When Gallery Bawa launched in October 2020, it entered a rather shaky art market. Despite the numerous online auctions and virtual viewing rooms worldwide, major art fairs were still postponing or cancelling their events. In March, the Art Basel and UBS Art Market report noted that global sales of art and antiques dipped by 22 per cent in 2020, and didn’t expect a very hopeful 2021.
The Kuwait City digital gallery Bawa, however, has managed to defy the drop. Within its first year, founder Bandar Al-Wazzan says he has managed to make a profit. And that’s not all – for its final show of the year, the gallery is collaborating with one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest artists, Ahmed Mater, to present his first venture into digital art.
Bawa was born during the pandemic, though its beginnings go back earlier, when Al-Wazzan, aged 23, was a business student at Northeastern University in Boston. Visiting galleries in the US, particularly New York, he wondered why Gulf artists were so few and far between. “The question was always, ‘Why don’t I see artists close to where I’m from up on these walls?'," he says. “I started to become passionate about the business of art, about why some pieces sell for millions and others don’t.”
In the second half of 2019, Al Wazzan completed a six-month internship at Christie’s Dubai, where he became more interested in the art market and worked at his first auction, a fund-raising affair for the historic Al Balad district in Jeddah.
When he returned to Northeastern University to graduate, he set out to put together a group exhibition of Arab artists at the Lebanese American University, which has a centre in New York City. The pandemic upended these plans, and Al-Wazzan settled back in Kuwait City just as Covid-19 was at its peak last year. Looking back, he says he knew it was an ambitious pitch, especially for a young graduate who didn’t yet have the network to produce a show, but it did help cement his desire to work in art.
He spent the next few months researching the art market and the Gulf art scene and understanding the gallery model. By the time his digital gallery website went live in 2020, he had lined up the next few artists he wanted to showcase, primarily highlighting younger, emerging artists whose practices he admired.
So far, he has worked with artists such as Alymamah Rashed from Kuwait, presenting her series on the female body titled Muslima Cyborg, and Athoub Albusaily, an artist living in Abu Dhabi whose work Non-land examines the landscape of her native Kuwait through etchings and tracings on paper.
Bawa’s current show, titled Infinite Magnetism, is a generative artwork based on Mater’s well-known Magnetism from 2009. The original work features a solid cube magnet surrounded by iron shavings, forming an abstract miniature replica of pilgrims circling the Kaaba.
Months before Infinite Magnetism, Al-Wazzan and Mater had various discussions and both hoped to do more than simply sell new work online.
Al-Wazzan had come across the mechanical map of drawings of Hind Al Saad, a coder from Doha who could programme a drawing machine to produce illustrations based on a generative system.
In the end, the idea was that Infinite Magnetism would exist forever, creating endless iterations of Mater’s artwork, materialised as ink on paper mechanical drawings.
Al Saad wrote the code in a way that every drawing generated would have a similar outline to Magnetism: a black square in the middle with notches, similar to iron filings, radiating from the centre and arranging themselves randomly and uniquely each time.
There are currently 7,777,777 editions available, and in 10 years, the code will automatically increase it to 77,777,777. In another 10 years, another “7” will be added to the code and so on into perpetuity.
This experimental approach to working with artists is part of Bawa’s style. In April this year, Al-Wazzan's was among the first Gulf galleries to venture into NFTs with a solo by Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi, which the founder admits only sold one work out of six (“one more than we expected,” he says), but felt was an important step into the crypto art space. “It was very early for this kind of exhibition and [it] was more of a statement,” he explains, saying that he expects the work to sell in a few years.
Bawa also runs on a different kind of speed, averaging a show a month. In total, it has presented three “seasons” over the year, with four shows per season. In addition, it has its spontaneous “Mono” platform, where the gallery features one artwork for sale on no fixed schedule, announced only 24 hours prior on Bawa’s Instagram before it goes live on the website.
Al-Wazzan’s focus, he says, is speaking to artists directly about their practice and building a young collector base in the region. Most of Bawa is self-started and self-sustained, with the gallerist building and maintaining the website on his own. For every exhibition, Al-Wazzan films and posts a video interview with the artist, where he or she discusses his or her work.
“The gallery exists to let artists do what they want to do. My end goal is to fully represent an artist and allow them to do nothing but just create the art they want to create,” he says.
Aside from navigating the challenges of logistics and shipping, Al-Wazzan is also faced with a bigger task – fostering art patronage and support in a fairly nascent market such as Kuwait and parts of the Khaleeji scene. “It’s important to build a new collecting culture, to speak to people from the region who are interested in the artists and get them to relate to the work directly,” he says. When dealing with potential collectors, he often engages with them personally to understand their interest in the artist and the work.
Bawa’s aim, in the long term, goes back to its beginnings, when Al-Wazzan was still a student – to see more Khaleeji artists on the international art scene. “I’d like Bawa to be known for bringing new audiences around the world to these artists,” he says. “When people go to art fairs and see artists from Bahrain, Kuwait or the Gulf, I don’t want them to be shocked. It should just be a normal thing. It should just be part of the global art market.”
More information on Gallery Bawa is at gallerybawa.com
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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
More on animal trafficking
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
