Building a Life as an Artist

In our continuing series on building a life as an artist, this conversation delves into current opportunities and challenges that artists are facing with careers based in the country. Hear from locally based artists: singer/songwriter, producer Dana Naidu; writer and performance artist Trixie Danielle; movement artist Lillian Castillo-Müller, and visual artist, painter, and teacher Chafa Ghaddar. The conversation is moderated by Jam Moreno, an NYUAD student majoring in Film & New Media.

Biographies

Dana Naidu

Dana Naidu is a Dubai-based singer/songwriter, producer, and the lead female vocalist and creative director of The Tasty Biscuits. Known for her soulful blend of R&B and neo-soul and working full-time in a scene dominated by commercial music, she pushes to share her original songs in 2025. She cherishes collaboration and strives to impact her audience deeply, ensuring each performance is a moment that she and her listeners share. Dana is dedicated to her personal and artistic growth, continuously pushing creative boundaries to share music that resonates and connects.

Dana Naidu recently co-produced and performed in "The Tasting Session Live," a sold out original show at Sima Performing Arts in Dubai this August. Collaborating with Edenojie, she also contributed her songwriting talents to several pieces performed by The Tasty Biscuits during the event, showcasing her versatile skills in writing, performing and artistic direction.

Dana Naidu is set to launch an inspiring new phase in her music career with the release of her debut single "Sometimes," and a series of other original tracks. Backed by a passionate and dedicated team, Dana is eager to share her music, crafted to really reach her listeners. This significant step marks her transition into releasing personal projects, highlighting her growth as an artist and her commitment to bringing fresh, authentic sounds to the region. 

Trixie Danielle

Trixie Danielle is a writer and performance artist who has performed at Rooftop Rhythms (NYU), the Museum of Migration and Memory (NYU), various open mics, poetry slams, and commissioned events in the UAE. She is skilled in production and stage management and has acted, directed, and written short plays in her dialect, Hiligaynon.

A member of 63Kolektib, she was involved in the recent staging of Lola Basyang in the UAE at Bayt Al Mamzar and 421. She is a 2024 Numoo Artis (The Arts Center’s artist professional development program). Now, she writes poetry in English and Hiligaynon, continuing to explore and share her cultural heritage and migration experiences connecting it to her identity, sense of belonging, and self-discovery.

Lillian Castillo-Müller

Lillian Castillo-Müller (b. 1982) is a Mexican-born movement artist with German roots, currently based in Abu Dhabi. She intricately explores the body, somatics, sound, and image in her immersive artworks. With a BA in Contemporary Dance and specialized training in Linz, Austria, Lillian's experiences span Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, enriching her artistic perspective. She has honed her craft at Tanz Quartier and presented her work at the CI Festival in Hungary, as well as in Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Germany. Additionally, she has danced in Frankfurt, Viena and participated in various independent projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Beyond dance, her extensive training in Pilates, Yoga, and somatics deepens her awareness of bodily movements, adding depth to her dancing, choreography, and interdisciplinary research. Lillian was a part of the 2023 Numoo Cohort at NYU Abu Dhabi and lead teacher of interdisciplinary workshops. Lillian's work resides at the intersection of cultural influences, showcasing her ability to create immersive, transformative experiences through movement, sound, and image. Her diverse journey and commitment to exploring the body's potential in creating inclusive and accessible spaces that nurture a culture of movement and embodiment.

Chafa Ghaddar (b. 1986, Ghazieh, Lebanon)

Wall painting and surface finishing are central to the Chafa Ghaddar’s practice. She explores the use of fresco as a contemporary mode of making, as well as other techniques, and works equally with murals, painting, drawing, photography, and mixed media.

The artist executes site-specific and public artworks, and has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Beirut, Dubai, New York, Brussels, and Verona. In 2022, Ghaddar was commissioned to produce a site-specific work for the 16th Lyon Biennale, Manifesto of Fragility, curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. She has been awarded several artist fellowships and residencies, including the Tashkeel Studio Critical Practice Program in 2018/2019 (with a solo exhibition), the Salama Emerging Artist Fellowship (SEAF, 2018), and the artist-in-residence program at the Villa Empain (Brussels, 2015), which also awarded her the Boghossian Art Prize for painting in 2014. Her work is in the collections of the Boghossian Art Foundation (Brussels), Tashkeel Art Foundation (UAE), and Fondation Saradar (Lebanon).

Ghaddar graduated from Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), where she earned her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts degree in 2007 and a Master’s in Visual Arts in 2009. In 2012, she attended an intensive course in fresco and traditional painting techniques in Florence, Italy, an experience that continues to inform her practice today. In 2024 she completed a 6-month teaching artist fellowship awarded by DCT. Chafa Ghaddar lives and works in Dubai.