This year’s Venice Biennale, which runs from April 23 to November 27, will be the first of the major biennials to be held after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delayed a year after the 2020 architectural event was postponed, this year's art exhibition is curated by Cecilia Alemani, while the national pavilions will display a mix of single representations and solo shows.
Here are some of the highlights from the Mena region to look forward to in Venice.
Khor Fakkan goes global
In the UAE pavilion, the Khor Fakkan artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim will represent the UAE. A historically important artist, Ibrahim was one of the “Five” who coalesced around Hassan Sharif and the Emirates Fine Arts Society in the 1990s and 2000s – and has remained active since, appearing in numerous exhibitions as well as a widely acclaimed retrospective at the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2018.
More importantly, his work, with its mix of outsider art, Land Art and folk motifs is both historical and non-contemporary. Time and again, it is sui generis Ibrahim, with monochrome and lurid colours – pinks and greens and yellows – and its suggestions of a landscape of fantastical animals. It is warm-hearted too: his well-known chairs series, which depicts a seated figure in varying shades of bright pinks, reds and blues, portrays Sharif, the artist who helped pave the way for contemporary art in the UAE – and who helped Ibrahim personally after the infamous incident in 1999 when Ibrahim, discouraged by public and critical opposition to his work, burnt the contents of his studio in the desert. Afterwards, he drove to Sharif’s house and stayed there for days, before regaining the courage to work.
Ibrahim’s pavilion will be curated by Maya Allison, the executive director of the NYUAD Art Gallery, with whom he has collaborated in the past. Both remain tight-lipped about what he will produce: what colours he might bring to Venice’s brilliant blue skies and grey-green canals, or what repeated forms he might emblazon across the UAE pavilion’s bricked, cavernous interior in the Arsenale.
The first Oman pavilion
Oman will appear at the Venice Biennale for the first time in the sultanate’s history, with a retrospectively minded exhibition. Curated by the art historian Aisha Stoby, the show combines three generations of Omani artists: Anwar Sonya, Hassan Meer, Budoor Al Riyami, Radhika Khimji and Raiya Al Rawahi.
Similar to the cross-generational influence exercised by Ibrahim, Stoby traces connections among the group, primarily through Sonya and Meer. Sonya is Oman’s most established early contemporary artist; he started painting in the 1970s – before similar forays into painting in the UAE – with works strongly inflected by Omani heritage and identity. He also played an important role in setting up parts of the educational infrastructure for Oman with the Youth Studio in Muscat, where subsequent generations of Omani artists met and trained, such as Al Riyami and Meer.
Meer followed in Sonya’s footsteps. After the Youth Studio, he continued his studies in the US and then returned in the 1990s to found the Circle, which runs to this day. It includes as its participants two of Stoby's younger artists for the pavilion: Khimji, an Omani artist who lives in London, and Al Rawahi, who died in 2017 aged just 30.
Omani art history is comparatively little studied, even among the Gulf countries, and Stoby is a recognised expert in the field, so the pavilion offers a chance to view the country’s contemporary art currents in person.
Muhannad Shono to represent Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's pick to represent the country – the second art presentation in its new Arsenale pavilion – is Muhannad Shono. The artist has become a central figure in the efflorescent Saudi art scene, with major commissions for the first Desert X AlUla, the inaugural Diriyah Biennale and the Bienalsur, among others.
Shono will reflect on the transformation that Saudi Arabia is undergoing, from the previous environment that stymied critical thought, to the present, with its energetic espousal of the visual arts. The Riyadh artist approaches the shift through the idea of the line, a symbol for the expressive mark that is the fundamental building block of drawing and creativity, he says.
The pavilion is curated by Reem Fadda, the director of the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, and is Fadda’s second foray at the biennale. In 2013 she curated the UAE National Pavilion’s exhibition of Mohammed Kazem.
Algerian influence in the France pavilion
The Algerian-French artist Zineb Sedira will open for France, in a pavilion curated by Yasmina Reggad, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.
Sedira’s role in representing France, one of the core national pavilions in colonial-era prime position in the Giardini, will give an exemplary opportunity to an artist who incisively questions national and cultural belonging.
Sedira's work over the past 25 years has traced how politics, colonialism and migration have created new identities in the region and reshaped existing ties and connections.
For the pavilion, she will focus on Algerian cinema of the 1960s and '70s, examining its links to Italian and French producers as well as the image of a national identity that it helped form. Bardaouil and Fellrath are likewise alumni of the UAE National Pavilion; they curated Nujoom Alghanem for the 2018 Venice Biennale.
Lebanese Pavilion brings 'chaos and beauty'
The well-known artist Ayman Baalbaki and the filmmaker Danielle Arbid will represent Lebanon in its pavilion at the Arsenale. Coming at a crucial time for the nation, the artists and the curator Nada Ghandour have expressed their desire to pay tribute to the energy and uniqueness of Beirut.
Best known for his portraits of men occluded by keffiyehs and gas masks, Baalbaki will make a large installation encompassing the capital's "chaos and beauty" – stretching himself, he says, in terms of scale and ambition, and using posters and other found material from Beirut to create the work.
Arbid will contribute a video likewise reflecting on the city, using a split-screen documentation of a walk through its streets.
Artists from the UAE at Complesso dell’Ospedaletto
The Dubai threesome of Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh and Hasem Rahmanian will show the project Alluvium in the Complesso dell’Ospedaletto. Another stage in the collaboration between the collective and the OGR Torino, the three artists will respond to Venice as a site of trade, crossover between East and West, and kitsch and high art – all forms that appeal to the collective, with their ecumenical interest in all forms of culture, from poetry to YouTube clips.
For Alluvium, the three are creating a series of iron sculptures with their long-time collaborator, the Dubai blacksmith Mohammed Rahis Mollah, that mimic hand gestures. These spindly black forms hold terracotta plates made according to traditional methods from the region and painted with images taken from the news media. These records of war and injustice, augmented with the artists' fantastical, uncomfortable drawings, balance precariously on the cast-iron branches – every stage in the process marked by collaboration and resistance to the way things are normally done.
Palestine makes an appearance
The Palestine Museum US, a small operation set up by the Palestinian-American businessman Faisal Saleh, is also bringing an exhibition as an off-site project. Held at the Palazzo Mora, From Palestine With Art showcases the work of 19 Palestinian artists, such as Samia Halaby and Nabil Anani, as well as artefacts of Palestinian cultural heritage, such as embroidery, recorded music and a large map of the country.
The exhibition is a significant step up for the museum, which has never engaged internationally before. Housed in leafy central Connecticut, it has mostly engaged a local Arab community, as well as visitors from nearby Yale University and New York City.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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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)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
More on Quran memorisation:
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
