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    The United Arab Emirates is regarded as one of the world’s most cosmopolitan countries where people of more than 100 different nationalities live and work together in harmony. With such an international mix, there is an increasing crossover between cultures in the fields of art and design. Ben Smalley reports.

    The presence of so many different people from different cultures and backgrounds in the UAE has helped create an international attitude towards art. European artists working in the country are becoming increasingly influenced by Arabic and Islamic styles, while Arabs are also embracing and appreciating modern European art more than ever before.

    Macedonian artists Yovica and Ljubica Miyalkovic have only lived in the UAE for a year, but already the influence of Islamic culture is permeating their work.

    The husband and wife team ran their own gallery for six years in their home country, where they are both leading members of the Macedonian Academy of Arts, but decided to move to the UAE after Yovica took a job designing wrought iron furniture at a company in Ajman .

    Their modest flat in the emirate has been turned into a mini-gallery displaying their visually striking works of art – Yovica primarily works in graphics, while Ljubica paints in oils. Among the works on display in a prime position in the lounge is a large, colourful painting featuring the minarets of different mosques.

    “I am always inspired by the experience of seeing different cultures and different architectural styles, which is expressed in my work,” Yovica says. “The style of my paintings is similar to those I did before moving here, but I have included Islamic motifs and symbols – such as the different styles of mosques in this painting,” he says pointing to the work on the wall.

     “I have brought Macedonian culture here with my art and, when I return to Macedonia , I will take the experience and influences I have gained from here back home with me.”

    The couple held their first UAE exhibition at the Ghantoot Polo Club in February, where a woman bought 15 of Ljubica’s paintings and ordered another 50 for a gallery in England , but they are more concerned with self-gratification than making money.

    Yovika explains: “I am only concerned with the art - I am not doing it for money - my paintings are for myself. If other people like them and want to buy them, then fine.”

    Yovica and Ljubica both trained as architects and started painting as a hobby. Yovica still considers it a hobby and can only paint after finishing work, but his wife is more prolific as an artist - having sold 316 of her paintings in a single year in Macedonia .

    Her oil paintings are characterised by their bright colours and the use of gold as a means of drawing attention and emphasis, but they are essentially an expression of herself and her view of the world.

    “I am very set in my own style, but have begun experimenting more with the motifs in my paintings,” she says. “They are always bright and there is always gold - the gold is a special finish of 23 Carat gold foil imported from Germany , which is placed over some parts of the picture to provide accent.”

    Yovica’s work is more diverse – from paintings and graphics to furniture design. Every item of furniture at the couple’s home in Macedonia was designed and made by Yovica himself, and he intends to explore the design of unique furniture as his next project.

    “I am always looking for new avenues to express myself and change my style every few months as new ideas come to me,” he says. “When I have finished with an idea, I think of a new one - but I always like to express myself, and my feelings, at the very moment I am working.”

    Just as European artists are being influenced by Arabic culture, Arabs are also embracing European art and design. According to interior design consultant Leen Vandaele, who specialises in modern furnishings, fabrics and art from her native Belgium, there has seen a recent change among her Arab customers towards modernity in their homes.

    “Even five years ago it was hard to find people here who liked modern furnishings and styles,” she says. “Now a lot of people here are more widely traveled, they have seen a lot and they want to adapt their homes in the same style they have seen elsewhere.

    “I have just finished a house for a local couple that was completely classical before. I made a proposal because the lady was quite open to new ideas, and they are now very happy with what I did. I am also happy to work with Arabic influences as I believe they can compliment modern styles quite well, but it has to be in good balance and harmony.”

    Leen, who has worked extensively in the Middle East, returned to Dubai last May after working all over the world for celebrity clients, including pop stars Madonna and Prince.

    She has also worked for royalty – notably Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan and Britain’s Prince Charles – as well as designing the interiors of the Belgian Embassies in Vienna, London and Riyadh.

    “My parents own a textile company so I grew up surrounded by different colours and materials and always liked them,” she explains. “ I went to study interior design in Ghent and then in Italy, and after that I traveled around the world to look for good quality products, for fabrics mainly, and it has just progressed from there.

    “I decided to come back to Dubai because I have always been attracted to the Middle East, but I didn’t want to just come and say ‘I am an interior designer’ because there are hundreds of them from every country and culture.”

    Leen decided to set herself apart from the competition by specialising in Belgian products in a bid to introduce European design flair to Middle Eastern households.

    “The quality of design furniture from Belgium is comparable with the best Swiss and German quality. There are very high standard products being made in Belgium, but they haven’t started exporting much yet. So I thought it would be a good combination to come here and present high-class products in a different way in a new environment, especially as the people here are now more accepting of modern styles.

    “I have Belgian linen and very nice fabrics which are not very well known in the market here because they are quite unusual materials. Some people think that because the linen is wrinkled it’s not good, but pure linen is a very noble material - so I try and introduce new items such as this, but in a softer way.”

    Leen has established her office in the form of a show apartment at the Fairmont Residence where visitors can walk between the different rooms and see examples of the furnishings, fabrics and art she works with.

    “I didn’t want to work from a shop or office where I could only present ideas in books, so I thought ‘why not set up a showroom in a nice, easily accessible apartment with a view’,” she explains. “The flat has all the different rooms you find in a house so I can present the furnishings and art in a realistic setting.

    “We have some modern furnishings that people immediately say ‘no’ to when they see pictures in brochures, but when they actually see them they are very pleased with them.”

    Leen mainly relies on recommendations from previous customers and word-of-mouth to advertise her interior design services. But what do people think of her unusual office?

    “It has two reactions: either people really like it or they don’t like it at all,” she says. “I don’t mind either way because everyone has their own tastes. I eventually intend to take it further by expanding from an apartment to a villa so I have more rooms.”

    As well as furnishings and fabrics, the walls of Leen’s show apartment are lined with works of art from Germany, Morocco and Belgium, and she also hopes to begin working with local artists. She also uses designer pianos in her work, an example of which can also be found in the apartment.

    Previously she has held charity art sales to raise money for handicapped children and youngsters suffering from cancer, and hopes to do something similar in Dubai, as she says her philosophy is to: ‘work in beauty and share in beauty.’

    Her clients in the UAE include expatriates as well as locals, and her work can be found in palaces, villas and apartments throughout the country.

    “As well as individual customers, sometimes architects and interior designers come with their plans and we look through them and see where I can help and be involved,” she says.

    But, according to Leen, you do not have to be rich to take advantage of her expertise.

    “My problem is some people expect to pay the same sort of prices for furnishings that you would find in Ikea. Therefore, I do tend to work for a higher range of people, but it wouldn’t stop me working with people who have smaller budgets.

    “I worked with a local lady who told me from the start that she didn’t have a big budget but wanted her home to be nice. She had a good sense of beauty and I made it my aim to create something for this lady so she could feel at home in a place that she likes.