What to see at Abu Dhabi Art 2024


Maan Jalal
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  • Arabic

This week's Abu Dhabi Art festival showcases works from more than 100 local, regional, and international galleries.

A highlight of this year's UAE art calendar, the festival will be feature 102 regional and international galleries from 31 countries.

Taking place at Manarat Al Saadiyat from tomorrow to Sunday, the event will feature both emerging and established artists from the region and abroad, exhibiting work in various mediums and in specifically dedicated sections.

Here’s is everything you need to know about Abu Dhabi Art 2024.

New Sections

This falcon-headed wood sarcophagus from Egypt contains an original falcon mummy and is one of the artefacts on display. Victor Besa / The National
This falcon-headed wood sarcophagus from Egypt contains an original falcon mummy and is one of the artefacts on display. Victor Besa / The National

Seven sections will cover various facets of modern and contemporary art. Three of them are new.

The first, Something Bold, Something New, will focus on modern artists from the region. The second, the Collector's Forum, 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.

The returning sections are: Modern and Contemporary, which showcase galleries that represent a wide range of works by different artists; Special Projects in which a solo or two artist presentation by galleries are presented; Emerge, which has artworks by galleries that are sold for under $3,000; and Bidaya, which focuses on emerging galleries that have been operating for less than three years and are participating at the fair for the first time.

Beyond: Emerging Artists

A sketch by UAE based artist Dina Khorchid, who was one of the three artists selected for the Beyond: Emerging Artists programme. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
A sketch by UAE based artist Dina Khorchid, who was one of the three artists selected for the Beyond: Emerging Artists programme. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art

The annual programme organised by the art fair provides a platform for emerging artists based in the UAE to develop their practice and create ambitious projects.

This year the initiative is curated by Lorenzo Fiaschi, co-founder of Galleria Continua. Three UAE-based artists – Fatma Al Ali, Dina Nazmi Khorchid and Simrin Mehra Agarwl – were selected from more than 100 proposals to produce commissioned works with funding and curatorial support. The exhibition will showcase the year-long mentorships the three artists experienced under Fiaschi.

Gateway

Pieces by Emilia Estrada are on display in the Gateway section of Abu Dhabi Art. Victor Besa / The National
Pieces by Emilia Estrada are on display in the Gateway section of Abu Dhabi Art. Victor Besa / The National

The annual Gateway exhibition, which forms a significant part of Abu Dhabi Art’s programming, is a showcase of both local and international artists through a unique and often curatorial perspective.

This year the Gateway exhibition is entitled Otra Orilla (Another Shore) and examines the connections between Latin America and the Arab world. Curated by Odessa Warren and Carine Harmand, the exhibition will feature works by South American artist Emilia Estrada; Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican visual artist Alia Farid; Amsterdam-based artist of Palestinian and Chillian heritage Francisca Khamis Giacoman; and Iraqi and Chilean-Costa Rican director and artist Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez, as well as a new commission by Chinese and Palestinian artist Mandy El-Sayegh.

The exhibition and works won’t approach the connections between the Arab world and Latin America from a historical perspective, but will delve into the exchanges between these two regions covering themes such as diaspora, identity and personal and collective memory through various mediums.

The Arab Presences Exhibition

View of Sirros by the Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art
View of Sirros by the Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said. Photo: Abu Dhabi Art

This year The Farjam Foundation, one of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic and contemporary Middle Eastern art, will be presenting an exhibition entitled Arab Presences: Modern Art and Decolonisation, Paris 1908-1988 – Farjam Collection Close-Up.

Co-curated by Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet, the exhibition will include up to 50 artworks from The Farjam Collection, including works by modern masters and pioneers. These include Syrian painter and one of the leaders of the modern movement Fateh Moudarres; Iraqi artist Mehdi Moutashar; Lebanese painter Bibi Zogbe; the pioneering Algerian artist Baya and many more.

The Farjam Foundation will also be the sponsors for the Abu Dhabi Art Talks portion of the fair’s programme, which includes panel discussions, talks and book launches.

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

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The years Ramadan fell in May

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1954

1921

1888

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

WHEN TO GO:

September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.

WHERE TO STAY:

Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.

The Equaliser 2

Director Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders

Three stars

Correspondents

By Tim Murphy

(Grove Press)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

While you're here
MATCH INFO

Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)

Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD

The five pillars of Islam
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Key developments

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Updated: November 20, 2024, 2:28 PM`