very approachable. Unlike the typical gallery scenes, there were no high-brow art critics to ruin it for everybody else. You don’t need any knowledge of art history or to be an art buff to be able to participate and enjoy. It’s a fun activity and for us artists, it was a really good way to give back to the community.”

Victoria who is known for painting strong female characters was invited to work on a mural that would be the only permanent fixture in the Street Con exhibition. Her work showed off a stunning tribal goddess in a huge space, 6 x 4 meters, the largest piece she has have ever worked on in her career so far.

“I prefer to portray strong female characters in various states of emotion. The centerpiece lady in my mural is one of those characters. I imagine her as a goddess of sorts, watching over Deira.” 

Pinoy revelers were happy to see her working on her wall, with some referring to her as “Chichay”, a character from a famous teleserye. Victoria takes no offense though, as this can only mean that our kabayans are connecting with art based on their daily life, whether they were art enthusiasts or not.

 

Expressive and passionate, Filipinos are natural trendsetters who somehow tend to bring in the cool and happy vibe wherever we go. The Brownmonkeys bringing their urban art explosion to an old community is one example of how our creative pursuits always lead to a role as agents for social change, or simply to connect, to bring fun and color to the otherwise mundane world of the daily grind.

Here’s hoping to see more of our Brown and Proud art all over the city!


All Photos stolen with permission from Joseph Manata. xoxo