ABU DHABI // In the Grand Ballroom of the Emirates Palace hotel, a crowd gathers to admire an oil painting of peasants tilling the land by Paul Cézanne. In the next booth hangs a neon screen print of Donald Duck by Andy Warhol. Outside, in the gardens, a giant statue of Louis Armstrong made entirely from coloured glass, by Niki de Saint Phalle, adorns the lawn.
This year's artparis Abu Dhabi exhibition promised to be grander both in scale and ambition - and visitors at last night's preview were not disappointed. Almost 60 galleries from 22 countries are taking part in the exhibition, which opens to the public today and runs until Saturday. Entrance is free.
More than 15,000 visitors are expected to attend the four-day fair. With some 3,300 modern and contemporary works on display, including art by Damien Hirst and Henri Matisse, topping last year's overall sales figure of US$16 million (Dh58.8m) seems almost guaranteed.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) this is the second year the French art fair is taking place in the emirate - a move aimed in part at securing Abu Dhabi's status as a cultural hub for contemporary art.
The exhibition also features seminars, educational programmes and exhibitions promoting regional and emerging talent, all of which the organisers hope will inspire a new wave of collectors from the Middle East. A special seminar that will feature live performances, debates, video installations and DJ sets will be taking place at the Cultural Foundation tonight. Curated by Fabrice Bousteau, the editor of the French magazine Beaux Arts, the seminar aims to explore the question of "What aesthetic is the Arab world creating today?"
Caroline Clough-Lacoste, the director of artparis Abu Dhabi, said: "In the past, the European and American art markets dominated. But in recent years there has been an explosion of new markets.
"Now the world is looking towards the Middle East as a financial and cultural centre.
"The majority of works last year were bought by Emiratis and local artists discovered for the first time what an art fair actually is. Since then the evolution of the art market in this region has been very fast. This year, even more galleries, more artists and more people are involved. This trend is set to continue."
Mohammad Khalaf al Mazrouei, the director general of Adach, said the emirate was particularly keen to use the fair as a platform for promoting regional talent, as well as support emerging artists. "As we care for contemporary art, we set our eyes on the UAE and Arab artists to have the place they deserve at the heart of the international art movement."
One part of the show called "Movement and Communication... travels through desert and sea" and curated by Amal Traboulsi profiles works by 16 artists from around the region.
Pieces of interest include sculptures made from barbed wire by Faisal Samra, from Saudi Arabia, and a video installation by a Lebanese artist, Mohammad el Rawas, which won first place at the Alexandria Biennial in 2006 and urges viewers to "Sit Down Please" - a play on a verse written by the 15th century poet Abu Nuwas. Contemporary Middle Eastern artists are generally known for focusing on traditional themes such as calligraphy and desert landscapes, but Mrs Traboulsi is quick to point out that their range is much broader.
"A lot of Arab artists are stuck with painting calligraphy for the sake of pleasing potential buyers," she said.
"Paintings that are not very good sell for thousands of dollars at auctions, like Christie's, just because there is a palm tree in it.
"With this exhibition, I've tried to keep the spirit of the region alive but I also wanted to show people something different."
Mrs Traboulsi said the majority of buyers were Middle Eastern investors, particularly Emiratis, who saw Arab art as a relative bargain compared with the astronomical prices commanded by contemporary European and American artists.
"Middle Eastern art is still at a grass-roots level, which is largely supported by the Arab community," she said.
"They buy Arab art for investment and also because they want to promote their own culture. This is slowly changing and soon international buyers will start investing in Arab art too."
Also on display is an exhibition of younger talent, which features works by eight emerging artists from eight new galleries. Highlights include works by Camille Zakharia, from Lebanon, and an Iranian photographer, Jamshid Bayrami.
Artparis was launched in the French capital in 1999 and is held there every March. It is considered to be a key event in the French arts calendar for exhibitors, collectors and investors.
jau@thenational.ae
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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
The%20specs
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
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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
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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
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Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
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Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Cryopreservation: A timeline
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Photograph
Rating: 4/5
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- Join parent networks
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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A foster couple or family must:
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- not be younger than 25 years old
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- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
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Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
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In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
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Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
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On sale: Now
