"It's one of those art fairs that you want to be a part of, because all the right people go to them. Whatever that means!" Tarané Ali Khan, the spokesperson for The Third Line gallery in Dubai, laughs as she realises the stupendous art world cliché that she has just uttered.
But the thing is, she's right.
More than 250 galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia are taking part in this year's Art Basel Miami Beach, which wraps up today. Miami Beach is the sister to the Swiss event (Art Basel), which is seen as the world's leading art fair.
In this, its seventh year, the fair's selection committee has chosen to host galleries from over 800 applicants. The exhibitors, which include 25 new participants, are showing works by more than 2,000 artists.
Elsewhere in the fair, the offbeat filmmaker David Lynch has been hired to design an installation. The project, Diamonds, Gold and Dreams, takes place within the 1,219 square metre Cartier Dome. Inside is a seven-minute "floating diamond" projection, accompanied by a musical score.
Organisers say the fair, which includes offshoot events like Design Miami, will attract 40,000 visitors this year, edging ever-closer to the tally of its Swiss counterpart.
It calls itself the "cultural and social highlight for the Americas" and few people disagree.
All this takes part in one of the world's best preserved Art Deco districts and what is more, it's still shorts weather.
Anyone you speak to at the Miami Beach fair will say the same things. Words like "funky" and "youthful" are bandied around endlessly, reflecting the event's desire to be seen as more accessible than its Swiss counterpart. With a focus on cutting-edge art, the Miami fair may not draw the wealth of the European event, but it takes more of the kudos.
While Middle Eastern art is becoming increasingly fashionable around the world, the region has until recently been under-represented at the Miami fair. However, for the first time, this year's event has a substantial contingent of artists, gallerists, journalists and collectors from the Arab world.
"The Third Line is one of the very few Middle Eastern galleries that have been accepted for Art Basel," says Ali Khan. The gallery she represents has been selected to take part in the fair's Supernova section, a platform that singles out 20 young galleries from around the world and allows them to present recent works by their artists.
The Third Line has flown four of its staff to Miami and paid around Dh40,000 for a 4x3 metre booth in Miami Beach's Convention Center. The cramped space will mean the pieces will have to be displayed on rotation, with only 11 of the 18 artworks visible at any one time. The conditions are far removed from the gallery's Dubai headquarters, but Ali Khan says it's well worth it.
"Our aim is to get recognition of the artists and their works on an international platform, to show the rest of the art world that things happen here. We want to show everyone that art is growing. It is very successful and can compete with the rest of the world," she says.
One of the pieces in the booth is an original work, created for the event by the Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri. Flower Power, an oil on canvas piece, depicts a 1950s B-movie-style robot, with a string of flowers around its neck, reflecting the festival's view of itself as youthful, fun and innovative.
The California-based Amir Fallah, famous for his depiction of ramshackle children's forts, and pieces by the Moroccan-born photo artist Hassan Hajjaj, will also be on show.
Following The Third Line's selection, other Dubai galleries have sent scouts to the event, testing the Miami ground for interest in Middle Eastern art.
"I'm going to take a look and maybe we will submit an application for next year. I don't know if it will get accepted," says Maliha al Tabari, the director of the Art Space gallery in Dubai.
"I went to Art Basel in Switzerland four years ago. That was amazing, but it's more for very high-end pieces like Picassos costing a million dollars or more. Miami Beach is more hip and funky and a trendsetter kind of fair. It has less of the masters."
Like many art fairs, Art Basel Miami Beach also aims to encourage discussion among its attendees. It does this in the form of its Art Basel Conversations and Art Salon programmes.
On this year's bill, the topic is Will Art Transform the Political Face of the Middle East?
The panel includes Ali Yussef Khadra, the founder of the Dubai art magazine Canvas, the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat and the Dubai-based art collector and businesswoman, Dr Lamees Hamdan.
"I'd very much like to see more Middle Eastern representation [at the fair], both Middle Eastern galleries and local UAE galleries," says Hamdan, who has recently been confirmed as the commissioner for the UAE's first national pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale.
"The way that people view art [from the Middle East] has changed. Ten years ago I don't think we would have had anything written about it in a newspaper. Now we are here."
She believes the region's growing representation at fairs such as Art Basel and Venice Biennale is helping to develop its reputation as a cultural centre. However, she says individual galleries must also make greater efforts to become known on the international stage.
"I think the UAE in general has a lot to offer. But we have to encourage our galleries to position themselves for an international crowd."
This year's event also marks the third edition of the Design Miami fair. The show, which began independently and is now part-owned by Art Basel's parent company, Messe Schweiz, features more than 20 international design galleries.
Among the exhibitions is ALEF, created by the Villa Moda founder, Sheikh Majed Al Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family.
His seven-day design show is intended to preview many of the pieces that will appear in his Al Sabah Art & Design Collection, which will open in the DIFC Gate Village, during Art Dubai in March 2009.
"We have a message to deliver and this message is that there is so much in the Middle East that nobody knows about, in terms of beautiful craftsmanship. We want to show people how beautiful art and design is in our part of the world," he says. He believes the Miami event is the ideal location to launch his collection.
"It's the most credible art fair in the art world. If you make it at Design Miami or Art Basel, you are in with the best galleries in the world. That it why we decided to come here."
Highlights of his exhibition include the work of the Lebanese designers Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, known collectively as the design firm Bokja. In the ALEF show are pieces of vintage 1950s and Sixties furniture, which they have strikingly reupholstered in traditional fabrics of the Middle East.
Also in the collection are surreal pieces by the Dutch artist Pieke Bergmans, who has created a Middle Eastern versions of her Crystal Virus series.
The artist hand-blows large glass "bubbles" onto antique Middle Eastern furniture. As the crystal is blown, it burns and marks the furniture, while at the same time taking on the texture and shape by the surface with which it connects.
As well as the individual pieces on display, Sheikh Majed says Middle Eastern hospitality is a theme that he wants to convey to visitors.
"We have these beautiful outdoor chairs where people can sit and eat dates, sweets and pistachios, then drink Arabic coffee, with incense burning around them. We wanted to bring the flavour of the Middle East to Miami.
"Everybody ends up here, the smell has been going all over the place," he laughs.
Although his exhibition had only been running for one day when we spoke, Sheikh Majed says he already considers it to have been a success.
For the members of The Third Line gallery, the success came when they were selected for the prestigious event. Everything else is a bonus.
But after hearing nothing but positivity from the fair's attendees, eventually, Sheikh Majed is able to offer-up some small criticism.
"With Europeans we do not have a problem, they come and they buy and they leave. But with Americans it is different, they always say: "What is your best price? What's the best you can give me?"
ogood@thenational.ae
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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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
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
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.
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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
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
