Prior to moving to Dubai two years ago, Hadil Moufti’s home was London, where she lived close to Hampstead Heath and developed an almost emotional relationship with the trees.
With that in mind, it is easy to see why she hated Dubai when she first arrived.
“It was a shock,” she recalls. “I missed my forest and my friends.”
And it was in that order.
Moufti, however, is no stranger to the region. She is the daughter of a Saudi diplomat and, although she was shuttled around from continent to continent, spending her last years of high school in India before studying fine arts at Parsons School of Design in Paris, she eventually moved back to Jeddah to her family home.
But soon after that she married and moved to London, where she spent the next 16 years and not only found her forest, but her feet as an artist.
Having spent her childhood with her nose buried in a book, Moufti was often lost in the fairy-tale realms of her imagination and the nature around her seemed to suit that.
“I became fascinated with the trees and I also became part of a real community of artists in north-west London. It was lovely.”
During that time she painted trees and forests in shades of blues, greens and yellows in a quest to capture the spirit of her imaginary worlds.
After relocating to Dubai for her husband’s job, the first thing she did was find herself a studio. When she secured a spot in the tranquil Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood near the Dubai Creek, she began the next series of her paintings – all done in red.
A prolific painter, Moufti set to painting animals, many birds and a series including elephants and rhinos in black and white on vivid red backgrounds.
“I don’t know why I chose red, it was just time for red,” she says. “I love messing with paints, making different colours and textures. If you look closely at my work, you will see there are many shades of red in there.”
When Sharon Harvey, the founder of Showcase Gallery on Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, stumbled across Moufti’s studio during a chance visit, she immediately connected with it, and offered Moufti her first solo show in the city.
My Universe of Imaginary Creatures recently closed at the end of June and as well as the African power animals, there was a series of scarab beetles, perhaps implying the strength of insects.
But tucked away in her studio is the Maryam series, which Moufti began last September after years of contemplating a photograph she took of her niece in her pre-teen years.
In these ambiguous pieces, Moufti has taken the image of her niece’s face and repeated it constantly across canvases, in paper chains, on hanging dice and on storyboards so that the image becomes anonymous – no longer about the impressionable tween but about the struggle we all undertake when coming of age.
“I don’t think there is ever an explanation or an answer for my works but there is a human sense of a search in them,” she says. “They are also about having fun.”
The Maryam idea has been replicated with Laila, Moufti’s own daughter, and there are a few featuring her son.
They are playful, they are repetitive and they also dreamlike – a trademark that underlines Moufti’s entire practice.
Although she has just enjoyed a successful exhibition and has made a name for herself as a respected contemporary artist, for Moufti, the work is all about the process.
“For me, walking into my studio is the smell of happiness and, not only that, I feel privileged to be able to have this space and work at my own pace and in my own sphere. This is what it is all about for me and I hope people appreciate it.”
• For more information, visit www.hadilmoufti.com
aseaman@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
