As part of the Dubai government’s continued investment in the visual arts, a number of new activities have been announced under the umbrella of Dubai Art Season this month and in March.
Events sponsored by Dubai Culture this year, under the theme Take a Walk on the Art Side, include the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, taking place from February 3 to 13 in Al Habtoor City, and performance and artworks at Expo 2020 Dubai, which closes at the end of March.
Dubai Culture oversees a growing variety of projects: the Sikka Art Fair, the longtime local stalwart of music, art and design projects, which returns from March 15 to 24 in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, and World Art Dubai, a more affordable fair for collectors, which also returns, from March 16 to 19 at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Meanwhile, the newly launched Bulgari Contemporary Art Award will show the work of its nominees from February 3 to 9 at Van de Goudenberg Art Gallery in the Dubai International Financial Centre, with the winner announced at the end.
Dubai Art Season is anchored by Art Dubai, which brings with it an international group of collectors, curators, and art professionals, and the Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting, influential among artists, curators and writers.
This year, Art Dubai is buoyed by the popularity of the city itself and the continuing interest in non-western forms of art, with numerous collectors and gallerists preparing to travel to the city, according to sources.
After its stint in its original home in DIFC, in a pop-up mid-Covid-19 event last year, it returns to Madinat Jumeirah from Friday, March 11 to Sunday, March 13.
The fair has always been interested in digital work, particularly through the involvement of its Global Art Forum director Shumon Basar, but this year it formalises this set of concerns.
The section Art Dubai Digital will be dedicated to this, as well as NFTs, and the Campus Art Dubai exhibition this year will focus on blockchain.
The March meeting, titled The Afterlives of the Postcolonial, this year continues the themes that are being developed for the 2023 biennial, which Sharjah Art Foundation director Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi is curating based on the ideas for the show by the late Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor.
Sharjah Art Foundation will also launch its shows for the spring season, which this year include Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Khalil Rabah, and Ghanaian photographer Gerald Annan-Forson.
As usual, the UAE’s art institutions also look to put their best foot forward, with shows geared towards the local and international audiences who focus on art during this season.
Highlights include Admaf's Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, on at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Lebanese curator Maya El Khalil explores historical groupings and tendencies towards collaboration in the UAE.
There are also work by the subtle, precise Pakistani artist Fahd Burki at the Jameel Arts Centre and the first major institutional show of Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Hesam Rahmanian, a historically significant artist collective in the UAE, at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
