The Abraaj Capital Art Prize rewards unique partnerships between artists and museums. Ed Lake on the 2010 winners
"It's like winning a gold medal without running," said the Lebanese painter Marwan Sahmarani on Sunday. For him, the race is still to come. He is one of the three artists to receive the 2010 Abraaj Capital Art Prize, the most generous art award in the world.
His fellow recipients, announced to leading figures in the UAE art world at a ceremonial iftar at the DIFC, are the Egyptian photo artist Hala Elkoussy and the Algerian sculptor Kader Attia. Each artist now gets roughly Dh750,000 to produce his or her most ambitious work to date, in time for a grand unveiling at Art Dubai in March.
The hope, as Abraaj's executive director Frederic Sicre explained, is that they will "produce pieces of work that reflect the cultural diversity of our region and that can be used internationally as ambassadors of this part of the world". The plan seems to be working. The fruits of last year's prize - a film by Kutlug Ataman, a rug by Nazgol Ansarinia and a mirrored, star-emblazoned pagoda by Zoulikha Bouabdellah - are about to be exhibited at the Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Size isn't the only unusual feature of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize. It also has an unconventional format: it's essentially a reward for a successful tender. A curator must nominate an artist from within the Menasa region (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) who then pitches a projected artwork, ideally one that would require a giant budget as supplied by the private equity firm Abraaj Capital. One might have expected that the worldly, entrepreneurial curators would lead the charge under this arrangement, but apparently that hasn't been the case.
"If you talk to all of the recipients this year, it was the artist in each case that proposed the project to the curator," said Laurie Ann Farrell, the curator at the Savannah College of Art and Design and sponsor of Attia. "In this day with the internet, artists are so savvy. I think that all of the artists from this region are really plugged in to watching Art Dubai develop."
Elkoussy was enthusiastic about the way the prize altered the working relationship between artist and curator. "A lot of the time you get the curator involved with the artwork after it's finished," she said. "Sometimes a curator is able to commission work but the scale of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize is quite unique in that sense."
Still, her sponsor, Jelle Bouwhuis of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, was modest about his contribution. "Basically, most of the work will be done by her," he said.
None of the new crop of artist-curator partnerships were giving much away about their plans for the prize money. Elkoussy revealed only that her project would be "deeply rooted within the contemporary visual culture of Cairo" and would consider "how such a diverse culture that is sitting at the cusp of a lot of change is dealing with the process of writing its history". Cryptic as this sounds, work is well advanced on the finished product. Elkoussy and Bouwhuis were told about their victory several weeks ago. "We had to keep it a secret," said Bouwhuis, straight-faced. "My mother doesn't know," added Elkoussy.
Sahmarani was even more inscrutable about his plans. "We have an idea. A vague idea," he said. "It's a painting installation."
It may have been intrinsically impossible to say what the finished object would be like. "Painting always changes during work," he said. "You never know where to go in the painting. You begin with something, you end up with something completely different." One wonders what he can have said to the prize committee. Perhaps they felt his existing body of ghostly, aqueous figurative canvases spoke for itself. Still, would he be able to burn through $200,000 when performing his prize commission?
"Everybody asks me this question!" he said. "You know what? On the contemporary art scene - I'm not saying in the Middle East - but in the contemporary art world, $200,000 is nothing. Matthew Barney [the American video artist behind the Cremaster cycle] did a whole project and I'm sure it's more than $200,000, so $200,000 could easily be used. It depends if I want to, but my aim is to go full on the project."
Attia preserved his aura of mystery by not attending the prize announcement at all. Nevertheless, Farrell, his curator, promised a "truly experiential installation" that will deal with architecture and memory with "a little bit of a political twist. He's so steeped in theory and poetry and aesthetics and looking at the history and modernism as it's unfolded in North Africa. I think you're in for a bit of a surprise".
The three finished artworks will be presented at the 2010 Art Dubai art fair in March.
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
