Hello my beautiful readers,
I hope you had a week filled with love and joy. Today, I’m writing about art and an exceptional artist, Mark Rios, colloquially known as ‘Mr Dripping’. This is a name to remember among the artists of the 21st Century.
Mr Dripping was born in Barcelona, Spain, and his art has been featured in Art Basel Miami, Formula One, and other key events around the world. His work has often been lauded by celebrities, ambassadors, and royal families.
He currently lives between Los Angeles, New York, Barcelona, and is about to add a fourth city to his list – Dubai. He has great love for the UAE and its support for the arts, and sees many creative possibilities here.
The dripping technique, where paint is poured onto the canvas, was popularized by American abstract artist Jackson Pollock.
However, Mr Dripping created his own unique technique by dripping paint on the canvas using a spatula. This controlled yet free movement creates multidimensional lines through spontaneous movements, without touching the canvas at any point in time.
His artwork is one part of the experience and he brings his work to life in front of a live audience, encouraging them to see and feel the painting as it’s being created, and giving them a glimpse of the process behind the work.
I invited Mr Dripping for a special guest appearance at our home, so he could surprise our small group of family and friends with a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
With the ongoing pandemic, we had to take all necessary precautions to create a safe environment for the artist and our guests. How were we able to create a safe environment without interfering with the artist’s creative process?
First, we limited the number of guests to 10 people. We arranged the furniture throughout the house in a way that encourages social distancing. We also sent PCR test kits to all the guests before the event, so that everyone feels comfortable around each other.
All good events require great catering, and once again, Sumo Sushi set the bar high in creating a safe and healthy assortment of fresh appetizers and mains for the guests.
The chef was an artist himself, creating a masterful and authentic arrangement of sushi and sashimi that was both visually pleasing and delicious. The team personally served food to the guests to avoid cross-contamination of the food.
To keep an element of surprise, we didn’t inform our guests of Mr Dripping’s presence and the fact that he was planning on doing a live painting session in the living room to Frank Sinatra’s music playing in the background. Once he began creating his masterpiece, the whole room was in awe of his talent and within few minutes, he had created a beautiful painting.
Not only is Mr Dripping a talented artist, but he is also a beautiful soul, who truly connects with his clientele and audience. He also created a family portrait for me that brought me to tears. It was one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever seen.
Thank you for bringing your talent to the UAE. I highly recommend everyone to visit his website and see his exceptional work.
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead. Stay safe, my sweethearts.
Xoxo
Nina
Nina Zandnia is a Persian-Swedish luxury lifestyle icon and a media maven who is based in Dubai. She has worked for major global media networks for over 20 years. She’s the founder of one of the first lifestyle online TV channels in the Middle East called Lifestyle-Dubai.com. She’s also a fashion designer and has housed her collections at Galeries Lafayette. Among her many accolades is bagging a prize at the Great Woman Awards 2016 Middle East. With a following of over 415k on Instagram, Nina has been a key voice in the luxury lifestyle landscape of the UAE and beyond. Follow her @Ninazandnia on Instagram.
