On opening day, 101’s Playing Spaces exhibition nearly sold out, with more than half of the artworks on view reserved. Not a bad record for an art platform that is only three months old.
The week-long show, which could be viewed online and at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, is refreshing, filled with works crafted in various mediums by young, emerging artists – Alaa Edris, Asma Belhamar, Talal Al Najjar, Nasir Nasrallah and Malda Smadi – who are not yet signed with commercial galleries.
101 challenges the idea that an artist must have gallery representation to significantly sell or exhibit
This is part of 101's grassroots approach to showcasing and selling art, an ethos developed by its founders, writer Gaith Abdulla and curator Munira Al Sayegh. An art collecting and research platform, 101 marked its first exhibition in Abu Dhabi's Bait 15 in August. Playing Spaces is its second sale and first show in Dubai, as well as the platform's first foray into public programming.
Abdulla and Al Sayegh hope to appeal to younger or first-time collectors, who may feel intimidated by the frenzy of traditional, pre-pandemic art fairs and the at-times chilly atmosphere of galleries. This ethos is evident in their quirky and creative programming. On opening night, for example, 101 held a flashlight-guided viewing of the exhibition, essentially a tour in the dark. Wielding their smartphones, attendees shone their flashlights on to the works, discussing themes and ideas with the curators.
The rest of the week will include activities that stretch well into the early hours, 1:01am to be exact, including a creative writing session, a doll-making workshop with one of the artists and a discussion with the curators. All these activities delve into the "the heart of our concept", says Abdulla, specifically "conversation, community and critique".
The artists in the show are all Emirati, except for Smadi, and are in their early twenties to early thirties. Artwork prices range from $450 to $5,445.
Al Najjar's series of sculptures, Ancient Contemporary, take on the form of ancient artefacts while covered in contemporary clippings of pop culture references. Three of the five on display have already been reserved. Meanwhile, Belhamar's delicate architectural drawings and paintings are already sold out.
Edris's digital photo compositions also touch on architecture, though bear her more mysterious, signature sci-fi style. Smadi demonstrates the range of her practice, with works of painting, mixed media and photography, while Nasrallah's pieces focus on figurative and whimsical paintings.
"Believe it not, there are very few opportunities here for young and emerging artists to show in exhibitions such as this," Smadi said. She added that 101 has not only provided exposure in the arts hub setting of Alserkal Avenue, but also accessibility to collectors through the platform's website.
"101 challenges the idea that an artist must have gallery representation to significantly sell or exhibit," Al Najjar said, highlighting that the platform offers direct contact with "art collectors, the wider art market and art communities in the Gulf and beyond".
Abdulla says he and Al Sayegh seek to include “artists who are serious about their practice and who we see have potential to progress", adding that their more than decade-long involvement with the regional artistic community gives them a richer perspective into the concerns of local talent, particularly when it comes to gallery representation.
“When you showcase artists together, they become blood brothers,” says Al Sayegh. “Curatorially, it’s really important for us to know the artists’ work and how they fit thematically with one another,” she explains, noting that the works in the show are tied together by concepts of movement, play and architecture.
As part of its aims, 101 also hopes to promote what Abdulla calls “ethical collecting”, which he defines as an “informed and educated” as well as “social and political”, where the collector gains a deeper knowledge of the artist and their work. It is “collecting as beyond a financial transaction".
The platform’s way of doing business is also atypical. While most commercial galleries split the proceeds of a sale 50 / 50, 101 gives 70 per cent to the artist and keeps the rest. Additionally, unsold works return to the artist.
“When you’re collecting, you’re building a history alongside that collection. Your relationship with the collection reflects what you’re thinking and what you think is important,” adds Al Sayegh. It extends the act of collecting beyond aesthetic considerations towards social and political engagement.
While it is still early days for 101, their trajectory is promising so far. Al Sayegh says she spotted returning collectors who first visited their Bait 15 exhibition, and the platform has attracted those outside of the usual UAE art scene, another goal for the founders. "That's what we are aiming for. We've had people say 'thank you for making this [exhibition] accessible and less scary'. This is what I would consider success," says Al Sayegh.
Details on how to sign up for workshops can be found on 101's website or Instagram page
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
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Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
