High-rise buildings and bleak desert landscapes — these are the images that often come to mind when outsiders think of the UAE.
But those scenes were thin on the ground at “Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE”, an exhibition in Washington featuring artists living in the Emirates.
It was curated by Munira Al Sayegh of the Middle East Institute’s (MEI) Art Gallery, and has attracted hundreds of visitors since it opened in December.
The show's paintings, photos and sculptures reflect a changing UAE, with one foot in the past and the other in the future. The 12 artists featured in the show embody a generational leap in the Emirati art scene.
“It really challenges the standard narratives that are dominant about the UAE,” Lyne Sneige, director of the Arts & Culture Centre at MEI, told The National.
Ms Sneige sees the intimate and reflective nature of the featured work as “a counter to that rapid urbanisation” while also being “a very personal outlook on the society".
The works featured in the show focus on themes including urbanisation, cultural shifts and empty spaces.
A photograph by Emirati artist Lamya Gargash depicts an abandoned home, one of the forgotten spaces in Emirati society, capturing its emptiness and desolation in a society in transition.
Urbanisation is a subtle theme in a canvas painting called Neighbours by second-generation Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem, which shows laundry day at a labour compound. The landscape mirrors many street corners in the UAE, with well-known urban marvels fading into the backdrop of a story taking place in a working-class neighbourhood.
A similar theme comes through in Tarek Al Ghoussein photograph Abu Dhabi Archipelago (Massnoua 3), in which a man sweeps an empty street across from a vacant building. The work elicits an examination of identity within a context of inaccessibility and loss.
Solimar Miller's The Trees of the Emirates series, meanwhile, turns away from urbanisation to focus on nature. The colourful trees, with their intricate detail, evoke the love of the natural world that is so palpable in the Emirates despite the country's embrace of technology and the future.
A big public favourite is Focal Illusion by Ebtisam Abdulaziz, a multidisciplinary artist and writer. The painting is a colourful display that employs themes of Islamic geometry in its use of layers and mathematical structures, interweaving the past, present and future in a single piece.
“The exhibit reflects the diverse art ecosystem in the UAE,” Ms Sneige said.
And this message has resonated with American audiences, particularly as April is Arab-American heritage month in the US.
As the exhibition concluded, Ms Sneige described it as “a labour of love” and a prelude to more regional shows to come.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
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- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
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- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- 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
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
