As the art landscape of the Arab world continues to expand, artists from different backgrounds, cultures and disciplines are presenting work that showcases a diverse range of talent and perspectives.
Here, we look at 10 creatives from the region who are doing interesting and important work that you need to know about.
Nasser Almulhim
Exploring how geometric and organic shapes interact with each other and the human psyche, Saudi painter and sculptor Nasser Almulhim’s practice takes a playful, intuitive and bold approach to image-making and three-dimensional forms.
Almulhim is also interested in the connections between spirituality and mental processes and how to represent this relationship visually. Through composition, scale, forms and colours, Almulhim attempts to create rhythmic energies and stimulate psychological shifts through his work.
Maitha Abdalla
Emirati artist Maitha Abdalla recently had a solo exhibition, INT. The Body — Sunrise, at Cromwell Place in London. The exhibition often explored the power of storytelling in folktales from the Arabian Gulf and the surrounding region.
Her large-scale works combine painterly and drawing techniques that depict mesmerising and slightly dark images of human-animal hybrid creatures interacting with each other. Through her narratives, Abdalla recalls the dying nature of regional folktales and how they are shaped by culture and societal norms and traditions.
Alymamah Rashed
Kuwaiti artist Alymamah Rashed explores the idea of a hybrid existence through her Surrealist large-scale paintings.
Rashed combines idiosyncratic form — quirky, floating and engaging — with autobiographical portraiture and elements of regional folklore, alongside everyday banal objects, to explore female subjectivity.
Her paintings are striking for their ethereal quality, light and emergent forms influenced by eastern and western aesthetic disciplines.
Rashed currently has a solo exhibition, When my Heart Danced Near Your Mirage, at Tabari Artspace at DIFC, running until January 5.
Hashel Al Lamki
Emirati painter and multidisciplinary artist Hashel Al Lamki explores the connection between humankind and its habitats, whether natural or manmade.
The Gulf and the UAE’s development over the years, particularly in its complex cultural, social and spatial dynamics have influenced his practice and the content of his work.
From sweeping, stylised landscapes to intricate details and experimentation with colour, Lamki’s work is engaging and interactive.
Sawsan Al Bahar
Syrian artist and researcher Sawsan Al Bahar’s work examines concepts of identity, home and inherited memories.
From intricate drawings to sweeping installations, Al Bahar’s work seeks to reconcile ideas around generational displacement. It also delves into the nuances of emotional attachment to memories and the idea of home through various facets — interpreting these ideas into drawings and 3D installations and sculpture.
Al Bahar was recently awarded the Massimiliano Galliani Prize for drawing at the 17th ArtVerona in Italy and had her first solo exhibition Talaliya at Firetti Contemporary gallery in Alserkal Avenue.
Sarah Al Mehairi
Multidisciplinary Emirati artist Sarah Al Mehairi explores themes of identity, language, materiality and memory through narrative and abstract work.
Playing with ideas in her traditional artistic practice, Al Mehairi works in a number of mediums, including mixed media, sculpture, painting, book art and fibre art.
Al Mehairi had a solo exhibition, When the Ground Was, at Carbon 12 in Alserkal Avenue this year and was part of the Beyond: Emerging Artists programme at Abu Dhabi Art. Her works are on show at Manarat Al Saadiyat until January 22.
Amir Hazim
Iraqi artist Amir Hazim’s photography reveals a sensitive and gritty depiction of the world.
Whether in Baghdad or the UAE, through striking black-and-white imagery, Hazim sheds light on harrowing memories, capturing present moments and visions of the future.
His portraits, street scenes and personal observations are presented through bold compositions and a signature use of light and shadow.
Shaikha Al Mazrou
Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou’s sculptural experimentations investigate the form, content and physicality of materials — combining ideas from different contemporary artistic movements, while playing with colour theory and geometric abstraction.
Recently, Al Mazrou was one of 19 international artists included in this year's Frieze Sculpture at Regent's Park in London. Her piece Red Stack, reinterpreted cushions, enlarging and magnifying their form and volume as a piled stack, appearing soft and hard at the same time.
Miramar Muhd
Iraqi visual artist Miramar Muhd has created larger-than-life murals in Amman, Dubai and the Netherlands.
The self-taught artist’s work includes Break The Silence, a mural which was painted with fellow artist Dalal Mitwally in the centre of Amman. She also collaborated with choreographer Abd Al Hadi Abunahleh at Amman’s bi-annual IDEA Festival last year.
This year, Muhd created Flowers From The East in the Netherlands as part of the Open Art Shuffle project, along with Harmony, on the face of DIFC’s ICD Brookfield Place building in Dubai. The stunning work features outstretched hands against a backdrop of blooming flowers.
Salama Nasib
An Emirati artist specialising in printmaking, Salama Nasib’s work explores ideas around translating and rendering exchanges and memories.
Delicate, detailed and powerfully emotive, her images are inspired by her own exchanges and memories as well as elements from mythology.
Nasib has exhibited locally in the UAE, including at Tashkeel and Meem Gallery as well as internationally, at the Meridian International Centre in Washington, the Kunstquartier Bethanien in Berlin and was part of a six-week residency at Dundee Contemporary Arts in Scotland.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
SPEC%20SHEET
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
