When Elizabeth Markevitch first suggested launching an art television channel, the response was underwhelming. It wasn't that the art community was opposed to it. They just didn't see the point. Perhaps this shouldn't have been surprising. By her own admission, everything she was proposing ran contrary to the received wisdom of art, television and commerce.
But Markevitch isn't easily discouraged. Doubts over her brainchild, Ikono.tv, are as nothing against the sheer force of her belief in it. Her ingenious response to criticism is to take every negative and claim it as a positive.
It is now two months since the Middle Eastern strand of her HD channel - Ikonomenasa.tv - began broadcasting via Arabsat. Point your dish in the right direction, tune it to the frequency (ArabSat BADR-5 Satellite, frequency 11785 MHz) and art will be streamed to your television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That isn't documentaries or discussions about art, but the stuff itself; unadulterated, uninterrupted and, save for the occasional zoom on a detail or video artist's work, entirely stationary.
As Markevitch says: "Ikono.tv focuses on experiencing art, unspoiled by commentaries or background music. It is an HD virtual journey covering a broad range of art, from Iranian web-comics, 14th century Persian miniatures to innovations in architecture."
At a time when television producers are all about "adding value", the draw of ikonomenasa.tv is, Markevitch believes, the fact that "we're not adding anything".
"It's like MTV for art," she says. And yet, in its steady focus, her concept seems like the antithesis of all that the music channel has come to symbolise.
Markevitch first tested her idea online. Inadequate bandwith meant that the images had to be compressed. Satellite worked better. For nine months, Ikono.tv broadcast across Markevitch's home city of Berlin. It drew 100,000 viewers daily. "Nothing for TV," she admits, "but the equivalent of a year of visitors for an art gallery." HDTV is an expensive medium, however, and dwindling funds meant that Markevitch had to "take a break".
Five years and several hundred thousand of her own euros later, she is optimistic about the Middle East. And, after all this time, she has grown used to explaining the apparently inexplicable.
"The idea came from me wondering why art is not as popular as music," she says. "It occurred to me one day that a big difference is that for 100 years music has had the medium of radio to bring it out of the concert hall and into people's homes.
"I made the parallel that if the museum is like the concert hall, then the television is like the radio.
"You discover some music on the radio and think, 'Wow. I want to hear that again', some you don't like at first but grow to, and some you will never like.
"The idea with Ikonomenasa is to do the same with art on television, to remove the elitism that is associated with art galleries.
"It's not meant to replace the 'real' experience, but it should give you simple pleasure. If you want more you can look at the website and be directed to books and so on."
A team of 21 curators, historians and film editors select the artwork and put together the films, three of which are broadcast every 24 hours. Markevitch's intention is that this triptych can be left on permanent display in your home - glanced at or studied at will.
On Fridays, in deference to the holy status of the day, there is a 24-hour focus on just one artist to heighten the channel's meditative quality. At the moment it's Ulysses Syndrome by New York's Soundwalk Collective, an audio-visual interpretation of Homer's Odyssey.
No money changes hands between Ikono and its artists. The channel would, Markevitch admits, be impossible without her formidable network of art-world contacts.
In 1990 she joined the Henry Schroder Bank in Geneva, where she created the role of private art advisor - a bespoke service for clients keen to collect and invest. From there she became the senior manager of paintings at Sotheby's, Geneva. It would be hard to imagine a more establishment background. And yet, she says, "we are not part of the art community, though we need it. It helps that we treat the works with respect".
The very name of the channel is intended to show that the art itself is the focus.
"It comes from the Greek word 'icon', meaning image, and the tradition of religious icon painting which dictated that artists weren't allowed to sign them. It was about not putting your own ego before God.
"With Ikono there is no ego - the artist doesn't 'intrude' in interview or information. And Menasa refers to this region."
But isn't Markevitch in danger of turning art into (barely) moving wallpaper? Of putting innovative local artists and old masters on a par with the crackling yuletide log?
"Not at all," she insists. "This is an introduction to art. Everybody has a different way of looking. I take your eyes by the hand and we dive into the painting together."
Without missing a beat she continues: "We're a bridge between galleries and consumers and between cultures. That's particularly interesting in the Middle East, when you have the League of Arab States with a shared language but different cultural history to understand.
"Looking forward you have the Guggenheim and the Louvre coming, new galleries in Dubai and two art fairs coming up [Dubai in March, Abu Dhabi in November].
"But there isn't the same tradition of visiting galleries in this region as there is in some parts of the world, simply because they haven't historically been there. That's changing, and Doha has the magical Museum of Islamic Art.
"But you don't buy something you don't know anything about. You fall in love and then you buy. We offer a trailer service for galleries to advertise exhibitions. We are looking for regional sponsors whose names we would show just like in any exhibition and we have an online shop we're developing so you can buy artists' work at accessible prices.
"Ikono builds up knowledge and awareness softly and it builds up demand."
Perhaps Markevitch is right, and the most obvious negative really can be turned into a positive. The way she tells it, ikonomenasa.tv isn't tapping into a market that doesn't exist. It's tapping into a market that doesn't exist yet.
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
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
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Company%20Profile
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
