Abu Dhabi Art will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
Abu Dhabi Art will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
Abu Dhabi Art will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
Abu Dhabi Art will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art

More than 100 art galleries to showcase work at Abu Dhabi Art this year


Maan Jalal
  • English
  • Arabic

This year’s Abu Dhabi Art will have more than 100 local, regional and international galleries displaying works.

Surpassing the number of galleries that were showcased last year, the art fair, set to run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24, will feature 102 regional and international galleries from 31 countries. Last year, 92 galleries joined the event.

“This year marks our biggest edition to date,” Abu Dhabi Art director Dyala Nusseibeh tells The National. “We are starting to see some very interesting developments in our local and regional art market, a reassessment of the importance of modern and contemporary artists from our part of the world, who have a vital role to play in shaping narratives about our past, present and future.”

Across seven sections, which will cover various facets of modern and contemporary art, three are new. The first, Something Bold, Something New, will focus on modern artists from the region. The second, the Collectors Salon, will be a space where galleries can showcase artefacts, historical objects, manuscripts and artworks. The third, Silk Road: Drifting Identities, will highlight galleries and artists from Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Les Cueilleuses de Dattes (The Date Pickers) by the Egyptian painter and activist Inji Aflatoun. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
Les Cueilleuses de Dattes (The Date Pickers) by the Egyptian painter and activist Inji Aflatoun. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art

Something Bold, Something New is curated by arts consultant Myrna Ayad. It will consider seminal artists who have played a significant role in the evolution of styles and art practices in the region. They include Palestinian artists Emily Fanous Azar and Nabila Hilmi; Egyptian painter and activist Inji Aflatoun; Lebanese artist Halim Jurdak; Saudi artist Sami Al Marzoogi; and Tunisian painters Aly Ben Salem and Rafik El Kamel.

“Arab artists always feature prominently in our fair – being a fair rooted in the Middle East how could this be otherwise?” Nusseibeh says. She adds that there will be a plethora of Arab artists contributing to the fair this year.

Pioneering Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem is creating the visual identity for the fair. Nusseibeh says that through design, Kazem aims to remind visitors that “we are interconnected, through our geographies and in our networks with each other, through the sea and through trade”.

Nusseibeh also highlights the installation by Lebanese visual artist Raed Yassin titled City Mirage, which is comprised of 130 vintage Beirut shop sign letters, a work that “is a haunting recollection of the devastations the city has endured”.

The fair will also focus on the ties and synergies between the Arab world and other cultures and countries through art. In the Gateway exhibition this year, Nusseibeh says curators have been invited to consider the long-standing cultural ties between the Arab world and South America, an area that is both “under-researched and fascinating”.

A mother and son look at an artwork by the Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui at Abu Dhabi Art last year. Victor Besa / The National
A mother and son look at an artwork by the Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui at Abu Dhabi Art last year. Victor Besa / The National

“I think of Abu Dhabi Art as a useful platform for knowledge production and sharing in the field of art. It shapes the exhibition programmes and selection of galleries participating,” she says.

“Another exhibition will consider the historical presence of Arab artists in Paris. In our commercial gallery presentations, with works for sale, we are introducing a section dedicated to art, manuscripts and artefacts that span centuries including a rare seventh-century leaf from a Quran and an Ottoman ceremonial saddlery.”

Given the tumultuous and violent events, and resulting unsettlement, in the region over the past year, Nusseibeh highlights that art acts as a means to understand and explain our collective feelings, issues and trauma that are often difficult to express in any other way.

“We are in a time of existential crisis and of deep trauma for the region,” she says. “There are things that can’t be expressed or found in ordinary conversations among us. Visual poetry and art can somehow fill these voids that we are all facing and can form bridges across the seemingly incomprehensible. We may not find reconciliation in such events, but we can make sense of more, perhaps, because of them.”

Abu Dhabi Art also revealed this year’s community partners, who will be coming together in an exhibition that pays homage to crafts.

House of Artisans, the Abu Dhabi centre dedicated to preserving Emirati traditions and handicrafts, will be leading the exhibition. Titled Crafts as a Language, the show will highlight how crafts make use of natural resources to produce objects that, while serving a particular function, are also a means of creative expression.

Others include Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, 81 Designs, Kalimat Foundation, Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, MFA in Art and Media department at NYU Abu Dhabi and 1971 Design.

The fair’s Art and Tech programme will also be returning to connect art and technology students with visual artists. The initiative, which launched in 2017, aims to foster collaborations between the country’s art and tech sectors. Students from eight universities across the UAE will be taking part in this year’s programme. They will be working with artists Afra Al Suwaidi and Marina Fedorova. Al Suwaidi has guided students in creating an installation that will be revealed at the fair. Fedorova, meanwhile, worked with students to produce an artwork that makes use of augmented reality.

“This programme not only merges cutting-edge technology with contemporary art, but also offers a unique space for innovation and expression,” Al Suwaidi said. “I am grateful to have shared this opportunity with passionate students, who have displayed unimaginable talent and eagerness to showcase their creativity.”

Art Abu Dhabi will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 20 to 24

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

The 15 players selected

Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km

THE BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.

Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.

Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.

The Uefa Awards winners

Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)

Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League

Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)

Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)

Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona

The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity

About Seez

Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017  

Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer

Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon 

Sector:  Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing

Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed

Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A 

Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds 

RESULTS

Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO

Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke

Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke

Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO

Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision

Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision

Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO

Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)

Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)

Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision

Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke

Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO

Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision

Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision

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 specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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
THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
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

 

Updated: November 08, 2024, 10:43 AM`