Public-city: Inloco Gallery concludes its annual conference on public art

Inloco Gallery has concluded its annual public art conference, Inloco Talks 2025, that brought focus to how artistic interventions are redefining cultural, social and spatial narratives across cities in the Gulf.

- Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

The broad theme of Inloco Talks 2025, namely, Urban Art and the Public Realm, dealt with artistic interventions in urban spaces. Hosted at Al Safa Art & Design Library, Dubai, the conference convened leading voices from across the region, to examine the evolving relationship between artistic practice and urban spaces. Across three sessions, speakers probed the role of institutions in advancing public art, the long-term cultural shifts sparked by temporary and time-based art events, and the place of public art within urban planning and cultural strategy.

The discussions underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration between artists, curators, urbanists, policymakers, and cultural producers. "In a region where we're still shifting, moving and shaping who we are and how we talk about ourselves, events like Inloco Talks are especially important," said Laila Binbrek, Director of the National Pavilion UAE at the Venice Biennale and speaker at Inloco Talks 2025. "They bring together different practitioners to discuss ideas that might otherwise remain informal, the kind we would share only around a coffee table. Holding these conversations in a public library allows audience members to not only hear the topics we are addressing, but also learn about the work each of us does individually. There is always value in creating spaces for sharing and for meaningful public engagement."