With scrawling motions and layered intentions all across the canvas, it is easy to feel dizzied by any one of Aisha Juma’s paintings. A portion of the Emirati artist’s works are dominated by a whirl of vertiginous brushstrokes, limited to black and white hues. Then there are the pieces that feature swathes of empty spaces encroaching on vibrant splattered paints and watercolours.
The two types of paintings inhabit opposing polarities. So much so that it may even seem that they were created by two different painters. And in a way that is true, as Juma says the works have come from two different places within her.
“The paintings are a product of me reflecting on the masculine and feminine qualities within me; qualities that are present in each one of us,” Juma explains.
“The paintings are part of a long road of self-discovery, of meditation and therapy. I’d use only my left hand when painting from my female side, following my female energy. When painting from my inner masculinity, I’d paint only using my right hand and in black and white colours.”
The paintings will be exhibited during the Playing Light, Playing Dark musical performance at The Theatre at Mall of the Emirates on Saturday in commemoration of International Women's Day.
Juma says she was inspired by the meditation retreats she takes every year as a way for her to rekindle the connection to herself and her environment.
It all began in 2002, after she quit her job as an art teacher, seeking to understand the corrosion of creativity that seemed to grip her students as they grew older.
At that point, the Emirati artist had been teaching art across government schools in Dubai for 14 years since graduating from the College of Fine Arts at Helwan University in Cairo. Feeling disheartened by her former students' loss of interest in art, she decided to look for an alternative educational approach. Then, she discovered the Montessori Method.
Developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori in the early 1900s, the education method encourages psychological self-construction in children and developing adults via a mindful interaction with their environments. The method advocates independence, believing that if children are permitted to choose and act freely within an environment, they are more likely to experience optimal physical and psychological development.
“It’s about seeing life through the senses, recognising the information we process through sight, smell, sound, taste and touch,” Juma says. “It’s not just an education method, but a philosophy of being mindful of what we perceive.”
Soon after discovering the method, Juma enrolled in a Dubai centre to understand its intricacies, as well as to learn how to apply it in a classroom. She became so taken by the ideas of mindfulness behind the method that she soon found herself applying them to other aspects of her life, including her art practice.
“It’s found its way into everything I do,” she says. “It’s an interesting method in education and a beautiful way of looking at life.”
The concept of the performance was developed as a collaboration between music and the visual arts
It also inspired her to start taking annual meditation excursions, travelling to India, Europe and South America. Sometimes she'd paint during her trips. Other times, she'd paint upon her return.
The paintings on display during the Playing Light, Playing Dark concert were all created as a by-product of these retreats. The idea to have the works in conversation with music, Juma says, came from Jordanian-Turkish pianist Tala Tutunji, who Juma had worked with years ago as art director at Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children.
“She wanted to bring something new to her concert and so she thought to bring a visual artist into the fold,” Juma says. “When she invited me, I was totally open to the idea.”
Tutunji says she was taken by Juma's works because they seemed to reflect the "light and darkness of the inner self".
“The concept of the performance was developed as a collaboration between music and the visual arts,” Tutunji says. “It won’t be like a typical art gallery followed by a concert. It’s going to be an integrated experience. We’re going to have a musical performance, but it will also showcase different artworks by Juma.”
The setlist for the performance, Tutunji says, will blend compositions from western classical and Arabic music, as well as songs from musical theatre. Besides Tutunji, the performance will feature French-Lebanese singer Corinne Metni and Syrian guitarist Feras Rada.
Each song will mirror the emotions and energy of individual paintings by Juma, which will be projected on to the stage during the performance as well as on empty canvases in the space outside the venue.
“Some pieces will be lively and will reflect her lighter works, whereas other pieces will be quite dark and will be presented along with the dark paintings,” Tutunji explains.
The performance is a meeting point for three female artists from different cultures, making it an especially significant way of marking International Women’s Day, Tutunji adds.
The performance, Juma says, is also meant to commemorate the feminine qualities within each and every one of us, regardless of gender.
"It is nice that Feras [Rada] is joining us because we believe that feminine energy is not exclusive to women. Every human being has both sides, male and female, within them."
Tickets to Playing Light, Playing Dark are from Dh100 and can be purchased from dubai.platinumlist.net
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Read more from Mina Al-Oraibi
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
