In a bid to keep business going amid the coronavirus pandemic, a group of galleries in Dubai have come together for a week-long digital event akin to a virtual art fair, showcasing artworks for sale along with a scheduled programme of online artist talks and tours.
Named Not Cancelled Dubai, it runs from Tuesday, May 19 to Tuesday, May 26, and features participating galleries Carbon 12, Green Art Gallery, Grey Noise, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Lawrie Shabibi and The Third Line.
The event is the regional version of the Not Cancelled initiative, which was created by design firm Treat Agency in Vienna as a response to the closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It has since had editions for Berlin, Chicago and the Netherlands.
While art galleries in Dubai continue to face concerns about their future, they have been increasing their digital initiatives and collaborations to ensure that the art scene remains intact, despite the economic toll of the pandemic.
“Covid-19 has bought so many galleries together, not just in Dubai but all over the world. I think it is natural that during a crisis we come together with like-minded colleagues to support each other," says Asmaa Al Shabibi, co-founder of Lawrie Shabibi, which is presenting the works of Shahpour Pouyan and Ishmael Randall Weeks for Not Cancelled Dubai. "We are facing the same set of challenges and disruption to our businesses. Being able to air those concerns has helped us all immensely – we are sharing resources, ideas and even staff."
Speaking of her gallery’s participation, founder Isabelle van den Eynde says: “This is a turning point in our way of working. For most of the six participating galleries, it is our first virtual fair … While nothing replaces the physical experience, the content that we will provide expands what you may probably get when you visit an exhibition at our galleries.”
Her eponymous gallery is showcasing works by Indian artist Vikram Divecha and Turkish duo :mentalKLINIK in addition to in-depth videos about the artists’ previous works.
It is not the first time that Dubai galleries have joined forces with others to boost their presence online. Last month, 10 galleries from the UAE and India launched digital platform In Touch, which has a similar format and objective to Not Cancelled.
Grey Noise, one of the participants of In Touch, is also part of Not Cancelled, showcasing works by Lebanese artists Charbel-Joseph H Boutros and Stephanie Saade. The Third Line, meanwhile, is presenting photographs by Tarek Al Ghoussein and digital prints by Sara Naim, while Green Art Gallery features Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck's kaleidoscopic paper collages, as well as an excerpt of his video work Chronoscope 1952 or 1953, 11pm (I).
Carbon 12 has included works by Iranian artist Amir Khojasteh and Austrian artist Monika Grabuschnigg. The former will release a playlist of music for the event, while the latter will appear in an online talk on Saturday, May 23.
Although Dubai has loosened a few of its lockdown measures and galleries are now able to open by appointment only, there is still a difficult road ahead. For one, the timing of the closures in March struck just before Art Week and Art Dubai, which would have brought in collectors and networking opportunities. Globally, numerous art fairs have been cancelled too.
With the slow summer months approaching, sales will increasingly have to be made in the virtual realm, which means digital events may be the way forward for art galleries in the months to come.
“The online world has become our only outreach to the general public. Our business is driven by these kind of real-life events like openings and art fairs, so it is only natural that we try and recreate these online,” Al Shabibi says.
And what of her prediction for the future of online platforms? “I think over time we will see these kind of initiatives become more sophisticated. These are still early days.”
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The five pillars of Islam
Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
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
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
