BAGHDAD: Every evening at the Muntada Al-Masrah theater on Baghdad’s Rashid street, the cast and crew of the first TV drama filmed in Iraq in seven years take their places among the rooms and courtyard of this 19th-century building and shoot new scenes of their highly-anticipated series.
The arts are coming to life again in Baghdad, bringing with it a touch of hope and comfort as the country works to rebuild after 16 years of war.
And after two decades abroad, two of Iraq’s leading actors have returned to take part in “The Hotel,” the twenty-episode drama set to air during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“The Iraqi people are parched for drama,” said Hassan Hosni, a drama star of the 1990s, who returned from Saudi Arabia to direct “The Hotel,” a show about the seedy underbelly of Baghdad and its entanglement with human trafficking.
It is the first Ramadan drama to be produced in Iraq since 2012, according to the cast and crew, and it heralds a return of an essential TV genre to the country.
Across the Muslim world and throughout the month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn until sunset and stay up late to digest their evening meals, viewers are treated to TV dramas that touch on romance, war, tyranny and other issues of the day.
For years, Iraqis have been watching dramas from other nations, such as “Bab Al-Hara,” the blockbuster Syrian series set during the 1930s independence movement from France.
With “The Hotel,” Iraqis will have a home-grown series to watch for the first time in years, amid the longest stretch of stability Baghdad has experienced since the 2003 US invasion.
“We were all waiting for this moment — writers, directors and actors — with total impatience,” said Hosni.
“I felt it in the streets, when we were scouting for locations,” said Hosni. Locals, shocked to see him back in their city, approached the star to ask about the series.
“The joy was clear in their eyes, expressions and words,” he said.
Once the capital of the Islamic world, Baghdad is a city that proudly displays its affection for drama and poetry, boasting monuments that show scenes from Arabian Nights and avenues named after renowned poets such as the boastful Mutanabbi of the 10th century and his bibulous predecessor, Abu Nawas.
It has held on to this pride through the contemporary era, even as the coups and wars of the 20th century, the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and the grip of UN sanctions drove writers, actors and producers out of the country.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Abbas, the star of “The Hotel” and a famous thespian in his own right, went into exile in 1997 after he performed a solo play that spoke about harassment by the country’s notorious security services. In Saddam Hussein’s era, it crossed a red line.
“I was interrogated for two days and then advised by the minister of culture to leave Iraq immediately,” he said.
The 2003 US invasion dealt another blow to the arts. The ensuing war tore Baghdad apart, as car bombs tore through the city daily, and fighting turned Rashid Street, once a center of culture and heritage, into a valley of fear and destruction.
A sputtering revival earlier this decade came to a halt, first as money for the arts dried up, then as insecurity gripped the country again with the 2014 Daesh group insurgency.
After Iraq declared victory over IS in December 2017, the atmosphere inside the capital began to change. The blast walls that protected against car bombs were lifted, and locals started staying out late again, patronizing cafes, malls, galleries, and theaters, where performances change from week to week.
Abu Al-Abbas stayed in the United Arab Emirates for 20 years. But he kept acting, writing and directing plays, and he wrote more than a dozen books on his craft.
In 2017, he returned to his hometown of Basra, the commercial capital of southern Iraq and the hub for its oil, where he founded a theater troupe of young, under-employed local men and taught them a play they went on to perform in other southern cities.
But it wasn’t until screenwriter Hamid Al-Maliki called with the script for “The Hotel” that he agreed to return to the screen.
“Violent drama takes a period of contemplation on the part of the writer so that he can give us a ‘dose’ of work that can treat our situation,” said Abu Al-Abbas.
Al-Maliki accepted that “The Hotel’s” transgressive material — including prostitution, human trafficking and the organ trade — would shock viewers, but said it was the responsibility of TV drama to start a conversation.
“It’s a current matter for Iraq,” he said. “It’s a message to the youth to beware of the trap of human trafficking, and it’s a message to the Iraqi state to care for the innocent and the poor who are the victims of the trade.”
And Al-Maliki said it was vital for the arts to confront the ideologies that have fueled extremism.
“Culture alone is what will be victorious over Daesh thinking,” he said, using the Arabic term for the Daesh group.
“Culture is life, and Daesh is death. So we must face death with life. We must face Daesh with culture,” he continued.
Hosni, the star-turned-director, left Iraq in 1996, looking to escape the pressure of the UN sanctions levied against Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait earlier in the decade.
But he never felt far from Iraq, as he continued to work with other diaspora Iraqis in drama in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
“It was a separation in body, but not in mind or soul,” he said.
He was finally coaxed back by Al-Maliki this year.
The return of the TV drama, Hosni said, is reassuring.
“It’s a time for the Iraqi family to sit together at home, with their relatives and neighbors.”
In time for Ramadan, Iraqi TV drama returns after 7 years
In time for Ramadan, Iraqi TV drama returns after 7 years
- Two of Iraq’s leading actors have returned to take part in “The Hotel,” a Ramadan drama
- It is the first Ramadan drama to be produced in Iraq since 2012
Sotheby’s to stage first live auction in Saudi Arabia in February 2025
- The inaugural auction and public exhibition will take place in the Saudi heritage site of Diriyah
DUBAI: Sotheby’s has announced it will stage the first ever live auction in Saudi Arabia in February 2025. Taking place in the historic town of Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of the Saudi state, located northwest of Riyadh, the auction will offer modern and contemporary artworks, Islamic objects, jewelry, watches, cars, sports memorabilia and handbags, among other items.
Titled “Origins,” the live auction will take place on Feb. 8, 2025, presenting global offerings and fine art by both home-grown Saudi artists and leading names in international art history.
The auction will take place as a two-part evening auction and will be preceded by an exhibition of the contents of “Origins,” that will be showcased in a free, public exhibition, open from Feb. 1 – 8.
“This auction - and indeed our incorporation - is the culmination of many years of supporting cultural initiatives in the Kingdom, and a natural evolution of our business,” Edward Gibbs, chairman of Sotheby’s Middle East & India, told Arab News.
“We have been travelling to Saudi for a number of years, working with clients who are based there, as well as meeting new collectors in the region, and have been supporting the Ministry of Culture’s exciting endeavors –not least with all of the editions of the biennale, where we have provided an educational component, with specialist talks and tours,” he added.
Increasingly, said Gibbs, Sotheby’s saw that Saudi Arabia was a space rife for a growing art market and live auctions, proven by its fast paced development, young demographic, growing collector base and the increasing presence of the regional and international art community.
“The auction comes hand in hand with our opening of an office in Riyadh, so marks a new chapter in our activities in Saudi — a phase that we are entering with great optimism and ambition,” Sebastian Fahey, managing director of Sotheby’s Global Fine Arts, told Arab News. “Alongside the inaugural sale, our activities will also continue to include educational offerings around art, luxury and collecting, as this is something we strongly believe in.”
First Saudi State was inaugurated just under two decades before Sotheby’s was established in 1744. (Supplied)
“The art market has never been quite so international, and this opening complements our global network, particularly in the Middle East, which has long been a region we have believed in and invested in,” stressed Fahey.
Diriyah is a significant place to stage Saudi Arabia’s first-ever live auction. In the historic town, now developing as one of the Kingdom’s gigaprojects, the First Saudi State was inaugurated just under two decades before Sotheby’s was established in 1744.
At present, Diriyah is transforming into a local and global hub for art, culture and high profile events in the Kingdom, connecting its past and present through heritage and creativity.
Dubai Design Week returns with brand new fair: Dubai Editions
- As large-scale architectural and design installations take over the Gulf metropolis, the inaugural Dubai Editions is set to offer a mix of art, design and prints to appeal to the city’s changing demographics
DUBAI: Until Nov. 10, visitors to Dubai Design District can relish in riveting large-scale design installations, exhibitions and fairs dedicated to high-end and collectible design objects from the Gulf, wider Middle East and international markets.
The annual event, now in its 10th year, will present over 500 designers, professionals and brands from various creative industries, transforming the bustling UAE metropolis into a global hub for design and art.
Numerous returning elements include Abwab, an annual commission showcasing talents from across Southwest Asia and North Africa, dedicated this year to the theme of vernacular architecture and regenerative design processes through the utilization of local materials, climate-responsive techniques and community-centered designs.
Abwab this year will feature three regional practices that will present their work in pavilions across the Dubai Design District. These include “Present/Absent Mudhif” by Ola Saad Znad from Iraq, portraying the Marsh Arabs’ architectural heritage in Iraq using reeds and ancient Sumerian techniques; “ReRoot” by Jordanian-Palestinian Dima Al Srouri, Andy Cartier from France, Rosa Hamalainen from Finland and Palestinian-Lebanese Dahlia Hamati exploring emergency housing solutions through an ecological lens using palm waste and mycelium; and “Material Witnesses and Narrating Lifeforms” by Miriam Hillawi Abraham from Ethiopia, which draws inspiration from coral stone found in early settlements on the East African coast.
Other notable returning platforms include workshops in the Maker’s Space and the weekend Marketplace, offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted objects and cuisine.
In a dedicated section within the 10th edition of Downtown Design will be the new fair titled Dubai Editions. Featured are over 50 galleries, design studios and collectives from the region and internationally presenting editioned artworks, collectible design objects and furniture and editioned prints.
The new fair reflects the changing demographic of Dubai, Pablo del Val, artistic director of Art Dubai, told Arab News.
“The fair is extremely exciting because it represents the shifts taking place in the city,” said Del Val. “There are many new generations of people that have recently moved to Dubai that have different collecting needs.
“People are beginning to buy properties that are arranged in new ways with different needs,” he added.
Participants include Dubai and New York-based Leila Heller; renowned Lebanese carpetmaker Iwan Maktabi, which opened its new flagship showroom in Dubai’s Jumeirah 3 featuring the first-ever global shop-in-shop for Italian contemporary rug company, cc tapis; Dastan from Tehran; Comptoir de Mines Galerie from Marrakech; Studio Bazazo and Fadi Basbous Studio from Lebanon; and spaces from Dubai, including Gulf Photo Plus, The Urbanist, Meem Gallery and Zawyeh Gallery.
“The fair offers a great concept of presenting works that are less expensive by our artists,” Leila Heller told Arab News. “Our artists became so inspired to create new prints and sculptures that are available in editions. The fair also offers works on paper, so our artists have created smaller works in paper as well.”
Heller will present works by artists such as Farideh Lashai, Reza Aramesh, Keith Haring, Darvish Fakhr, Azza Al Qubaisi and Stephany Sanossian.
Iwan Maktabi is showing a carpet designed by acclaimed Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. CEO Mohamed Maktabi said they switched their booth from Downtown Design to Dubai Editions and are launching what he calls “Iwan Maktabi: Artist Edition,” presenting the brand’s special carpet collaborations with artists.
While Dubai Design Week will offer much to see and experience, it represents a shift and growth in Dubai’s recent population that has sought out the Gulf city as a new place to call home.
As Del Val put it: “Everything starts to change when you belong to a community where you expect to live for a much longer period of time.
“This (fair) could be an incubator for things to come.”
Exploring innovation at ‘Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft’ exhibition in Saudi Arabia
- Step backstage to experience the creative processes of 10 renowned design studios, where failure fuels creativity
DHAHRAN: As a part of the annual Tanween conference at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the “Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft” exhibition stands out as a captivating exploration of creativity, resilience and innovation in the world of design.
The exhibition, aligned with the Tanween 2024 theme “Fail Forward,” invites visitors to embrace the beauty of setbacks as vital stepping stones in the creative process.
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)
Curated and designed in collaboration with Isola Studio, the exhibition showcases the works of 10 internationally acclaimed studios specializing in crafts, circular design and material research, and is on until Nov. 6.
“The idea of staging the exhibition led us to the name ‘Behind the Curtains’ because we want to show what’s behind what you see, through a theater approach,” Gabriele Cavallaro, co-founder of Isola Studio, told Arab News.
“We asked studios to display their latest projects, not just the final results, but also the process, including failures, trials, and broken pieces. This highlights that reaching successful design involves going through mistakes and challenges.”
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)
Each studio provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their artistic processes, sharing inspirations, prototypes, and materials that did not make the final cut. This transparency highlighted the essential nature of experimentation in design.
At the heart of the exhibition lies an interactive workshop area, where visitors can partake in hands-on activities including sketching, molding, and experimenting with various materials, allowing them to experience the creative process firsthand.
This interactive component emphasizes that creativity is often a non-linear journey filled with exploration and discovery.
The “Fail Forward” theme runs throughout the exhibition, encouraging visitors to see failures as essential learning experiences. By sharing their struggles and lessons, the design studios inspire visitors to embrace their own creative challenges.
Cavallaro expressed his hopes for visitors, stating: “I want them to understand the importance of taking risks in life to achieve success.”
Hia Hub session highlights vital role of pharmacies in Saudi Arabia’s growing skincare market
RIYADH: Industry leaders discussed the evolving role of pharmacies in skincare during a session at Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, held in Riyadh’s JAX District from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.
The session, titled “Re-Defining the Pharmacy Channels in Skincare,” brought together prominent figures, including Charlotte Devaux, general manager of wellness and masstige, Pierre Juhen, group president of Patyka, Mahmoud Mamdouh, CEO of Whites Pharmacy, and Cynthia Kattar, editorial director of Hia Magazine.
Mamdouh emphasized the pivotal role of trust in pharmacy skincare. He said: “When discussing pharmacies and skincare, the main concept is trust.”
Over the past 15 years, pharmacies have cultivated strong relationships with customers, who often turn to pharmacists for personalized skincare consultations, he said.
Devaux added to the discussion by highlighting social media’s impact on consumer behavior.
She said that while platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offered abundant information, consumers still preferred advice from trusted pharmacists. “Wellness has become a priority for consumers, driving the growth of skincare,” she said. “This reliance on pharmacies as credible sources of information and products is crucial in a marketplace filled with conflicting messages.”
Juhen elaborated on the expansive reach of pharmacies. In Saudi Arabia, there are about 6,000 pharmacy locations, compared to 20,000 in France, he said.
He said that this dynamic retail channel had shown resilience, even during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where the pharmacy segment in France experienced growth of 4 percent.
Juhen highlighted the universal appeal of pharmacies and said: “Everyone visits pharmacies, regardless of age or socioeconomic status,” making them essential points of contact in the community.
The session concluded with a consensus among the speakers on the importance of pharmacies in the skincare sector. As trusted providers of personalized advice and quality products, pharmacies were well-positioned to lead the growth of skincare, they said.
Displaced Gazan artists’ work on display in ‘Under Fire’
- An exhibition in Amman shows works smuggled out of Gaza during the ongoing Israeli assault
DUBAI: A couple tenderly embracing each other; a family gathering; a flowering cactus; and a sunset colored in pink, yellow and orange. Such imagery represents some of the delicate drawings produced by four displaced Gazan artists, whose works are currently being showcased at Darat Al-Funun, an art center in Amman.
Other images on display make for less comfortable viewing: exhausted people with missing limbs; men kneeling blindfolded in their underwear; women and children whose eyes are wide with terror.
“Under Fire,” which runs until the end of the year, consists of around 80 artworks by Palestinian artists Basel Al-Maqousi, Majed Shala, Raed Issa and Sohail Salem. All four have been forced from their homes due to the ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, which began in October 2023.
For the exhibition’s curator, Mohammad Shaqdih, receiving the artists’ highly-charged artworks proved to be a cathartic experience. “I was following their work on social media, but when (the pieces) reached Amman and I held them in my hands, I cried at first, to be honest,” Shaqdih tells Arab News. “I was in a state of sadness and I don’t know why. While I was looking through them, I would take a drawing and then quickly put it away. There’s so much death, sadness and blood in these works. At the same time, they embody a form of resilience and resistance. They have life.”
Organizing any art exhibition comes with its own set of challenges, but planning “Under Fire” was exceptionally difficult. According to Shaqdih, communicating with the artists through messaging applications and having their works transported across the border were the main issues faced by the curatorial team.
In May and June 2024, around 100 artworks were taken from Gaza to Egypt. In early October, the works reached Jordan. “These works were passing through some conditions that were dangerous. Some of works were damaged or torn apart,” explains Shaqdih. “It was an adventure taking these works out of Gaza, but, thank God, they reached us.”
The surviving artworks — predominantly sketches and line drawings — were created, by necessity, using the most basic of materials. Raed Issa, for instance, created his figurative images on medical aid packages using tea as a coloring base. Sohail Salem drew intensely-lined pen drawings in school notebooks provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Al-Maqousi is showcasing a series of drawings of daily life in crowded camps. “He said: ‘These works are not paintings or works of art for people to see or buy. They are a part of our bodies,’” Shaqdih says.
Thematically, the artworks — which are being sold to benefit the artists — are simple and touching. They evoke despair, loss and confusion, but there are elements of hope, love and beauty. One of Issa’s images of two young individuals, depicted with unclear features, is slightly enlivened by the red flowers they hold in their hands.
“When you read the artists’ incredible accompanying statements, they’re full of human feelings,” Shaqdih says. “What they’re saying is that despite everything they’re going through with this genocide, they are still standing strong and resisting even if it’s through the act of drawing the daily massacres. They’re still able to work and express their existence as human beings under all the ugliness in this world. It’s a form of resistance and resilience.”
Majed Shala, born in Gaza in 1960, is one of the exhibition’s participants. His works in “Under Fire” depict personal memories, scenes of nature, and life under bombardment.
Shala’s home and studio were destroyed more than a year ago and he lost all of his artworks. “Under the sound of nonstop bombing, we were (told) to leave our area. We didn’t know where to go,” he tells Arab News. Shala is currently in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where, he says, “the situation is continuously difficult. There is no safety and there are no essential supplies.”
On a positive note, he says he feels a sense of pride at having his sketches on display in Amman, a city he loves and where he has many friends.
“I hope that the world stands by those who have the rights, who own the land,” says Shala, “and doesn’t simply watch indifferently from a distance.”
