This summer, Europe remains a hot spot for holidays and cultural tourism – particularly the Mediterranean and Greek islands, where contemporary art continues to blossom in unexpected locales beneath the scorching sun.
Among this year's many efforts, cultural programming platform DEO Projects has launched the third iteration of its art show on the Greek island of Chios.
Sandwiched between Athens and Turkey, which is only a 25-minute ferry ride away, the slow-paced island hosts this year’s group show titled My Past is a Foreign Country at Temenos Hamidiye, a disused mosque also known as Bairakli, and an Ottoman hammam – steps away from each other in the island’s castled old town.
The show’s themes of fluidity, memory and materiality are explored by an international roster of artists from neighbouring countries and the Middle East.
Greek artists Stelios Faitakis, Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, Petros Moris, Maro Michalakakos and Maria Tsagkari are joined by Beirut's Dala Nasser, Lebanese-Dutch artist Mounira Al Solh, Turkish-German artist Aykan Safoglu, Hera Buyuktasciyan from Turkey, Abbas Zahedi from the UK, Cypriot-British artist Yorgos Petrou and Iranian artist Avish Khebrehzadeh. Together, their works blend through the two historic sites' soaring interiors, mysterious nooks and unassuming corners.
For Deo Project’s founder and exhibition curator Akis Kokkinos, the show holds a personal resonance as much as the island of Chios itself. “I still get emotional every time I land at the airport, as I remember my aunt waiting to pick me up as an unattended child from my flight,” he tells The National.
Three years ago, during the pandemic, the curator launched the organisation as a way to bring the world's attention to the island's diverse community, with its multilayered Greek and Ottoman influences and histories – as well as its “rich natural and geological landscape”.
Unlike its widely popular sisters Mykonos, Patmos and Hydra, Chios is a no-fuss island without high-end hotels – rather than a tourist-laden “see and be seen” atmosphere, the narrow streets are dotted with locals and daily Turkish visitors.
Kokkinos says the lack of development on Chios drove him to establish a “cultural institution that supports transnational dialogue and contributes to the cultural infrastructure of the island”.
“I’m interested in exploring the island as an institution, and that’s the reason why we have a nomadic character as an organisation, moving freely across the island every year.”
After using a local slaughterhouse and a maritime cultural centre in former years, his decision to choose two historically charged sites this year comes from an urge to “touch upon the notion of monuments to ask what purpose they serve and for whom and for what narratives”. Kokkinos is particularly interested in the “fluidity and constant transformation” of the venues' past roles.
The layered and intertwined backgrounds of both spaces construct what the curator calls “monumental taxidermies”. The fact that the Hamidiye was a Catholic church before becoming a mosque and that both venues served as Asia Minor refugee sanctuaries during the exchange of populations support his thesis. Recently, Syrian refugees were also hosted inside the castle’s trench.
Whether for worship or cleansing, the intended uses of the sites prompt you to come “closer to your higher self,” says Kokkinos, which is handy in an exhibition about transformation and alchemy of histories and memories.
From transhistorical connections to water’s malleable force, Kokkinos says the show’s themes are “somehow dictated by the venues and inspired the artists to work around them”. Among the nine commissions, Hera Buyuktasciyan’s An Ode To A Distant Spring occupies the hammam’s “warm room” with two sinuous paths of blue fabric – used for cleaning and head-covering – adorned with pieces of soap.
The interior’s bygone steam and both materials’ sensual tactility contribute to the serpentine connections the artist suggests between bodily existence and collective memory.
Physicality is a first-hand experience in Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh’s Clogged, which conveniently sits at the hammam’s entrance – a group of clogs traditionally worn by bathers are on offer while touring the show. Despite evoking a sense of hospitality, the clatter of heavy wood against the ground creates an alarming echo.
“The priority to me is the spatial and somatic experience of the visitor instead of the intellectual justification,” Kokkinos says about his emphasis on materials and senses.
“The artists and myself wanted to choreograph something very sensorial – from the sounds of the clogs to the smell of the soaps.” He also underlines the softness of the red velvet installation To All Of Us by Maro Michalakakos inside the mosque, which radiates a similar sense of alertness through its sanguine hue.
Gushing from the circular glass window and trickling across the floor, a thick stream of red velvet fabric plants its root-like legs on to the mosque floor. On a higher level, the balcony fence is tightly woven with the same material in a ritualistic fashion – a small stool also upholstered with red velvet looks down on the installation and Avish Khebrehzadeh’s seven portraits of men.
Rendered in a similar tone of red and raised by metal structures to eye level, the paintings substitute for the praying bodies that were once inside the mosque as well as those who occupied the space for shelter or out of curiosity. The Iranian artist’s portraits reflect on the silent souls of bygone yet intertwined histories that inhabit the island.
“We need moments of surprise in our everyday lives especially when those experiences disrupt static forms of knowledge and habits,” Kokkinos says about the ever-present element of spontaneity.
“The fact that probably most visitors don’t belong to the so-called 'art world' gives us a great pleasure, as one of our main goals is to reach a wider audience and to bring sociopolitical change in the long-term.”
Juxtaposing contemporary art with historic sites, he notes the cruciality of respecting the people who only want to see and admire history. “To find a balance is important.”
My Past is a Foreign Country is on view at Chios until August 28
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
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.
Napoleon
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Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
More on animal trafficking
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company%20Profile
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FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
