What is the difference between resistance and suffering? How do we share collective narratives about perseverance? How can the land be like the body? And how can we re-experience the banal in a new way?
These are concepts explored in galleries and exhibitions taking place across the UAE this week. From solo displays to group showcases, here's the art to see right now.
Made Present: Biographies of Artworks Defying the Ongoing Nakba at Alserkal Arts Foundation Project Space
The history of Palestinian art is often portrayed as one of loss, fragmentation, and destruction. However, this exhibition presents an alternative story that defies attempts of erasure.
Through artworks, archival material and field notes, the exhibition outlines biographies of artworks that have persevered over time. The collection also delves into the extensive history of artists who have worked in the face of many challenges, sometimes risking their own lives to create.
This shifts the focus of Palestinian art history, placing the artists as the heroes of their narratives and telling stories, not of suffering, but of resistance.
The exhibition features the works of artists Tamam Al-Akhal, Sophie Halaby, Raed Issa, Dina Matter, Sliman Mansour and many more.
Until November 24; Sunday to Thursday, 10am – 6pm; Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
Water Like Tears, Flour Like Soil at ICD Brookfield
Formed in collaboration with Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research, an ancestral family home turned artist-run space in Bethlehem, this group exhibition explores themes of creation and transformation through land, cultural resistance and storytelling.
The title of the show references a Palestinian mourning ritual of kneading, baking and eating bread after loss. This is reflected in the works and curation, where the artists who work from Gaza, Bethlehem, Ireland, Brazil and the UAE present ideas of global solidarity built through collective cultural resistance.
The exhibition features the works of renowned artists such as Adam Broomberg, Hazem Harb, Ahmed Al-Aqra, Emily Jacir, Aline Baiana, Shayma Hamad and many more.
Until December 4; Open 24 hours daily; DIFC, Dubai
Superficial Transactions at Aisha Alabbar Gallery
Emirati artist Eman Alhashemi presents a series of artworks where she plays with forms of artistic production through sculpture and ceramics. The exhibition highlights complex and intertwined relationships with ideas and objects around us, reflecting the notion of a repetitive consumerist state that sometimes veers into boredom.
Her delicate sculptures are the result of her observations and critiques of everyday life.
Until January 6; Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm; Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
Your Sun That Kept Setting at Maraya Art Centre
Lebanese artist Chafa Ghaddar's solo exhibition portrays landscapes in various acts, each using the pre-Renaissance technique of fresco, which requires freshly laid lime plaster applied in segments and then painting directly on to the moist surface.
The technique, which involves working quickly with materials that are prone to crack, is representative of cultural and geographical fragmentation. She cements this messaging by portraying landscapes that seemingly never 'begin' or 'end'. Only the colourful sun anchors them. Yet each piece is still complete, reflecting her ideas around countries having autonomy over their own affairs in despite of such fragmentation.
Until January 10; Saturday to Thursday, 10am – 7pm; Friday 4pm – 7pm. Al Qasba, Sharjah
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
The specs
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Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
More coverage from the Future Forum
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
