Ramadan Art Nights, a splurge-on-art and gorge-on-food event (until Ramadan ends) at Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Sharjah Expo Centre, in partnership with Orient Restaurant and curated by Emirates-based Art4you Gallery, highlights and showcases the country's artist culture.

“The show aims to include a forum for young artists in the area during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” says Jesno Jackson, director of Art4you and an artist herself. “In this pandemic situation, its objective is to encourage passion and creativity among people.” Roa Al Madani from the UAE, Gulnaz Shakeel and Bina Safdar from Pakistan, Yasmin Naeem from Saudi Arabia, Natalia Vityugova from Russia, Jackson, Thauheeda Thameem, and Megha Manjarekar from India — eight women artists from RAK, Ajman, Dubai, and Sharjah — welcome and enjoy Ramadan by poetry.

The exhibition includes works influenced by calligraphy, mosque architecture, paintings of rulers, Islamic designs and styles, Arabic culture and wildlife, and the UAE's ecosystem. “Together with the spirit of unity, Ramadan also represents a time of profound meditation and brings people closer to their intentions and aspirations,” Jackson adds. “The Art4you Gallery action plan also includes many other Ramadan-inspired activities for all ages in this Holy Month of Ramadan, with sessions on calligraphy, object decorating, wall hangings, scribbling Arabic script, and Islamic pattern illustrations — to introduce this very spirit alive all through Ramadan Art Nights.”

The Art4you Founder emphasizes the importance of artists supporting one another at a period when humanity is being affected by the pandemic. “Whether for the artistic or some other field, this is perhaps the most crucial juncture in our lives to get together, assist each other, and elevates our ecologies,” says Rengi Cherian, Co-founder of Art4you.

When asked about the complexities of launching the project during Covid-19, Jackson said that when women in the arts put their minds to do something that they are enthusiastic about, they pulse with enthusiasm — and nothing will deter them.

“I am a visionary artist myself, and when I get an idea, I just go ahead and pursue it — make it a reality, opposing any hurdles that might arise. I've always relied on community involvement; I've always had a knack for creating my activities, under my terms. The brand is called Created to Create after Art4you, which has always been my greatest inspiration. “I always feel that tough circumstances are about encouraging people to look beyond the box and get the most out of ourselves. During Covid19, we discovered how to make fast choices, which is how Ramadan Art Nights are planned.”

“A celebration of the Arabic script is a nice way to begin Ramadan,” says Yasmin Naeem, one of the performing musicians. “This event features the Islamic art of my project, which has been converted into breathtaking geometric shapes,” says Bina Safdar. The initiative's founders intend to broaden its scope to provide more up-and-coming musicians with a suitable forum to demonstrate their professional work. Art4you recently presented The Legacy of Leadership, a virtual art show paying homage to the UAE Rulers. It featured illustrations of rulers arranged on a single platform (Feb. 22 - Apr).

It featured a collection of fifty works honoring the Rulers of the Emirates in multiple formats, including oil, drawings, eggshell works, thread painting, mixed media, acrylic, charcoal, pastels, and paper-cut works, among others. Stephanie Neville (South Africa), Thisara Padmapriya (Sri Lanka), Reynaldo Jr (Philippines), Roa Al Madani (UAE), Victor Sitali (Zambia), Habeeb Rahman, Manjula Kaimal, Anil Kamble, and Febina Dilshad (India), Gulalek Esenova (Turkmenistan), and Osama Khalaf (Saudi Arabia) were some of the musicians (Syria). Tasnim Salem Al Falasi, Dubai Municipality's Environmental Awareness Section Manager, officially unveiled the show.

Previously, Art4you held a virtual show honoring contemporary artists' mixed media work. The gallery has gathered them from all over the world (Dec. 20, 2020 – Jan. 28, 2021). The exhibition headlined A Little of This, A Little of That, examined the creations of twenty-five artists, with a collection of forty works in a flow of consciousness conceptual form, including abstractions.

Art4you appreciated the mixed media trend represented by various types of materials such as acrylic, fiber, silk, glass, Styrofoam, canvas, clay, metal, and the like by reusing traditional materials and collaging various materials to create interactions between texture and substance of abstract forms.

“Mixed media artists regularly expand the limits of textures and ideas by experimenting with emerging technology, methods, and designs, and crossing social barriers,” Jackson adds. We choose works that were not afraid to experiment. “Work in every medium, including all forms of contemporary craft, was accepted. The exhibition was judged well.”

According to Jackson, Art4you Gallery is a community that strives to bring out the best of artists and expand their horizons to "unlock the gates for infinite possibilities." This campaign provides a forum for unknown artists to shine.”