DUBAI: One might initially doubt the connection between contemporary art and sustainability. Can art be sustainable? Moreover, how does a work of art reflect the Middle Eastern response to issues of sustainability? To this end, five thought-provoking art installations by four leading contemporary artists from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were commissioned by Expo 2020 in collaboration with Art Dubai. “Hugs” by Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim at Terra — The Sustainability Pavilion. (Supplied) Those artists are Zeinab Al-Hashemi, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Kazem from the UAE and Ayman Zedani from Saudi Arabia. Through their visual imagery, structure and positioning, the works reinforce the importance of sustainability at Expo 2020.