When German-born artist Petra Kaltenbach arrived in Dubai in 2004, the city’s art landscape was barely recognisable compared to what it is today. “At that time, not that much was happening in the arts,” she recalls. “Of course, there was always calligraphy, but for European eyes, it all felt very different indeed, almost unfamiliar.”
She smiles as she reflects on those early days. “Back then, Alserkal Avenue didn’t even exist. Now it’s the most popular art spot in the city — and that says a lot about how far Dubai’s art scene has come.”
Kaltenbach is one of those rare figures who has witnessed, and helped shape, the city’s creative evolution from the ground up. “Over the years, I’ve seen incredible progress,” she says. “From a time when you couldn’t even go to a concert or a cinema, to now, where the city hosts major international art fairs. It’s remarkable.”
For Petra, moving to Dubai was more than a change of geography: it was a creative awakening. “When I came to Dubai, I thought, ‘Okay, this is my chance to go into the arts.’ I always wanted to, but my parents weren’t ‘friends’ of the idea,” she laughs. “So Dubai became the place where I could finally follow that dream.”
That decision would redefine her life. “I felt not only my own personal change, I felt the city changing too. That transformation inspired me deeply,” she says. Her early recognition came with the International Emerging Artist Award, where she was named Best Resident Artist. “That was a real turning point,” she adds. “The moment I realised I could truly live this life.”
If there is one image that defines Petra Kaltenbach’s work, it is the pomegranate, a motif she has explored for more than a decade. But when she set out, her forcus was originally elsewhere. “The desert, the sand… That’s where it all began,” she says. “Sand comes from rock, it transforms over time, and when I walk in the dunes, I feel I’m in touch with eternity.”
But while her artistic meanderings took her further into desert symbolism, one day everything changed: “The image of a pomegranate just came to me,” she says. “I can’t describe it any other way. It was given to me.”
For Kaltenbach, the pomegranate holds multiple layers of meaning. “It fascinates me because it’s the forbidden fruit. It has its own crown. It’s a symbol of power, of knowledge and of temptation.” In her hands, this ancient fruit becomes a vessel for global connection. “You find pomegranates in the Middle East, in China, in Europe… It connects cultures. You can project your own thoughts and emotions on to it. For me, it’s not about what it represents, but about what it evokes in the viewer.”
Despite her reverence for the timeless symbols of mother nature, Kaltenbach’s practice is anything but traditional. “I’m very attached to technology,” she says. “Even my earliest paintings were created using digital files printed on a large flatbed printer.”
Her partnership with Canon became a defining chapter. “They sponsored me for a year. I was the only artist worldwide they supported in that way,” she recalls proudly. That collaboration opened doors to experimentation: in 2015, Kaltenbach began embedding QR codes into her works. “You could scan it and see an art video that gave you a second perspective. Back then, nobody even knew what a QR code was.” When the pandemic made digital tools mainstream, Kaltenbach pivoted again. “Covid solved that problem, suddenly everyone had a scanner in their phone,” she says with a laugh. “It opened the door to new ideas like augmented reality.” From there, her exploration extended into NFTs and, most recently, 3D sculpting. “It’s a completely new world, but it excites me,” she says.
Petra’s current focus has shifted from pixels to physical form, but she’s still continuing to experiment with new technologies. “Right now I’m very focused on sculpture,” she explains. “I started about two years ago, working with 3D printing, and it’s fascinating me. Combining the sculptures with video or digital art; maybe that’s the next step.” Still, she isn’t quite done with her iconic fruit. “For the next year or two I’ll stay with the pomegranate. There’s still so much potential to explore.”
Technology, she says, remains both muse and mystery. “It’s transforming so fast, sometimes I feel it’s almost too much for the human mind,” she admits. “That’s why I’m not working with AI. At least, not yet. It feels too early, and people don’t trust it. We saw that when the NFT market collapsed. For now, I’m drawn to something physical, to materials you can touch. The world is craving that again.”
From early days in a city where “you couldn’t go to a concert,” to helping establish World Art Dubai as a creator and art advisor, Kaltenbach has been both participant and witness to the UAE’s creative renaissance. “It’s been a privilege to be part of this transformation,” she says. “The Middle East is rising in the art world. It’s an incredible shift. I’m not sure if all the big artist names will survive it, but it’s very exciting to see what comes next.” In a city built on transformation, Petra Kaltenbach’s art stands as a meditation on change itself — between sand and symbol, technology and touch, past and possible. Forbidden fruit? Not for Petra — she just keeps coming back for more.
