Despite numerous obstacles, North African masterpieces are out in force at this year's Abu Dhabi Art — the capital's flagship annual arts event, which runs until Sunday.
Curated by Rachida Triki, an art historian and professor of philosophy at the University of Tunis, the art fair’s Focus section brings together galleries from across the Maghreb, under the theme of New Tomorrow.
Triki says there is a dynamic art scene throughout North Africa, with a steady flow of new art centres and new galleries. However, she says they face several challenges.
"First, there is no real organised art market and there is no real financial support from the state, especially for young galleries. Most galleries also don't have the means to support and assist artists," she says. Compounding the issue are legislative issues, and a lack of media coverage, she adds.
This makes Abu Dhabi Art’s decision to build a programme focused on North Africa all the more important, says Triki.
“This is the first time in many years that we’ve seen a focus, joining Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It’s a good thing for our countries because we have many problems, especially in politics," she adds. The sector also includes galleries from Paris and Switzerland, focused on North African artists.
While galleries from Libya and Mauritania were unable to take part, Triki says for the other North African galleries, travelling to Abu Dhabi was “very courageous” given the costs involved.
Those who made it to Abu Dhabi Art, she says, share a common creative heritage. “In the history of the region, in the 16th and 17th centuries, artists were very near to each other. Now we have to create new contexts with them — that’s very important to me because I think artists are the ambassadors of creation, and of the rich culture of the Maghreb.”
Triki explains that painting was introduced to North Africa in the late 19th century, through colonialism, and its development went hand-in-hand with the subsequent socio-political transformation and revolutions.
“I chose the concept of New Tomorrow because when the three countries became independent, their local artists chose to create new ways to distinguish themselves from orientalism or exoticism, and construct new things for their countries."
This trend continues to this day, she adds — with contemporary artists using new mediums to respond to social upheaval in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. With this in mind, Triki has worked with the galleries to select an array of modern and contemporary creatives, whose work outlines the history of art in their countries.
Among the galleries present is Le Violon Blue, from Tunis, which features a sweeping selection of abstract modern art from across North Africa. The gallery founder’s daughter Selma Feriani tells The National: “Most of these artists left North Africa, and travelled to the US or Europe, where they were influenced by the different art movements there. Then, back home, they started working through abstraction.”
She points to works by Hedi Turki, who she calls “one of Tunisia’s most important abstract artists”. Born to a family of Turkish origin, Turki studied at Lycee Carnot in Paris, before returning home on the death of his father — where he worked a variety of odd jobs. Having studied in France, Italy and the US, he went on to develop a distinct abstract style, working on grid-like colour fields and lines — which is represented through acrylic works such as Souffleé de Printemps.
There is also a huge burlap work by Abderrazak Sahli hanging from one of the walls. Feriani says: “This is a specific fabric, he used to collect from factories and create these canvases from, and to which he applied his painting and shapes from his daily life. So you can find images of palm trees, eyes and some of his personage within.”
From the figurative School of Tunis movement, Feriani then moves on to a focus section on Algerian-born French painter and designer Mahjoub Ben Bella, whose sprawling tapestry Jerusalem, is mounted to one of the walls.
Elsewhere are works by Farid Belkahia, one of Morocco’s most celebrated modern artists, who worked with metal, paint and leather, treated with traditional techniques and natural dyes, such as henna. Egypt is represented through a bird statue by sculptor Adam Henein — a classic example of his work recreating ancient Egyptian iconography in modern forms using bronze, wood, clay and granite.
Next door, her own Selma Feriani Gallery features the works of Amina Saoudi, a Moroccan artist living in Tunisia, who is translating traditional Berber tapestry into a form of contemporary fine art. “She’s important,” says Feriani. “The only female tapestry artist in Tunisia.
“She works as a painter — she creates her own colours using natural pigments she finds in her garden, in the market or when she’s out. She uses cumin, plants and things like that.”
She produces two abstract tapestries each year, which are surprisingly diverse in form. Feriani points to one tapestry, Ait Khay, which comprises a geometric intersection of shapes. “This tapestry mixes cotton and wool and part of her experimentation here is using geometry and modern colours, with symbols of the sun and sky.” In some works, she also draws on the colours of the cities that inspire the pieces.
Others are more detailed, exploring Berber stories, and the lives of her parents and grandparents through abstract representation, which she weaves freehand. “Some of the elements, such as faces, are figurative, but then as a whole, the presentation and composition are abstract,” says Feriani.
“We brought her work because I think it's important to show that there is no contemporary art without this reference to modern art, or to our tradition and culture, especially when you come from a country like Morocco or Tunisia. We have over 3,000 years of history, and have a lot of artisans and know-how.”
At the back of the Focus section is a striking series of works, straddling an 11-metre wall. Chief among them is a work by Tunisian artist, Slimen Elkamel, whose work was the subject of a major retrospective at Arab World Institute in Paris this year.
Presented by La La Lande Gallery, Elkamel’s work at Abu Dhabi Art represents his striking painting style, which depicts overlapping figures, symbols and patterns, inspired by the folklore and poetry of his rural hometown of Sidi Bouzid. His largest piece at the fair is a seven-metre acrylic on canvas, priced at $120,000.
Elkamel tells The National: “I’m happy to be here because there’s such a high level of modern and contemporary artists on show.” His translator, and La La Lande’s Tunisian director Ilyes Messaoudi, is equally thrilled to be in the capital.
Explaining Elkamel’s work, Messaoudi says: “It’s inspired by his childhood because Slimen is from the place where the Tunisian revolution started. So asides from translating the stories of his grandparents and his family, his painting then sometimes becomes political and social, with other deeper dimensions.”
Messaoudi's own art is equally political in nature and is also on show — with the Swiss gallery, Foreign Agent. Through painting, collage and embroidery, he pairs tradition with modernity to dissect social issues and stereotypes in the Middle East.
He walks up to one of his pieces titled Help, which was included in an exhibition by the Middle East Institute in Washington. The brightly coloured, satirical work depicts a cross-section of society during the pandemic, along with the global inequalities the pandemic drew to the surface.
“This piece is about the pandemic, with a bit of humour. It’s figurative and we see different levels of society: the poor people and then the rich people who have private jets, and don’t have to wear masks.”
Alongside this is a more cheerful depiction of the first party Messaoudi attended in Paris as France emerged from lockdowns. The gallery also features some of his other works, where panes of glass are mounted to walls, with different images painted on each side.
Pointing to one of the works, he says, “this is the mirror”, before revealing the other side and adding "this is the other side of the mirror”. Massaoudi’s desire to go “beyond” is a tribute to the daring creative spirit of North Africa and a testament to Abu Dhabi Art’s commitment to connecting global art scenes through the cultural crossroads of Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Scroll through images of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award's winning installation at Abu Dhabi Art below
New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
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The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
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Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
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Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
