Sara Ahli’s sculptures can be playful. Some are made with stacks of vibrant, rounded clumps that resemble toys or candies. Others can make one feel a little prickly, such as the work with a blood-red mass sitting on top of beige-coloured globs – a misshapen heart sitting on sacks of flesh.
But a bodily reaction seems to be the point. The artist's debut solo exhibition Placeless Place, which opened on Wednesday at Foundry by Emaar, is comprised of sculptural works that examine material and the body.
On view until Wednesday, March 3, the show is the third presentation of art-collecting platform 101, which was established in 2020 by curator Munira Al Sayegh and writer Gaith Abdulla. The aim of 101 is to grow the network of young collectors in the region without necessarily relying on traditional gallery models.
Ahli's works were created specifically for the exhibition, produced in her studio over the past two weeks. Her Balloon Stacks were made by filling balloons with plaster and then compressing them in a vacuum bag or with panels.
After seeing the resulting shapes, she was reminded of body parts and skin texture, which led her to paint some of the works in flesh and blood colours.
“With the flesh-tone colours you start to see things like the navel or a crevice in the body,” she says.
Casting anatomical elements through sculpture continues throughout the show, as seen in Collection of Bones, A Spine, its arched fragments of white plaster resembling fossils or bones in an archaeological display.
The hanging work Skin has a grotesque quality. Made to mimic human skin, the pigmented silicon rubber piece was created by pouring the material repeatedly to form a sheet. "I wanted to show that skin has layers, textures, lumps. I want people to feel something in their body when they see it," Ahli says.
Other times, Ahli is playing with presenting her sculptures in new ways. Her Clenched Figures are the usual balloon and plaster, but she added a metal clamp for a more "industrial" appearance, she says, which she contrasts with glossy resin for a "finished product" look.
Born in 1993, the Emirati artist studied at the California College of the Arts on a scholarship. Though her background is in fashion design, she began experimenting with sculpture after being introduced to the fine arts scene in the UAE in 2018. Last year, she was part of the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship, during which she first produced her balloon sculptures.
Her interest in sculpture has roots in her love for fashion design, she says. “I felt this need to build, to construct 3D pieces. It’s like fashion design, where you take a sketch that is two-dimensional to something three-dimensional,” she explains.
With her process-based practice, Ahli also documents the phases that her sculptures go through. She stages photographs and videos of her materials, exaggerating their shapes and textures with close-ups or editing. They serve as studies for the artist, who says the images provide ideas on how the material can be manipulated.
“Documentation allows me to understand what’s happening with the material. I photograph the process and this gives me ideas to explore later on.”
Ultimately, it is her time in the studio, working with the material directly, that renders the best results. “I sketch out mock-ups, but I have to touch and feel the material. It speaks to me and tells me what it wants to do,” she says. “I use a lot of my hands to think.”
As with previous 101 exhibitions, the artworks on display are on sale, with prices ranging between Dh440 to more than Dh4,000. The works are also available on 101’s website.
Placeless Place will be accompanied by a public programme that responds to Ahli's works and was developed by 101 and three UAE art collectives, namely Sa Tahanan Co, Banat Collective and Postscript Magazine.
The collective-led programme includes a poetry performance tour on Saturday, by Sa Tahanan Co, where verses related to the artworks will be read in the gallery space. On Monday, Banat Collective will be hosting an online critique session that will consider Ahli's concepts, as well as ideas of the body and identity. The final event in the programme is an arts writing workshop by Postscript Magazine, which will explore forms such as flash fiction, automatic writing and poetry.
Placeless Place is on view until Wednesday, March 3 at Foundry by Emaar, Downtown Dubai. To register for the public programme, visit 101.art
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
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:
Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)
Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48
India: 237 (50 ov)
Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Company%20profile
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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
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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FORSPOKEN
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Star%20Wars%20Jedi%3A%20Survivor
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Respawn%20Entertainment%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Electronic%20Arts%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20PS5%2C%20XSX%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%20March%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Diablo%20IV
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Baldur's%20Gate%203
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Starfield
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
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