The City of Dubai is young and has all the characteristics of a young city. Be it age, attitude or outlook. Brash, risk-taking, proud, rowdy at times. Its inhabitants over a period of time have imbibed the spirit in the most impish ways. Yet on the other hand it is also under pressure to mature, to prove that all that  is glittering is here to stay, just like the glory of mammoth metropolises across the globe. Dubai is under pressure to grow fast, and mature fast. Is there a need to do so?

Urban Metabolism seeks to understand the exchange of ideas and energy in a young city. Not focusing on the rapid rate of change, but rather, the characteristics and quality of the exchange in Dubai. Manupriam Seth explores this topic through doodles, written verses, installations, sand art, collage, ink drips, finger painting, and free-flowing mediums which leave the participants with ample freedom to explore the synergies of childlike energy within ourselves and the cities we inhabit.

Manupriam Seth, founder of Urban Sketchers Dubai, has been working to promote the virtues of creativity through his drawings, paintings, art, design, music and all the creative fields which make our lives enriched and meaningful. Raised by an artist and an art educator, he delved further into art, design and management to realise large-scale creative projects. Some of the projects had small and humble beginnings and have grown to be city-level over a period of time. His body of works spans a large collection of drawings, paintings, sketchbooks, 3D works and digital works. He actively shares his passion for Urban Sketching through his website www.looktwicedrawonce.com and Instagram handle by the same name.

Lubnah Ansari dissects notions of personal and political questions with fervent curiosity. Utilizing her multidisciplinary skills, the artist and researcher engages with Hindu-Muslim households using feminist ethnographic frameworks. The NYU Abu Dhabi graduate has immersed herself in the roles of both the insider and the outsider, which gives her work a refreshing angle that urges you to tap into your compassion. She is currently part of The Assembly at Jameel Arts Center and is a post-graduate research fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi.