This week’s calendar is speckled with several short-lasting but memorable exhibitions and events.
From a show delving into Emmanuel Guiragossian’s unique depiction of horses to a pop-up cafe and exhibition at eL Seed Studio, which is taking place during the Quoz Arts Fest, here are a few things to look out for this week.
The Horse and The Night at Saadiyat Rotana Resort Abu Dhabi
The horses in Guiragossian’s paintings are vivid with dynamism and colour. The artist, who is the son of famed Lebanese-Armenian painter Paul Guiragossian, often incorporates stylistic elements that were found in his father’s works, but in his own way.
The Horse and the Night boldly bares this idiosyncrasy. The paintings examine the universal imagery of horses as beings of power and grace, while taking cues from the words of Al-Mutanabbi, the famous Abassid-era poet who often employed horses in his works as symbols of freedom and majesty.
Thursday and Friday; Abu Dhabi
El Seed Studio at Alserkal Avenue
French-Tunisian artist El Seed will be showcasing an exhibition at his workspace in Alserkal Avenue. The show will likely include several new works in the sprawling calligraphic style that the artist has become globally renowned for.
The studio will also feature a pop-up outside. El Seed Latte Cafe will be serving drinks sprinkled with chocolate powder stylised after the artist’s calligraphy. The pop-up will be one of many attractions to take place during Quoz Arts Fest. Running on Saturday and Sunday, the festival will include public art installations, and live performances – including poetry, workshops and panel discussions, pop-ups, a dedicated children’s programme and more.
Saturday and Sunday; 10am to 6pm; Dubai
Reel Palestine at Cinema Akil
Also opening alongside Quoz Arts Fest is Reel Palestine. The festival is returning to Cinema Akil for its 11th year. The programme has feature films and documentaries, as well as shorts. To a Land Unknown from director Mehdi Fleifel will open the event. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and recently won the Silver Yusr prize at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah.
Also screening is A State of Passion by filmmaker Carol Mansour; From Ground Zero, an Academy Award-shortlisted collection of 22 short films captured over 11 months in Palestine; Laila Abbas’s film Thank You for Banking with Us; as well as Goran Hugo Olsson’s Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989, a documentary crafted from archival footage that chronicles how the conflict was covered throughout the decades.
Friday to February 2
Dance Will Be You at Efie Gallery
Dance Will Be You is group exhibition at Efie Gallery showcasing modern and contemporary African art and design. The exhibition’s title is drawn from a work by Sonia Sanchez in her 1970 poetry collection We a BaddDDD People. It will run from today to March 26.
Several internationally-established artists are taking part in the exhibition, including Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, whose installations often drawn from her Cuban and Yoruba heritage; JK Bruce-Vanderpuije, whose photographic archive sharply documents events and the cultural history of West Africa; Dina Nur Satti, whose ceramic works are drawn from research into African art and pre-colonial African societies; as well as Myles Igwebuike, whose designs take cues from the Mbari houses of Igbo culture.
Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm, until March 26; Al Khayat Art Avenue
Honeymoonish
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
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
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
