Challenging Eurocentric art history, the circulation of early pictures of Makkah and the pre-Islamic Christian heritage of the UAE are among the research projects selected as part of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s inaugural Fellowships and Grants programme.
The initiative is designed to support new inquiry in the fields of art history, museum studies, heritage science, conservation and archaeology. Five scholars were selected from a pool of 170 submissions from around the world.
The programme offers both short and long-term fellowships to scholars. Short-term fellows receive an award of Dh85,000 for a three-month residency, while long-term fellows are granted Dh245,000 to support a nine-month research project.
The first cohort of fellow scholars will have unprecedented access to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s facilities, including its research centre, conservation centre as well as a state-of-the-art scientific library that is touted to be “the first of its kind in the Gulf region”.
The fellows will work closely with the museum’s collection to research what expands our understanding of art history and culture, embracing a polyphony of cultural perspectives, especially those from the Global South.
Here are the inaugural programme’s five fellows as well as their projects.
Hamid Keshmirshekan
Hamid Keshmirshekan is a senior scholar at Columbia University and a former teaching fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London. The British scholar has been selected as one of the short-term fellows of the programme.
His project, De-centring the Canon: Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Challenge to Eurocentric Art History, investigates how Louvre Abu Dhabi incorporates modern and contemporary Middle Eastern artists into its universal narrative. Through this lens, he examines curatorial approaches that question Eurocentric frameworks and creates room for alternative art histories.
Helena Barranha
Helena Barranha is a Portuguese professor at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in the University of Lisbon and a researcher at the Institute of Art History of the NOVA University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Social and Human Sciences.
Also selected as a short-term fellow, Barranha brings a project titled The Multiple Images of a Cosmopolitan Museum: Mapping the Visual Representations and Architectural Reinterpretations of Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The project examines how the museum’s architecture reflects cultural convergence and is reinterpreted by the public, particularly through social media. She also investigates how digital tools, including AI, are transforming the perception of museum spaces.
Mizuho Ikeda
A research associate at the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies and a teaching fellow at Soas, Mizuho Ikeda is the programme’s only long-term fellow.
Her project, Universal Museums and Religious Diversity: A Comparative Analysis of Exhibition Practices at Louvre Abu Dhabi and Museums in Asia, explores how Hindu and Buddhist artworks are presented at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The British-Japanese scholar examines curatorial strategies and visitor engagement in the display of sacred art within a global, multi-faith context.
Rhomaillessa Talhaoui
A graduate of Universite Paris Cite, Rhomaillessa Talhaoui is a French-Moroccan scholar whose work focuses on the circulation and reinterpretation of early photographs of Makkah between 1880 and 1920.
In The Transimperial Circulation of Early Pictures of Makkah (1880–1920), she traces how these images moved through colonial, religious and commercial networks. It highlights the contributions of local photographers and challenges western-centric interpretations of early photography in the region.
Suhaila Almansoori
Suhaila Almansoori is an Emirati historian and cultural heritage professional, currently pursuing a master’s degree in archaeology and cultural heritage at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.
Her project, Pre-Islamic Christian Heritage in the United Arab Emirates: An Evaluation of the Siniya Island Archaeological Site, builds on her archaeological fieldwork at Al Sulaimi in the Al Ain region and the Christian monastery from the sixth or seventh century uncovered at Siniya Island in Umm Al Quwain. Her current research focuses on a rare palm frond basket coated with bitumen, which was discovered earlier this year.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
MATCH INFO
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
PRISCILLA
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
