PHOTOS: Graffiti facelift for Dubai's Karama Street 18B

(Photos by Neeraj Murali)

Never mind the silence of a blistering weekday on Street 18B in Karama. The audio may be low - off season, no tourists, no shoppers - but visually the place has gotten a facelift. Thanks to an art project commissioned by Wasl Properties, a total of 24 murals by eight local and international artists, some flown down from Malaysia, have given the area around Karama Fish Market some much needed make-up.
Each piece takes up 15-20 metres, and does wonders to break the monotony of the Karama concrete.
The wall art is a mix of styles. There are the usual animal heads: an open mouthed shark, a tiger you don't want to mess with, a much too endearing looking lion, and some winged creatures: a parrot/ possible cockatoo, and a falcon - this is Dubai, afterall, we like our falcons. There are some quirky 3D elements, too. Like on a three-storey building (with the shop Las Vegas on the ground floor), there's a ship riding the waves, and the ship is painted on a 3D extension of the wall. It's one of the more interesting aspects of the graffiti.
The people who spend their days on Street 18B overlooking the art in Karama seem, let's just say, only marginally entrhalled. 'Shan' - short for Shahjahan - manning a deserted shop selling snowboots and rexine laptop cases at Maleeb Trading says the art is nice enough but it's not like they're getting any extra customers because of any more people coming in to Karama. ("Only you media people," he says).
Of the Karama art we saw, our three favourites are: 1. The green truck being lifted by a bunch of balloons 2. The balls of wool with the knitting needles sticking out and 3. The ship. We love the ship, and the illusion of the extended wall. Go see.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai