Art Dubai 2018: Big diary date for art curators, collectors and enthusiasts

Amba Sayal-Bennett, Tumnus, (2017) in the Contemporary Hall. (Photo courtesy: Carbon 12)
Updated 20 March 2018
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Art Dubai 2018: Big diary date for art curators, collectors and enthusiasts

DUBAI: Art lovers, curators, collectors and enthusiasts are rejoicing as the biggest and most globally diverse art fair is set to open from March 21 to 24 at Madinat Jumeirah. Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Art Dubai’s lineup this year will feature a record 104 galleries from 47 countries. Art lovers can enjoy unique and new contemporary artists and a significant contingent of returning galleries.
Founded in 2007, it’s become one of the leading international fairs in the arts calendar and features a great range of galleries in one setting. Imagine a compiled list of the most prominent art galleries from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Kolkata, India to Turin, Italy and more, all in one fair over three days. This year will feature new first-time participants from Iceland, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan alongside the returning 77 galleries.


Jesús Bubu Negrón, Ethnographic Abstractions (2016) in the Contemporary Hall. (Photo courtesy: Henrique Faria)

Jesús Bubu Negrón, Ethnographic Abstractions (2016) in the Contemporary Hall. (Photo courtesy: Henrique Faria)tion



“For our 2018 edition, we will be launching Residents, a pioneering and unique platform that brings together different energies, synergies, geographies and artistic practices which aren’t usually seen together in one place,” said Pablo del Val, Art Dubai’s artistic director.
Art Dubai’s halls are divided into three main halls, Contemporary, Modern and, for the first time, Residents.
Art Dubai’s Contemporary’s diversity is signified by its strong representation from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Galleries include Selma Feriani Gallery (Tunis, London), Gypsum Gallery (Cairo), Artwin Gallery (Moscow), Artside Gallery (Seoul), Gallery One (Ramallah), the Athr Gallery Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Gallery 57 from Accra, Ghana, among others.
The artists range from household names to new, up-and-coming artists with a wide range of artistic media: painting, drawing, installations, photography and more.
Art Dubai’s Modern will feature a record-breaking 16 galleries exhibiting artists from 14 countries. Participating galleries will present renowned Modernists from the Middle East such as Gebran Tarazi, Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar, Hamed Abdalla and others. Leading Modernists from South Asia include Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Anwar Jalal Shemza and M.F. Husain, while notable African Modernists will include Mohammed Naghi, Reinata Sadimba, Ernesto Shikhani and more.



Zohra Opoku, Debie, (2017) in the Residents Hall. (Photo courtesy: Zohra Opoku and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery)Caption



Art Dubai’s Director Myrna Ayad said: “It’s very exciting for us to witness the growing appreciation of modern masters from the region and we are pleased to be the only platform in the world to showcase these museum-quality pieces in our largest ever Modern section, which has been the most oversubscribed to date. Serving as an educational platform and theoretical framework for the works on show, Art Dubai Modern will be accompanied by our second annual Modern Symposium at the fair this year.”
For its 12th edition, Art Dubai is presenting a gallery to showcase its 11 solo gallery presentations by artists who took part in their residency program. The program’s aims are to support artists by giving them a platform to develop their practice and create new bodies of work, inspired and influenced by their stay in the UAE. Their work will be presented by the artists’ respected galleries in a special exhibition accompanied by a range of public events and open studios hosted by the residency spaces.
Art Dubai aims to create a dialogue, engage socially in matters of art and, more importantly, educate on the significance of art in our everyday lives. Dubai is an international melting-pot and a capital for art creators, curators and directors from all over the world to meet and present their finest to the public, all in one place.



Jules de Balincourt, Valley Pool Party (2016) in the Contemporary Hall. (Photo courtesy: The artist and Victoria Miro Gallery)Caption


‘Theater Tour’ initiative celebrates local culture across Saudi Arabia

Updated 03 April 2025
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‘Theater Tour’ initiative celebrates local culture across Saudi Arabia

  • Award-winning play ‘Bahr’ debuts in Baha, with performances in Jubail, Dammam, Al-Ahsa to follow
  • New project boosts local theater, community engagement and cultural awareness nationwide

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission launched the “Theater Tour” initiative on Thursday to bring exceptional theatrical performances to cities, governorates and villages across the Kingdom.

The project aims to promote the cultural and performing arts scene while encouraging community engagement, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The first phase begins with the play “Bahr” (Sea), running from April 3 to May 3, the SPA added.

The production will debut in Baha from April 3-5 at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Theater in the Cultural Center, before moving to Jubail from April 17-19 at the Royal Commission’s Conference Hall in Al-Fanateer.

It will then continue in Dammam from April 24-26 at the Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University Theater, and conclude in Al-Ahsa from May 1-3 at the Society for Culture and Arts’ Theater.

The project is part of the commission’s broader efforts to raise awareness of the theater and performing arts sector, while ensuring that cultural services are accessible in underserved areas and to marginalized communities, according to the SPA.

It also aims to support local theater groups, boost theatrical production and strengthen the cultural sector’s contribution to the national gross domestic product.

Additionally, the initiative fosters investment opportunities and serves as a platform for discovering and nurturing emerging talent, the SPA reported.

The play “Bahr,” written by Abdulrahman Al-Marikhi and directed by Sultan Al-Nawa, has received critical acclaim, winning several prestigious awards, including for best actor, best script, and best overall production at the inaugural Riyadh Theater Festival, as well as best musical effects and best director at the 19th Gulf Theater Festival.


Art Week Riyadh: A ‘constellation of events’ that ‘pushes the boundaries’ 

Updated 03 April 2025
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Art Week Riyadh: A ‘constellation of events’ that ‘pushes the boundaries’ 

  • Curatorial team discuss the aims and intentions behind inaugural edition of AWR 

RIYADH: The inaugural Art Week Riyadh begins April 6 in the Kingdom’s capital. A non-commercial initiative, AWR builds on the city’s already thriving art community while inviting international artists and art lovers to join in. 

Princess Adwaa bint Yazeed bin Abdullah, head of Art Week Riyadh, explained the event’s inspirations and goals in a statement, writing: “Art Week Riyadh is born from a belief in the power of art to inspire, challenge, and connect us. Riyadh has long been a city of growth, and through this platform we hope to contribute to its cultural future — one that is open, dynamic and deeply rooted in both heritage and innovation.” 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Curator Vittoria Mataresse heads a team including associate curators Basma Harasani and Victoria Gandit-Lelandais and public program curator Shumon Basar who have worked tirelessly across multiple time zones over several months to bring the event to life. 

“It was very important for us to be playful and not have the kind of rigid structure or format we’re used to seeing. Art Week Riyadh sits in between an exhibition and an art fair. It’s really a constellation of events,” Matarrese tells Arab News. “Unlike major art events that often impose universal themes and rely on globally established artists, we wanted to work within the frame of a regional art ecosystem, embracing the textures, the urgencies, the sensibilities of the Arabian Peninsula. We are trying to retrace something which is very specific and, in this way, we propose a critical departure (from the normal) format.” 

Curator Vittoria Mataresse (pictured) heads a team including associate curators Basma Harasani and Victoria Gandit-Lelandais and public program curator Shumon Basar who have worked tirelessly across multiple time zones over several months to bring the event to life. (Supplied)

The theme of AWR’s inaugural edition is “At the Edge” and the event brings together more than 45 galleries from the Kingdom, the wider Arab world, and beyond. There are three main sub-themes: “Everyday Life,” “Landscapes,” and “Motifs.”  

JAX District in Diriyah will host three major exhibitions offering an expansive insight into Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity. A number of established Saudi artists whose studios are based in JAX will also be opening their doors to the public. Meanwhile, in central Riyadh, more than 15 galleries housed in the Al-Mousa Center will present exhibitions, and a wider program across the city will feature several talks and collaborations.  

Gandit-Lelandais, who has worked in the region for more than two decades focusing on contemporary Arab art, tells Arab News: “Art Week Riyadh really is different, because the market and the ecosystem is different. I think it’s about making people stop implementing the European and American formats into different places because they don’t have to fit — the format can be adapted.” 

The team have designed the event as “an umbrella for everyone to gather under,” Gandit-Lelandais says. “It is inclusive and it’s meant to be niche — it is for the public, and for the art enthusiasts and for the collectors. 

“With Riyadh growing so fast, the kind of dialogues that we have built are so important to bring people here, but not with a Western look at how art should be,” she adds. 

Harasani, the lone Saudi in the curatorial team, tells Arab News: “I’m really excited to link our local artists and our local scene (with the world). I think an educational foundation is super-exciting and super-necessary at this time for artists, art practitioners, young collectors and everyone that comes under that umbrella. We wanted to allow these generations of artists from Saudi Arabia to narrate themselves, beyond the usual framework.” 

Lamya Gargash, Lions, The Architect, Bath, UK, 2024, Archival pigment print, 90 x 120 cm, Edition of 3, 1AP. (Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line, Dubai)

While none of the curators live in Riyadh, they all offer a nuanced and sensitive take on the capital.  

“I’ve been working in Riyadh so much that it does feel like a second home,” Harasani says. “Riyadh is culturally different from Jeddah, where I’m from, and it was interesting to delve into the art scene. I thought it would be similar to the Hajazi scene, but it’s completely different. It was a massive learning experience for me to see that — given that we’re all from Saudi — there are so many different ways of working, ways of producing, ways of communicating.” 

Maha Malluh, Sky Clouds, 2009-2015, 100 black polyester gloves filled with polyester and desert sands, praying rugs. (Courtesy of Galerie Krinzinger and Maha Malluh)

Riyadh’s rapid expansion, both physically and culturally, over the past decade contributes to the richness and diversity on show at AWR, the curators say. 

“That’s the beauty of the Middle East, 10 years here is 100 years elsewhere,” Matarrese says. “I think what’s really smart about what Saudi is doing right now is they’ve learned from other people’s mistakes and they’re looking at how to navigate this in a better way. 

“There’s one thing that is important in the DNA of what we are doing,” she continues. “Our visitors are not going to know what to expect. We really pushed the boundaries of what this could be showing; we are trying to deconstruct the conventional display models, to experiment with something else and re-articulate the dialogue between the different parts of the art world.” 

For Harasani, the event is another marker of the artistic progress that has been made in the Kingdom in recent years. 

“This did not exist when I was growing up,” she says. “The fact that we can see our dreams come to fruition now — and (see) bigger projects like Art Week Riyadh — I feel very lucky and privileged to be a part of that.” 


New York Arab Festival returns with diverse lineup

Updated 02 April 2025
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New York Arab Festival returns with diverse lineup

  • The New York-based dance music collective showcases beats from the Arab, Asian, and Pan-African diasporas

DUBAI: The fourth edition of the New York Arab Festival (NYAF) runs from April 1- May 30, with headlining acts including DJ duo Haza Party.

The New York-based dance music collective showcases beats from the Arab, Asian, and Pan-African diasporas. The festival will play host to a special version of the collective’s signature “Haza Souk” event, featuring a lineup of DJ sets, merchandise outlets and food.

On April 8, Palestinian poet Ahmad Almallah will present his latest book “Wrong Winds” while April 13 will see Palestinian rockstar, singer and songwriter Rasha Nahas perform at Brooklyn Art Haus.

A double bill dedicated to the centennial of dancer Samia Gamal will take place at the Jalopy Theatre on April 16, with New York based choreographers and dancers Angie Assal and Soumaya MaRose celebrating the history of the late Egyptian choreographer.

Meanwhile, the NYAF Arab Shorts Film Program at the Bartos Screening will feature the work of filmmakers including Alia Haju and Khaled Jarrar.

From May 1-4, NYAF will collaborate with experimental theater club La MaMa ETC for a “festival within a festival” celebrating Arab artists in four multidisciplinary “happenings” featuring spoken word performances based on texts by the late poets Etel Adnan and Joyce Mansour, dance, music and multimedia visuals. Performers include Andrew Riad, Nadia Khyrallah, Sarah Brahim, and Amr Kotb, among others. 

On May 14,  Lebanese American singer-songwriter H.Sinno’s “Poems of Consumption” — which turns Amazon customer reviews into pop songs — will be presented.

NYAF was established in 2022 to commemorate Arab American Heritage Month and “fight the erasure of Arab and Arab American identities from NYC, a place Arabs have called home for over three centuries,” the festival said in a released statement.


Maja-Ajmia Zellama tackles cultural identity and grief in ‘Têtes Brûlées’ 

Updated 28 March 2025
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Maja-Ajmia Zellama tackles cultural identity and grief in ‘Têtes Brûlées’ 

  • The Belgian-Tunisian director discusses her Saudi-backed debut feature 

RIYADH: Belgian-Tunisian-Danish filmmaker Maja-Ajmia Zellama’s debut feature “Têtes Brûlées” (‘Hotheads’) received two special mentions at last month’s Berlin International Film Festival.  

The film, which was backed by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, has been praised for its depiction of a universal story through a singular lens. Zellama wrote and directed the movie, which follows the story of Eya (played by Safa Gharbaoui), a 12-year-old girl growing up in a Tunisian-Muslim family in Brussels, whose life revolves around her beloved 25-year-old brother Younès and his friends. Following Younès’ sudden and unexpected death, Zellama takes viewers through the culture, customs, resilience, and solidarity of this tight-knit community through the family’s mourning period.  

Safa Gharbaoui, Mehdi Bouziane and Mounir Amamra. (Supplied)

“I didn’t expect so many compliments about the film from people who are not Muslims or not from immigrant backgrounds,” Zellama told Arab News. “I spoke a lot with a teenager from Germany, and I understood at that moment how grief is so universal. There are other people who say, ‘Oh yes, I’m learning a new thing about a new culture and new religions.’” 

Zellama also expressed her appreciation for the Red Sea Fund’s support of a “multicultural” story. “For me, it was a major recognition to have this help and support from a Muslim country. It helped me to make this kind of film, and I’m also very curious about working more with Middle Eastern countries,” she said.  

The film tackles aspects of identity, the Arab diaspora, collective grieving, religion, cultural customs, and commentary on street crimes. Largely set in the family house, constantly filled with people after Younès’ tragic death, one of the director’s goals was to show the contrasting comfort and simplicity of immigrants’ family lives compared to their lives outside of their homes.  

Safa Gharbaoui. (Supplied)

“For me, the most complicated part of identity and immigration is systemic racism,” Zellama said. “It’s oppression in the society. But in the home, it’s not always so complicated. There are nuances; it’s complex, but in a positive way.”  

Zellama’s own life was a major inspiration for the film. Her father is Tunisian and her mother Danish. She was born and raised in Belgium around a large Tunisian community. Her household was home to two religions and three languages. “The question of identity has been present all my life, of course, as a mixed kid, but also as a person of the diaspora,” she explained.  

And Zellama’s experience of losing a much-loved family member was central to the narrative. “When I was grieving with my family, it was the most difficult time in my life. But it was also one of the moments in my life when I felt the most love and solidarity, because we were surrounded by so many people who were (making us) dinner, going to the grocery, giving money,” she said. “So, for me, yes, there is the grief that we had in our family, but also — and most of all — the love.”  

Safa Gharbaoui and Mehdi Bouziane. (Supplied)

The film explores spirituality in a nuanced and open way, particularly in its funeral and burial scenes, inspired by Zellama’s own journey with faith. She was keen to have Eya find a kind of forbearance through religion while also providing representation and an alternate, more complex, portrayal of Islam in countries outside the Middle East.  

“Muslims are very different, and each person practices religion in a different way,” Zellama said. “She finds this way, and she’s good with it.” 

And the film has proven to cross cultural and religious boundaries, with viewers from other faiths and backgrounds connecting to its central themes. 

“Just to hear the Qur’an, (even if) you don’t understand it, you can feel something,” she said. “You don’t know what it is, but you can feel something. When you see her praying, you can imagine. And, for me, that’s enough.” 

The character of Eya is key to the film’s success: she’s mature, but also playful; she’s creative, clever, defiant, and works to break stereotypes throughout the film. One of the most affecting, and effective, scenes is when she breaks away from the group of mourning women to help bury her brother alongside the men.  

“I wanted to have a character who grows up in a lovely family who give space for this young girl to be what she wants,” Zellama said. “She doesn’t (think to) herself, ‘Oh, this is a boy thing or a girl thing.’ No, she’s doing what she wants to do at this moment.  

“She’s very impulsive, and the impulsivity was also an important thing in the character of Eya,” she continued. “She looks like so many Muslim women and children I see around me. So, this was not me making a ‘statement.’ It was more me thinking that there are so many strong little girls around me, and I wanted to have a character like that.”  


Saudi surrealist filmmaker Meshal Al-Jaser talks AlUla, tasheer, and ‘Gunpowder’ 

Updated 01 April 2025
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Saudi surrealist filmmaker Meshal Al-Jaser talks AlUla, tasheer, and ‘Gunpowder’ 

  • The Saudi filmmaker’s viral music video explores otherworldly landscapes and traditional dance

ALULA: For the video of the latest track from his electronic music project Arabian Alien, Saudi filmmaker Meshal Al-Jaser headed to the heart of AlUla’s dramatic desert landscape. “Gunpowder” blends striking visuals with Al-Jaser’s signature surrealist touch. 

The track, created with his bandmate Mohammed Alhamdan, explores themes of heartbreak and disillusion, using the raw beauty of AlUla to amplify its message. 

“It’s about tragedy,” Al-Jaser tells Arab News. “It’s about someone who’s trying to cope with getting his heart broken.” 

Meshal Al-Jaser. (Supplied)

The video has racked up more than 1.7 million YouTube views in the first month of its release, thanks to its arresting visuals, especially of the Hejazi war dance, tasheer, which involves firing rifles into the ground as the wielder jumps into the air, sending a dramatic display of fire and gunpowder under their feet. 

“I was always fascinated by tasheer, in terms of visuals,” says Al-Jaser. “A lot of the tribes in Hejaz practice it. And, like many other Saudi dances, it really originates from trying to intimidate the enemy. With time, it became more of a celebratory dance that they do at weddings and such. 

“For years, I really wanted to capture it the right way, because it requires a lot of elements to come together,” he continues. “What’s specifically fascinating about it for me is really the precision and the skills of the people that do it. You have to jump at the right time, point in the right direction, shoot at the right time and land at the right time. It’s not a simple dance. It requires a lot of skill.” 

Shooting the video for 'Gunpowder' in AlUla. (Supplied)

“Gunpowder,” is an extension of Al-Jaser’s mission to capture the true essence of Saudi culture. “I don’t want to change anything in it or bend it around, as much as I just want to capture it in the way I view it,” he says. 

Shooting against the towering sandstone cliffs and vast desert landscape of AlUla was also a treat. “I was really mindblown. It’s one of the most unique locations in the world. It’s very diverse. Every piece of it feels like a whole different world. So, when (Film AlUla) approached me (to shoot a video there), I already knew it was going to look good because of the environment,” Al-Jaser says. “One of the biggest challenges was that we only had two days to shoot it. We were just running around to really try to capture all the essence of the place, because it’s so different.” 

From viral YouTube sketches to acclaimed short films, Al-Jaser’s work has challenged cultural taboos and reimagined Saudi identity through a satirical lens. His storytelling often explores the tension between tradition and modernity, mixing absurdity with sharp cultural commentary. 

Al-Jaser's Arabian Alien bandmate Mohamed Alhamdan. (Supplied)

In 2023, Al-Jaser released his debut feature film, “Naga,” which boldly set out his signature style — provocative, surreal and unafraid to push cultural boundaries. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a thriller-horror hybrid set in a dystopian desert landscape. It follows a rebellious young woman named Sarah, who sneaks out to attend a secret party in defiance of her conservative father’s rules. But when she misses her curfew and tries to return home, her night takes a bizarre and terrifying turn. 

“My ultimate dream was always to become a filmmaker and make feature films. So this was just a small step towards that,” Al-Jaser says. “It was very interesting. Anyone you know who has shot a feature film would tell you that it’s the hardest thing they’ve done, because, especially with the first film, you kind of want to do so much with so little, and it’s a whole different experience. 

“I know it’s all directing and storytelling, but, really, the amount of effort it takes to make a feature film as opposed to a short film makes it feel like a whole different medium. So, my experience was very challenging, but at the same time, I also feel really privileged to have done my first feature with Netflix. It was nice for them to really believe in me. And for it to go to Toronto… I’m so thankful for that.” 

Al-Jaser hopes to make his big-screen start as a filmmaker soon. “Hopefully I will make my cinematic debut, because ‘Naga’ was a streaming film,” he says. “I’ve never experienced my film in a cinema and that’s something I’m really looking forward to. 

“I really am attempting to do the best I can. Of course, I feel the weight and the responsibility, since I’m one of the first generation of Saudi filmmakers, but I also feel the privilege of that,” he continues. “If I can stay focused — which is easier said than done — then hopefully everything will fall in the right place.”