When Carbon 12 opened last November in a modern, windowless space at the foot of Marina View Tower in Dubai, it was with the intention of showing work by both established and emerging artists. Seven Positions, which opens tomorrow, will feature more than 30 works by a host of young talent, including Florian Hafele, Mathias Garnitschnig, Farzan Sadjadi, Omid Massoumi, Philip Mueller, Alessa Esteban and Bernhard Garnicnig.
"Keep in mind there are millions of artists worldwide," says the gallery's Iranian partner and director, Kourosh Nouri, "and out of those millions, there are maybe 50,000 who have a chance at doing something with their careers, which is why we have a strong emerging artists agenda."
The plan is to put in place a cycle of two-year programmes that will focus on different media. This year's, for example, will showcase sculpture, media art and painting. Next up are photography and video installations.
In the sculpture corner for Seven Positions are Garnitschnig and Hafele. Garnitschnig, a traditionally trained sculptor, is showing a series of "pillows" and taut, squeezed shapes are a considered play on form and material. Hafele's faceless human figures, which are carved out of wood before being covered in acrylic, use movement to express human emotion.
"The whole emotion of a person is in the face," says the 30-year-old Austrian. "And I really don't want to show emotions on his face. Instead, I like to transfer that to the body." His figurines are many-limbed, twisted forms, frozen mid-move.
One of the better known emerging artists is Sadjdi, the Iranian painter whose vast apocalyptic landscapes fashioned from household paint show a dark, deserted world almost devoid of human life. Why the special paint? "I like the glossy look of it," he says. "And you can use it very lavishly."
Also from Tehran is Massoumi, whose psychological vision is played out via gargoyles and jesters amid swirls of colour.
Other painters include Esteban, whose wide-eyed, childlike subjects are innocent and twisted, and the baby of the group, 21-year-old Mueller, whose crude, ironic depictions of dark-eyed gorillas in human-like poses are a playful but serious look at the collision between humanity and technology.
Representing digital art is Garnicnig, an Austrian. Described as "post-conceptual", his works use abstract photography and technicolour palettes that challenge perception. "We have chosen to exhibit the most conservative body of his work," says Nouri, "because I don't think the market is yet ready for some of more cutting edge conceptual pieces."
Some names may already be familiar: in December, the gallery hosted Sneak Preview, an exhibition of their work among others, designed to whet the appetite. And Esteban and Hafele already have exhibitions behind them. "The concept of emerging artists doesn't mean amateur," Nouri says. "We call them emerging because they are not established like the rest of our artists, and of course the prices are very reasonable."
With so many works on display, it seems an ambitious exhibition to stage during the notoriously quiet summer months. "I run a professional gallery," says Nouri, "and my intention is to make amazing exhibitions. Whether people come in one go or three goes or 50 goes, that doesn't really bother me. A lot of collectors are away in Europe and many people leave Dubai for vacation. But I'm not going to sacrifice three months of the year because a few are not here in Dubai."
Buying work by emerging artists reflects a love of art over brands, according to Hafele. "Some people love the big names," he says, "but when you go for this kind of stuff, you are interested in art ultimately, not by names or brands. You're buying interesting pieces and you're helping to build a career."
Nouri spread his net wide when sourcing new artists. "I've been a collector for about 12 years and more or less in the art milieu for many years, so curators tell me about new artists. And we have excellent connections with the universities in Europe. We go to the end of year shows, to diplomas and all those things. Eventually, you meet extremely talented people."
Seven Positions starts tomorrow and runs until October. For more information visit www.carbon12dubai.com.
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Switching%20sides
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
