Art Dubai is back this week. Before it opens to the public on Friday, The National goes behind the scenes for a sneak peek at what to expect.
Hours before previews begin on Thursday, the stage is almost set for the 17th year. This is especially true of the contemporary and Bawwaba sections.
The latter is dedicated to the concept of artistic healing. It features 10 solo exhibitions and feature works created in the past year.
Curated by Emiliano Valdes, chief curator of the Medellin Museum of Modern Art, Colombia, the pieces span various mediums and styles. Yet they all revolve around the idea of healing, from personal and spiritual perspectives, as well as in social and political contexts.
Blueprint 12, for instance, highlights the works of Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai. The Indian artist, who lived in Afghanistan before moving to Germany in the wake of the Taliban takeover, is presenting a series of paintings inspired by a garden in Kabul, where women would congregate to discuss everything from social issues to political thought.
“While [most] gardens were only open to women and children once a week, there was this one garden that was only for women," Ridhi Bhalla, co-founder of Blueprint 12, says. "She used to often go there with a journal. It was the one place you’d see women unwind and talk."
The works are dedicated to the memories the artist has of that garden. They are made with paper mache. With two-dimensional depictions of cypress and fig trees, presented along with pale gold and black designs on top of the natural hue of the paper, the artworks are mesmerising. Some feature silhouettes of a woman, presumably Ahmadzai herself, alongside floral patterns.
“From a poetic sense, visiting the garden, hearing stories from other women, it became a healing process to actually engage in these works,” Bhalla says.
Nika Project Space, on the other hand, is presenting a sprawling installation by Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh. Sour Things: The Kitchen touches on fermenting practices in Palestine and the wider region. With jars of pickling vegetables displayed on a kitchen counter, the work presents a metaphor between the process of fermenting and healing or, as the Nika Project Space puts it, “the deep-seated desire for control in the face of worldly uncertainties".
The contemporary section, meanwhile, is hosting 70 gallery booths representing countries and artists from the UAE, Palestine, India and Lebanon, to name a few. The section provides insight into specificities, trends and practices that are unfolding in different parts of the world.
Yeo Workshop from Singapore is presenting an exhibition of six artists from South-East Asia. The artists span several generations, presenting new twists to age-old crafts or imagining new frontiers to art that combine the physical and digital realms.
Citra Sasmita’s embroidery Realm of Nothingness, for instance, reflects on Hindu scriptures and artworks. Featuring exclusively figures of women, the Balinese artist tacitly points out that many of the traditional works are bereft of female representation.
“Citra is an emerging artist, and she’s currently showing at the Diriyah Biennale in Saudi Arabia,” Charmaine Kok, gallery associate at Yeo Workshop, says. “A lot of the paintings that she references, as well as the Hindu scriptures, mainly only depict men and their heroic stories. But where are the women? She's including women in those narratives.”
The embroidery is a departure from the paintings that Sasmita is known for, but that is the reason that Kok said Yeo Workshop sought to bring it to Art Dubai.
Realm of Nothingness is in harmony with its adjacent work, a textile piece by Santi Wangchuan. The Thai artist reflects on the traditions of weaving nets.
Kok adds: “It’s kind of dying craft and he’s one of the last people trying to protect it and is teaching people to continue to use traditional techniques.”
The work is vibrant with colour and features dangled interwoven synthetic materials. “He uses recycled clothing that he got from his neighbourhood,” Kok says.
Among the most arresting works at the booth is Brandon Tay’s Model B: Orchid Mantis, a 3D-printed sculpture that blends the forms of an orchid and a mantis. The artwork is also fitted with an LCD that features a dynamic video loop. The Orchid Mantis is one of several characters Tay has created, each with their own Wikipedia page that dives into their intersecting stories. “He's thinking of what happens if we cross the DNA of different species,” Kok says. “This digital element in the middle, the video, is almost like the spirit of the creature.”
From Ramallah, Gallery One is presenting the works of two Palestinian artists. From Samira Badran, there is a range of paintings she created in the 1970s and layered video works she produced in more recent years.
“The video art will be displayed alongside the sketches she produced for the work,” George Al Ama, of Gallery One, says. “Between the oil paintings and etchings, as well as the video, visitors will have a comprehensive understanding of her output.”
The gallery is also presenting a series of contemporary works by Manal Mahamid, which show the artist’s tendency to use symbolisms such as cactus fruit and the gazelle to address the struggles Palestinians face against Israeli violence and erasure.
“One of her main motifs is the Palestinian gazelle,” Al Ama says. “There was a huge effort for the animal to be listed in the official flora and fauna encyclopedia as the Palestinian gazelle. It is, after all, its official name in Latin. The Israelis tried to have it renamed as the Israeli gazelle.”
The gazelles are painted in various styles. Mahamid also represents the animal in sculptural form. Deconstructed into pieces, the work touches on how the gazelle was subject to various conflicting interpretations and transformations. Mahamid’s newer body of work, referencing the cactus fruit, or the sabbar, is also displayed, alluding to the fruit’s symbolism of resilience for Palestinians.
Athr Gallery presents works by a Palestinian artist who recently acquired Saudi citizenship. Ayman Yossri Daydban often reflects on notions of identity with his works, recontextualising images, posters and other mediums with subtitles, cutouts and other artistic interventions.
“Earlier in his life, he moved to Jordan [from Palestine] and then moved to Saudi Arabia, living in Jeddah for most of his life. He’s still based in Jeddah,” Ola Sephiran, of Athr Gallery, says. “His work revolves around the sense of belonging, looking for his own identity.”
A series of vintage film posters is on display. By cutting out various strips, it aims to evoke notions of censorship, as well as public interaction. A stainless steel sculpture, meanwhile, is bent and reshaped, using a heat gun to imply the stripes and triangle of the Palestinian flag.
Colombian artist Miler Lagos also utilises various media to evoke new meanings. The artist’s work was brought to the fair by Bogota’s Galeria Espacio Continuo. Among the artworks are two large circular pieces crafted using newspapers and magazine clippings, in a pattern that alludes to the rings of a tree.
“The rings of the tree, they contain the memory of the earth,” Katerine Hernandez, the gallery’s director, says. “We used to believe that the newspaper was a container of human memory. Of course, now with fake news, it is a different story.”
Lagos often refers to the human relationship with the natural environment in his works and often uses paper to highlight that connection, which is often an antagonistic one.
The large works are at the centre of the booth, made of crumbled paper and coloured and coated with epoxy resin, which is poisonous if its fumes are inhaled. The works look at how humans have come to view water as a commodity, polluting and reckless using it.
Art Dubai runs at Madinat Jumeirah from Friday to Sunday
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20card%3Cbr%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERobert%20Whittaker%20defeated%20Ikram%20Aliskerov%20via%20knockout%20(Round%201)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAlexander%20Volkov%20def%20Sergei%20Pavlovich%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EKelvin%20Gastelum%20def%20Daniel%20Rodriguez%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EShara%20Magomedov%20def%20Antonio%20Trocoli%20via%20knockout%20(Round%203)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20heavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EVolkan%20Oezdemir%20def%20Johnny%20Walker%20via%20knockout%20(Round%201)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPreliminary%20Card%0D%3Cbr%3ELightweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ENasrat%20Haqparast%20def%20Jared%20Gordon%20via%20split%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EFelipe%20Lima%20def%20Muhammad%20Naimov%20via%20submission%20(Round%203)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERinat%20Fakhretdinov%20defeats%20Nicolas%20Dalby%20via%20split%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuin%20Gafurov%20def%20Kang%20Kyung-ho%20via%20unanimous%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20heavyweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMagomed%20Gadzhiyasulov%20def%20Brendson%20Ribeiro%20via%20majority%20decision%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChang%20Ho%20Lee%20def%20Xiao%20Long%20via%20split%20decision%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYodawy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarim%20Khashaba%2C%20Sherief%20El-Feky%20and%20Yasser%20AbdelGawad%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2424.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlgebra%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20MEVP%20and%20Delivery%20Hero%20Ventures%2C%20among%20others%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20500%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
more from Janine di Giovanni
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
