UAE. A new installation by Sacha Jafri, a result of a unique and passionate fusion between Majid Al Futtaim Fashion, Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs and Sacha Jafri himself is now on display at DIFC until March 31st.

Titled ‘The Child Within Us – Untouched Beginnings and Expressions of the Soul’, the installation composes of nine individual canvases representing the journey of a child, from birth throughout childhood and onto the evolving identities of the young adult, which are centered around a single, unifying piece of artwork.

This extraordinary piece, taking the shape of a two-meter tall pyramid and the result of an inspirational workshop with the children of Al Noor, represents the child’s relationship with their vivid past, their confusing and uncertain present and their hopeful and anticipative future. Majid Al Futtaim Fashion and Sacha Jafri aim to raise substantial and much needed funds for the Al Noor training center, a self- funded organization.

“The installation is a truly extraordinary piece of work by Sacha, conveying emotion, passion and telling a story of his journey of working with children over the years, all around the world,” said Asil Attar, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Fashion.

“Majid Al Futtaim Fashion has been thoroughly engaged in this process, from early conception to actively participating in the workshop with Sacha and the children from Al Noor. It’s a wonderful initiative that reflects our ongoing commitment to the charitable initiatives within our community.”

The collaboration was borne by Majid Al Futtaim Fashion, reuniting again with Al Noor with whom they recently hosted the successful ‘Hearts and Hands’ charity fundraiser. Sacha Jafri, also has a history supporting Al Noor and is one of the world’s youngest and celebrated artists and philanthropists, whose creative and personal journey continues to touch the lives of adults and children around the world.

The installation by Sacha Jafri titled ‘The Child Within Us – Untouched Beginnings and Expressions of the Soul’ is on public display at DIFC until March 31st. To learn more about the artwork and auction, please contact Majid Al Futtaim Fashion: +971 4 294 9999.

About Majid Al Futtaim Fashion:
Majid Al Futtaim Fashion is one of the subsidiaries of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures. It currently operates a number of leading fashion brands throughout the GCC & Levant region including Juicy Couture, HOSS Intropia, Jane Norman and Mexx, with the newest edition to its portfolio being IT’SUGAR.

About Al Noor
Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs is a non-profit organization which falls under the Ministry of Social Affairs.  For the past 30 years, Al Noor has been providing high quality professional training to the special needs community in Dubai. In 1981, we started with 8 children and have since grown to a recognized establishment with over 270 students. In 2007, we moved to our own premises in Al Barsha. Our purpose-built facility has been donated to us by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, Ruler of Dubai and through the benefaction of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.

The Centre can accommodate up to 300 special children. Our current roster comprises of 270 children from 30 nationalities with various physical and cognitive challenges such as Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism. Al Noor uses a transdisciplinary approach to implement its training programme and in addition to teaching, offers Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Psychological services, Sports and Music. Al Noor also has its own Work Placement Unit which trains students with a capability for open employment.

About Sacha Jafri
At 34 years, Jafri is the youngest living artist in the history of art to have had a 10 year retrospective; he is now described as being one of the world’s most celebrated young artists. Jafri's work now typically sells for between $250,000-$750,000 with his recent live painting selling in auction at the Islamic Museum in Doha for $1million Dollars.

Jafri has recently appeared on the front cover of the Financial Times, Singapore Times and Gulf News. With his sell-out World Tour shown alongside a previously lost Andy Warhol collection entitled ‘Jafri meets Warhol’, he has now been described by the BBC as being: “A Shrewd Investment”.

Jafri has since been appointed as one of the official London 2012 Olympic Artists and his imminent latest collection ‘Universe of the Child’ is set to tour the world next year, opening at the Royal Academy in 2012.

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