New year, new shows. The first month of 2021 will see exciting new exhibitions sprout up across the UAE, including two that take the digital world as their starting point – Age of You at Jameel Arts Centre asks how our identities are changing as online tech inundates our lives, while NYUAD Art Gallery’s first virtual exhibition presents works tailored specifically for the smartphone.
A group show curated by photographer and Magnum member Sohrab Hura gathers works from 14 countries across South and South-East Asia, while two solo shows at Grey Noise and Tashkeel explore ideas of space and place. The former, titled Nebokeru, offers visuals that evoke the subconscious, while the latter considers the multifaceted meaning of place.
Here are five new art shows opening this month.
Growing Like a Tree
Photographer and filmmaker Sohrab Hura presents his first curated exhibition titled Growing Like a Tree at Dubai’s Ishara Art Foundation. While the show focuses on photographic work, it also includes video, books and sound installations from 14 artists across South Asia and South-East Asia.
The works of these individuals are drawn together to develop a dialogue around themes of urbanism, collective memory, the environment and the archive. In his artist statement, Hura stated that he has witnessed the interconnectedness of ideas in photography over the years.
"An osmosis-like relationship with photographers across borders has started to seep through with each one searching for new ways to grow as artists and having at stake something in common that is far more urgent than photography,” he says.
Growing Like a Tree is on view at the foundation’s space, and will also have a virtual iteration.
Opens Wednesday, January 20; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai; ishara.org
Nebokeru
The exhibition borrows its name from the Japanese verb “nebokeru”, which refers to the actions or condition of someone who is half-asleep. Using the photographic effect of bokeh, which provides an out-of-focus and blurry quality to the image, Kallinikou creates meditative visuals that appear as though they have been drawn from dreams.
Opens Wednesday, January 20; Grey Noise, Dubai; greynoise.org
Age of You
What does it mean to be “you”? In the digital world, our identities are comprised of our online behaviours, every click, follow and like. In a major show curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland and Hans Ulrich Obrist, with graphic design by Daly & Lyon, Jameel Arts Centre presents Age of You, an exhibition that considers what it means to be an individual in the present day.
The show includes more than 70 artists from the worlds of art, design, film, photography, performance and music. Described as a “multi-artist exploration of the extreme self”, Age of You looks at how our online identities affect our offline lives and how the pandemic is accelerating our relationships with tech in the 21st century.
The exhibition will preview a book by Basar, Coupland and Obrist titled The Extreme Self, which picks up where their previous work The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to the Extreme Present leaves off.
Opens Friday, January 29; Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai; jameelartscentre.org
A Terranean Love Note
For her first solo exhibition, artist Mays Albaik looks at language, body and geography in A Terranean Love Note at Tashkeel.
Her works follow a year of research as part of last year’s Tashkeel’s Critical Practice Programme, where she developed spatial interventions, sculptures and videos that address the idea of “placehood”, which could refer to sites of residence, homelands or digital spaces.
“There is a multiplicity of placehood in our lives; of the place where we are now, of the place where our loved ones are, and of the place where we grew up. We also exercise this multiplicity by always being connected to the digital sphere. No longer a portal, our screens have become places themselves,” Albaik explained in a statement.
During her time at the programme, Albaik was mentioned by artists Ala Younes and Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
Opens Tuesday, January 12; Tashkeel, Dubai; tashkeel.org
not in, of, along, or relating to a line
Marking the NYUAD Art Gallery’s first virtual exhibition, not in, of, along, or relating to a line has been developed specifically for the smartphone screen. Described by show curators Maya Allison and Heather Dewey-Hagborg as “born digital”, the works have been created by artists who primarily investigate technology in their practice, namely Cao Fei, Sophia Al Maria, Zach Blas, Addie Wagenknecht, Eva and Franco Mattes, Lee Blalock, Maryam Al Hamra, Micha Cardenas, and the trio of Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian.
The viewing experience will be different for everyone, as each visitor can navigate through the works according to their preference. This “decentralised path” mimics the way the internet intended itself to be and the way we surf the web.
Opens Wednesday, January 20; NYUAD Art Gallery website; nyuad-artgallery.org
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Racecard
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Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
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.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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