São Paulo – Ras Al Khaimah Art workers visited Brazil from August 7 to 14 to explore the art made in the country and meet some local culture representatives. The goal was to delve into the local cultural for a festival to be held in 2026. Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven emirates to make up the United Arab Emirates alongside capital Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm al Quwain, Ajman, and Fujairah. The Ras Al Khaimah Art’s representatives visited the headquarters of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in São Paulo on Thursday (14) before returning to their country.
Ras Al Khaimah Art is a cultural institution that holds an annual show featuring artists from all over the world. The cultural institution aims to hold an exhibition in 2026 featuring Brazilian artists from across all cultural fields, including cuisine. Ras Al Khaimah Art also offers art residencies and supports film productions and the development of culture-related skills.
During their visit to Brazil, Luis Carlos Soto Ruiz, Digital Media Specialist at Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, Aaesha al Ahmed, responsible for Ras Al Khaimah Art’s Media and Communications, and Shahed al Marabta, Partnership Specialist at the institution visited Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation supports Ras Al Khaimah Art.
At the Inhotim Institute in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, they discovered artworks exhited outdoors in dialogue with nature. In Rio de Janeiro, they went to the Casa Arlette art collective and met with visual artist René Machado. In São Paulo, they visited the São Paulo Museum of Art, also known as Masp, the Itaú Cultural, and the Moreira Salles Institute, as well as Galeria Estação e Luciana Brito Galeria.
Festival in Ras Al Khaimah opens doors to art
Introducing the Brazilian culture into the emirate and exploring contemporary Brazilian works are some of this visit’s goals, Marabta told ANBA. Soto said the art festival in Ras Al Khaimah seeks to explore and include different cultures and added the connection with the ABCC is an opportunity to bring more access to the Brazilian art.
During the visit to the institution, they were welcomed by ABCC international relations vice president & secretary-general Mohamad Mourad and communication and marketing vice president Silvia Antibas. They also met with the institution’s president Osmar Chohfi. The mission to Brazil was held by Georgia Mourad, who also accompanied them at the ABCC.
They also discovered works by artists such as sculptor and designer Amilcar de Castro (1920-2002) and sculptor, designer and performance artist Tunga (1952-2016), two icons of the Brazilian modern art.
“At the Ras Al Khaimah Art, we have an outdoor exhibition such as the one we saw in Inhotim, which is surprising. You can’t find elsewhere pieces so larger-than-life as those we saw in Inhotim. It’s a very specific art, very colorful,” said Soto, who draw attention to the variety of artistic movements found in the Brazilian production, like the Neo-Concrete Movement and naïve art.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
