Zadie Xa's Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes includes a chandelier-like piece made of more than 1,000 brass bells. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
Zadie Xa's Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes includes a chandelier-like piece made of more than 1,000 brass bells. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
Zadie Xa's Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes includes a chandelier-like piece made of more than 1,000 brass bells. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
Zadie Xa's Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes includes a chandelier-like piece made of more than 1,000 brass bells. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Masterpieces at Christie's and a Turner-nominated work in Sharjah


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Art Dubai may have concluded, but the local scene is maintaining the momentum.

A Christie’s exhibition of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern masterpieces and a solo exhibition by Egyptian artist Huda Lutfi are among the highlights in the city. There is also lots to see in other emirates, including a solo show by Saudi artist Abdullah Al Othman and a presentation at the Sharjah Biennial that is in the running for the Turner Prize.

Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at Christie's

Mohammed Al Saleem's Desert Plants (1973). Photo: Christie's
Mohammed Al Saleem's Desert Plants (1973). Photo: Christie's

The Christie’s auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art has returned with an all-star selection.

The sale is a potent representation of the diverse practices shaping the region's contemporary art. There are works that represent Nadia Saikali’s gestural abstraction, the kaleidoscopic dynamism of Samia Halaby, the rippling portraits of Marwan, the calligraphic experimentations of Mohamed Melehi, Malika Agueznay and Dia Azzawi, as well as paintings by Helen Khal that show her figurative beginnings, and the ethereal canvases she is particularly known for.

Other notable figures featured in the auction include Inji Efflatoun, Kamal Boullata, Etel Adnan, Aref El Rayess, Laila Shawa, Paul Guiragossian, Nabil Anani, Fateh Moudarres and Yvette Achkar.

Monday to Friday, 10am-7pm; Saturday and Sunday, 12pm-5pm; until May 8, Christie’s Dubai

Unraveling: Huda Lutfi at The Third Line

Huda Lutfi, Missing Shoe (2018). Photo: The Third Line
Huda Lutfi, Missing Shoe (2018). Photo: The Third Line

Lutfi is known for her cross-disciplinary practice that draws from historical research as well as feminist critique.

Her fourth solo exhibition at The Third Line brings together works from three recent series. These include When Dreams Call for Silence (2019), which presents human figures in surreal domestic scenes. In Our Black Thread (2020–2021), Lutfi explores how creating is an act of healing. The series began as Lutfi casually wove threads from used teabags and car filters. The minimalist compositions, with their restrained monochromatic palette, “amplify the introspective meditation that fuelled their making”, the exhibition guide states, “but also evoke the historical association of craftsmanship as feminine labour and its complex relationship to art”.

This approach is sustained in her continuing series Healing Devices, which feature organic and geometric paper cutouts set against gold and silver backdrops. The series draws from the illustrations in The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, a 1206 work by the Arab polymath Ismail Al-Jazari.

Monday to Sunday, 11am-7pm; until May 27, The Third Line, Dubai

Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything at Sharjah Biennial

Zadie Xa's presentation in Al Hamriyah Studios at Sharjah Biennial is nominated for the Turner Prize. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
Zadie Xa's presentation in Al Hamriyah Studios at Sharjah Biennial is nominated for the Turner Prize. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

This presentation from the 2025 Sharjah Biennial has been nominated for the Turner Prize. The work was created by Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa, in collaboration with Spanish artist Benito Mayor Vallejo.

It features several disparate elements, which take cues from Korean shamanic traditions. These include paintings and a chandelier-like piece comprising more than 1,000 brass bells arranged in the shape of a conch shell.

Saturday to Thursday, 9am-9pm; Friday 4pm-9pm; until June 15; Al Hamriyah Studios, Sharjah

Abdullah Al Othman: Structural Syntax at Iris Projects

Anticipation (2025) by Abdullah Al Othman. Photo: Iris Projects
Anticipation (2025) by Abdullah Al Othman. Photo: Iris Projects

Al Othman’s work is greatly informed by the visual language of the region’s cities. The Saudi artist is known to wander around Riyadh, collecting materials and images from its architecture and linguistic history that he then incorporates into his work.

Structural Syntax is his first solo show in the UAE. The exhibition is designed to steep visitors in Al Othman’s unique perception of urban landscapes and prompt questions about the way we navigate our surroundings.

Works include Anticipation, which makes use of neon lights, a material with which Al Othman has become synonymous. His Untitled (Coca Cola) playfully appropriates the brand in an installation featuring a sign in Arabic, industrial materials, metal and paint.

Monday to Friday, 11am-7pm; until June 27; Iris Projects, Abu Dhabi

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam:   21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR

US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.

KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.

 

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

Updated: May 01, 2025, 10:02 AM`