Dubai Metro

Ten pillars supporting the Dubai Metro became a sequence of murals along Sheikh Zayed Road, between Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Towers. Produced by SAN Projects with Brand Dubai and the Roads and Transport Authority, the commission introduced figurative painting into the repeated structures of a transport route.

Peruvian artist Daniel Cortez, known as Decertor, and Dominican-born Elio Mercado, known as Evoca1, developed works for the tall, narrow surfaces. The pillars gave the imagery an architectural rhythm: individual paintings could be encountered separately while also reading as part of a connected group.

The setting brings the work into the daily movement of the city. Seen from changing distances and at different speeds, the murals make infrastructure a place for artistic expression, extending Dubai Street Museum beyond the conventional façade.