Ziad Al Najjar’s first solo exhibition, Under Your Eyes, is more than a suitable title.
The Emirati artist’s body of work — displayed at Tabari Artspace in the DIFC until January 27 and comprising of silkscreen prints and works on canvas — insinuates much more than the eye can see.
His pieces are a collection of large and small works, connected through a soft, earthy and pastel colour palate, with free, emerging, organic shapes and compositions.
Pigments, stains and swaths of colour are layered over each other with images emerging through Al Najjar’s subtle technique of light, shadow and mark-making. The works emanate energy on closer observation — conventionally feminine, rooted in nature, connected to concepts of spirituality and dual perception.
Each work looks like an accumulation of thoughts and imagery rather than a constructed pictorial field. With no hard lines or a directed pull within the frame, Al Najjar’s work is complex in its organic nature, a manner of creating art that feels instinctual rather than formulaic.
“I don't have a preconceived idea of how it's going to be or what the painting is,” Al Najjar, 21, tells The National.
“It’s a very 'call and response' thing. I'll be working and then, unless I have a very clear idea about what the next step is, I'll take a moment to think because, if I force it, it shows.”
Al Najjar explains that he often works on more than one painting at a time. He switches between pieces of unstretched canvas when it feels he’s reached a stagnant point with one work. It’s an attempt to refresh his train of thought, with his instincts guiding him as he works.
“The approach to each of these paintings is very intuitive,” he says.
“I like to think of them as a very natural process. I'm also constantly exploring what new things I can do, new techniques, figuring things out, expanding on them as I work.”
It is, in itself, an art, following and honing in on and allowing intuition to guide art-making. This cerebral, intangible process may seem natural, but it is challenging and a testament to Al Najjar’s maturity as an artist for someone so young.
“I took a leap into it and embraced it,” he says on how he learned to follow his instincts when working.
“It's a difficult process, because sometimes … I know I have a process, I have a technique and I know the way I approach things, but what I'm going to make next, for example, I'm not exactly sure.”
Set to graduate from his bachelor of fine arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in May, Al Najjar explains that his aesthetic was very different four years ago. His work was hard-edged and representational, influenced by the Chicago art scene and wider community.
As his own style started to take shape from within the scope of his immediate environmental influences, Al Najjar found himself looking to the past as another source of inspiration.
While the body of work in Under Your Eyes may at first feel like a free-flowing accumulation of colours and shapes, very quickly, images appear. Outlines of skeletal forms, profiles of bodies, shapes of flowers, petals flying, bird and dog-like silhouettes, simplified motifs appear and disappear from beyond the layers, within the spaces, through the colours, semi-recognisable, instinctually familiar.
During his studies, while learning about western art history, Al Najjar searched for a period of history he connected with.
He became interested in Islamic art produced between the 13th and 17th centuries, including Persian miniature depictions of animal forms and natural elements. These motifs struck a chord for their simplistic rendering yet their deep significance across cultures.
In varying shapes, sizes and forms, these images found themselves in his organic, cellular, abstract compositions. While not directly creating a narrative, they infuse his work with associations and references for the viewer to surmise and feel in tune with.
“I’ve always had animals and I feel a certain connectedness with them,” he says.
“They are a different way of looking at our ecosystem or the world. Rather than looking to other people, you're looking at these animals, which we can only have so much of an interaction with.”
More than any other animal, the goat frequently appears across many of the works. Aloof, powerful and submissive, the goat in many scales and poses, seen through a veil of colour and layers, appears as more than one symbol, if any at all.
“Culturally, they are very significant animals,” he says.
“There's a lot of context behind goats and in my own experience, they are such a goofy animal. They are so funny yet they are also so significant in other ways. And then also the nuances of how they're used … they are a representation of Satan, for example, and here they are a sacrifice during Eid.”
Obvious, hidden and stylized, the free-flowing patterns, the forms and shapes that float and bleed into one another, create a soft and almost perfect symmetry, a field where some subconscious part of the viewer can visually play.
“There's definitely images or illustrations I have in mind, which I do kind of want to use in paintings here and there,” Al Najjar says.
“I always make sure not to make something too obvious. I like to leave enough breathing room for someone to potentially see that or see something else.”
Ziad Al Najjar's exhibition Under Your Eyes is running until January 27 at Tabari Art Space in the DIFC
Explore water in Jameel Arts Centre's group exhibition below
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Traces%20of%20Enayat
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Iman%20Mersal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20And%20Other%20Stories%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
