For her first institutional solo exhibition in the UAE, Pakistani artist Zara Mahmood investigates and commands stillness and heightened attention to shifting light and temporality in our day-to-day lives.
Towards Time, curated by Cima Azzam at Sharjah’s Maraya Art Centre, marks a volta in the practice of the artist who lives in Dubai. This body of work makes subtle yet pivotal departures from Mahmood’s established background in traditional printmaking, drawing and painting, gliding into the newer and more technological realms of photo transfers, video and digital prints on unconventional surfaces.
The exhibition sits a large, airy room — situated in the newly renovated second floor of the centre — filled with natural light from the windows, softening the whites of the walls and floors. It’s the ideal backdrop for Mahmood’s minimalist and sparse yet purposefully placed artworks, of which visual subtleties emerge more easily to the surface.
Upon entrance, a low-volume video of the artist plays, featuring discussions of her practice intermingled with scenes from her studio — a grounding point of entry to contextualise what’s ahead.
Many of these works were made over the past three years and their conception and process can be traced back to a trip Mahmood took to Satwa's fabric bazaar. She began experimenting with photo transfers on fabric and, after placing the printed image on fabric by a window, became entranced with the way the light coming in from behind unexpectedly affected the picture.
Intrigued by the notion of printing “moving” images that shift and change from the impact of their environment, she tried printing on other surfaces available in her studio and house, such as mylar and ceramic tiles.
We see the results in works such as A Place (2021), which shows gradations of light falling on a household surface, in the form of digital prints on mylar, as well as Dimension (2020), a series of photo transfers on tiles one would find in a kitchen or bathroom. Initially shot in the Maldives, the latter depicts muted, hazy clouds laced with sunlight, like scattered, pale fires in a grainy sky.
The tractable nature of time is a key element in this body of work. Not only inherent to the meticulous printing processes Mahmood undertakes, time is also explored in the artist’s video installations. Momentary (2018), for example, observes the ephemerality and subtle slippages of light over time through hotel blinds in Arizona. Meanwhile, the 33-minute When I Had the Sea to Myself II (2019), which appears in dimensions similar to an enlarged phone screen, portrays a choreography between light and shadow in a video of sunlight dappling the tide on the beach. It’s reminiscent of the meditative Instagram Stories or Boomerangs people post when they go to the seaside, observing the ocean and sunshine in concert, eliciting a simple aesthetic, and a spiritual and near universal pleasure.
Mahmood is also a keyboard and harmonium player for Dubai band Sail into Night, so the idea of temporality, and more specifically, tempo, is embedded in her visual practice, and highlighted in titles of works such as Frequencies (2020) and Listen (2019).
Sound is not present in the show, but rather suggested and gestured at. In Cellular (2022), a cinematic wall-width montage of digital prints, reflections of light are arranged and repeated rhythmically to mimic quietude, harmony, dissonance and recurring motifs in a musical piece. In one segment, clouds and sunlight intersperse in a manner reminiscent of a Rorschach inkblot test; other fragments of light melded into the background signify scraps of memory fading in and out of the present. The entire work is like a musical time-lapse of a moment of solitude recalled, eliciting a similarly contemplative effect as, say, looking at a large-scale Monet.
Dr Nina Heydemann, Maraya Art Centre’s director, describes much of Mahmood’s work in the show as enacting a kind of “digital Impressionism”, using technological tools and what is readily available — from household surfaces to the desktop printer and a phone camera — to achieve the same soft, poetic blurriness encapsulated by an art movement. Impressionist painters were known to spend hours outside in efforts to distill the near-imperceptible progressions of sunlight on their canvas.
Except Mahmood looks more inwards. With a lot of her works created out of and in solitude within her studio during the coronavirus lockdown, the seed of Mahmood’s conceptualisation for these artworks came from stillness and focusing on the minutiae.
Nowhere is the notion of capturing something ever-shifting and impermanent from a place of seclusion more salient than in Align (2020), a photomontage series of video stills viewed through a circular, tunnelled perspective, harking back to the “train-cinema interface associated with the early moving image”. The narrowed lens through which one views the images invokes the constraint and isolation of having to stay inside, yearning for fresh scenery.
When leaving Towards Time, Sharjah’s summer sun starts to feel more material, as does the urge to spend time observing its diaphanousness. Mahmood’s show epitomises a notable point in the artist’s own thinking and career, but it’s also an invitation to viewers to lean into their own intuitive impulses for more slowness and stillness — the same impulse gravitating us to the soft aesthetics of seashore shots and golden hour selfies; those moments that make us pause.
In essence, Towards Time pulls us towards a more focused appreciation of the ordinary, something as constant and mundane as the sun through our windows.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
RESULTS
5pm Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Munfared, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Dergham Athbah, Pat Dobbs, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Rajee, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Kerless Del Roc, Fernando Jara, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner Pharoah King, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8pm Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner Sauternes Al Maury, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
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9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
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Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
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Price: Dh849
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
