{"id":23689,"date":"2026-05-07T16:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/?p=23689"},"modified":"2026-05-07T16:11:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:11:58","slug":"dubai-culture-and-rta-call-on-artists-to-transform-over-40-tunnels-into-artistic-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/2026\/05\/07\/dubai-culture-and-rta-call-on-artists-to-transform-over-40-tunnels-into-artistic-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai Culture And RTA Call On Artists To Transform Over 40 Tunnels Into Artistic Spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubai<\/a> Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in collaboration with Dubai\u2019s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), builds on the first and second phases of the Dubai Tunnels Public Art Initiative with an open call. UAE-based artists, designers, and architects are invited to transform more than 40 tunnels across the emirate into creative spaces that reflect the city\u2019s identity and bring culture into everyday life. This initiative supports the Authority\u2019s Public Art Strategy that aims to transform Dubai into a global and accessible open-air art gallery.<\/p>\n

The programme forms part of the wider strategic partnership between the two entities, integrating art into infrastructure in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan\u2019s focus on sustainable, people-centric urban development. It also reflects Dubai Culture\u2019s commitment to empowering local talent and growing the creative economy. The open call builds on the successful delivery of the first and second phase of the Dubai Tunnels Public Art Initiative, which witnessed the execution of commissioned works by Emirati artists Maryam Al-Hathboor and Safeya Sharif last year.<\/p>\n

Creatives are encouraged to submit proposals that showcase local artistic practices and demonstrate an ability to engage with the city\u2019s evolving urban environment. Submissions are open from 11 May until 15 June 2026.<\/p>\n

Proposals will be reviewed and assessed on artistic quality, site alignment, feasibility, sustainability, and the artist’s or team’s experience. Submitted works should demonstrate originality, reflect local cultural diversity, and respond to both Dubai\u2019s identity and the character of the site. Designs must suit tunnel environments, ensuring balanced use of colour and avoiding text or visual elements that may distract drivers. Works should incorporate simple elements and durable materials capable of withstanding high temperatures, including ceramic tile applications, graphic coatings, resin, metal, and other suitable materials, ensuring long-term implementation and ease of maintenance.<\/p>\n

Submissions must include design files supported by a detailed concept note outlining the vision and objectives, along with visual boards illustrating the proposed design and defining the palette. In addition, a submission addressing safety requirements must be provided. All submitted works must be original and previously unproduced.<\/p>\n

Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture<\/strong>, affirmed the significance of the Dubai Tunnels initiative and its role in strengthening the cultural and creative industries, enhancing the presence of art in public spaces, and redefining the relationship between people and place. She said:\u201cThis open call reflects Dubai Culture\u2019s commitment to integrating art into the fabric of everyday life and expanding its reach to all. By transforming public spaces into vibrant and interactive environments, we aim to support community engagement, enhance quality of life, and reinforce Dubai\u2019s position as a global hubfor the creative economy.For artists, it represents a rare opportunity to create work that becomes part of the city itself, supporting their ability to innovate and experiment, while enabling them to transform their ideas into impactful artistic projects with lasting social value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hussain Al Banna, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, RTA,<\/strong> said: \u201cWe are pleased to be a strategic partner with Dubai Culture in giving Dubai\u2019s tunnels an artistic identity and reinforcing the city\u2019s standing as a destination that celebrates cultural diversity, making art and creativity a bridge that connects local and heritage identity with the spirit of the age. These tunnels are being transformed from purely engineering projects into artistic murals that enrich the emirate\u2019s aesthetic and urban landscape. This underlines our commitment to supporting talented individuals and artists in creating designs and artworks that help enhance quality of life and bring happiness to Dubai\u2019s residents and visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al Banna<\/strong> added: \u201cThis initiative affirms that Dubai is not merely a global economic hub, but fertile ground for creativity and innovation. It embraces creative talent and provides meaningful spaces for artists to express their abilities. The artworks in Dubai\u2019s tunnels add value through visual enrichment and offer the public an opportunity to enjoy the creative works adorning their walls. This approach reflects RTA\u2019s commitment to adopting creative ideas that highlight the city\u2019s beauty by using all possible elements to integrate art into its projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first phase of the Dubai Tunnels initiative was implemented by Dubai Culture in collaboration with RTA. Artists Maryam Al Hathboor and Safeya Sharif Al Awadhi were selected to produce distinctive artworks that adorned a number of tunnels across the emirate last year. The second phase included designs for five tunnels, covering the renewal of four existing tunnels at Trade Centre Roundabout, Trade Centre Street, Al Sukook Street, and a pedestrian tunnel on Sheikh Zayed Road, in addition to a new tunnel on Al Mustaqbal Street. Six artists took part in the initiative, with Khadija Almazimiselected as the winning artist to execute the designs that incorporate modern lighting technologies to highlight the aesthetic value of the tunnels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in collaboration with Dubai\u2019s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), builds on the first and second phases of the Dubai Tunnels Public Art Initiative with an open call. UAE-based artists, designers, and architects are invited to transform more than 40 tunnels across the emirate into creative spaces that reflect […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23693,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23689\/revisions\/23693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleasenetwork.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}