London's Cromwell Place launched last October during Frieze London. The idea of the South Kensington site is to offer members exhibition space as and when they need it, rather than galleries occupying a permanent home. So far, it has proven sensible for Arab galleries in particular. Many of their collectors live in London or Europe and, with the pandemic, a second outpost has been especially important.
Last week, a group of Gulf galleries installed exhibitions at the UK hub, painting a multi-generational portrait of regional art. Anchored by the curated show of Abu Dhabi Art, Cromwell Place is also hosting Lawrie Shabibi, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Tabari Artspace and The Third Line from Dubai, and Hafez Gallery and Athr from Jeddah.
Lawrie Shabibi's presentation of works by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim is set across from Tabari's pieces by Maitha Abdalla – a fitting juxtaposition as Ibrahim has been a mentor at Abu Dhabi art space Bait 15, which Abdalla co-founded in 2017.
Both artists were raised in Khor Fakkan, too, which remains important to their thinking, but the similarities don't spill over into their style of work. Ibrahim's sculptures, works in papier mache and paintings are invested in formal explorations, such as one long-running series in which he paints the canvas in bright, lurid colours, and then overlays lines of black and white paint on top of them, as if hiding the brilliant cacophony beneath. It's a perplexing move and, when asked, he impishly conceals his reasoning.
As Ibrahim's works move into the mainstream of UAE art history, via his 2018 Sharjah Art Foundation retrospective and his representation of the country at next year's Venice Biennale, what is extraordinary is how he holds on to his outsider status and personal, inimitable style. His odd little sculptures, in a Seussian, animalistic style, his evocations of rock art, and his almost obsessive repetition of the line all continue to shape his work in new ways, without influence from international conceptual currents. The man holds his nerve.
Abdalla's show, in parallel with an exhibition at Tabari's Dubai space, tapped into her interest in ritual and personification, with photographs of animal characters – figures in papier mache – set against a sickly pink wall of bathroom tiles, as well as paintings of similar, pink-gilded scenes.
The young artist, who also works in performance, questions the line between ritual and theatre: the presence of the public, the cues given by props and stages, and fundamentally the idea of participating in, rather than performing for. How does identity transform when it's on show, and what else might guide this metamorphosis?
Another stand-out presentation is by Manal Al Dowayan with Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde. The Saudi artist has for years tracked the issues of women in her native country, from the prohibition of women driving to guardian accompaniment. Now that these restrictions are being lifted, Al Dowayan's artwork finds itself having to move in response – reflecting the end of this era, but also trying to work through what these changes might really mean for women on the ground.
An installation, O Sister (2021), of a desert rose, made out of woven silk, was overlaid by text from the handbooks that women used to receive to govern appropriate behaviour; in this case, how women ought to go to the market (its main suggestion: don't go).
The near-human-sized sculpture is blackened at the edges, in smudges of paint covering the fabric, as if charred – suggesting violence against its content, but also ageing the work, like it was a document recovered from the past.
In the foreground is the superb installation The Emerging (2021), a field of bent limbs, cast in diminutive scale in jesmonite and coated in black wax. It evokes a field of women suddenly showing their knees, coming up from the ground with their illicit contours, but also of hunched figures in black abayas – coming into visibility still tinged with wariness.
Aya Haidar, in her work Highly Strung (2020-2021) at Jeddah's Athr Gallery, also addressed the question of female visibility in the form of labour. For each day over the past year, the artist, who is a mother of three, embroidered a piece of fabric that she had used – a cleaning cloth, child's clothes or breast pad, for example. The neat embroidery tells the story of her task: ordered school uniforms, cleaned the fridge, pumped milk. She then hung up the items on laundry lines, giving tangible form to all the work mothers do that (mostly) goes unnoticed.
Haidar regularly uses embroidery, and the installation is a strong testament to one artist's desire to keep going while having children, folding together two types of working practice. But the relation between craft as women's work and the subject of invisible domestic labour also feels like an overly direct metaphor, and was nicely made concrete by the pricing structure that she has built in.
Haidar will sell the work according to the hours she worked, calculated as the minimum wage at a rate of £8.72 ($12), and clocking in at 24 hours, seven days a week, for the past year. The collector can decide to buy one year, a half year, or three months.
The Third Line also has great shows: a suite of paintings by Moroccan-Spanish artist Anuar Khalifi; a smaller presentation of works by Syrian artist Sara Naim; and a video piece by Sophia Al Maria, which thrums eerily in the space's defunct marble fireplace.
Khalifi’s portraits are wonderfully classical, with reclining subjects surrounded by significant items, and many vaguely resembled the artist himself. The grand domestic setting of Cromwell Place worked well here; while these paintings are doing many things, one undeniable move is their swapping of the conventional subject of portraiture – wealthy white males – with a young black man in Moroccan dress, confidently taking his place above the carved mantlepiece.
A presentation of works by Naim is a nice counterpoint: she zoomed in to Polaroids to tease out the dotted, tonal shades that make up images' colours, and then placed them in frames of amorphously shaped Plexiglas. The effect is of little splodges of digital unreality on the wall.
The show also offered the chance to see the Abu Dhabi Art's annual Beyond: Emerging Artists presentation from 2020, which few visitors got to see in the flesh because of strict travel protocols in place in November in the UAE capital.
The show, curated by Maya El Khalil, centred on the idea of memory, and drew from three female UAE artists: Afra Al Dhaheri, Hind Mezaina and Afra Al Suwaidi. Al Dhaheri's central work is a tall sculpture made of rope, which defies its natural properties to stand rigidly straight, almost like a parody of a obelisk. Other work explores the properties of hair, and its ability to hold a shape, as if a memory of the object that held it.
Some note the connection to the late Emirati artist Hassan Sharif, who created a similar rope sculpture. Al Dhaheri has taken this lineage and inflected it with the personal, and specifically female, connotations of the medium: that hair must be braided to seem tidy, or that it must be covered in public – or the idea that long, thick locks are a source of feminine pride.
Nearby, an installation by Al Suwaidi discusses the difficulty of approaching certain subjects. Her cut-up, angry collages are hung on rows of metal grids, meaning the visitor has to sidle awkwardly between the grids to view them.
Meanwhile, Mezaina shows a video collaging media representations of the UAE via images of people dancing in the Emirates – a flexing of the Dubai artist-curator-critic's capacity for analysis, as she mixes forms of documentation, such as The National's 2019 video of a dancing street cleaner in Abu Dhabi, with more specific cultural traditions such as Sufi-inspired performances.
This is the first international showing of Abu Dhabi Art and perhaps the idea of an outside look at the UAE would have felt more apt. But Mezaina's work, like the others, edged away from the idea of national presentation, leaving simply good art on show.
Cromwell Place's gallery shows are running until Sunday, June 13. Check individual galleries for their closing date
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
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If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
THE%20SPECS
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
