Art from the Arab world has been gaining significant international attention in recent years. However, 2024 has been particularly a strong year for Arab art with several landmark exhibitions.
From a resolute display of Palestinian art in Venice that made a statement against the scant representation of Palestinian artists in the city’s biennale to a reflection on displacement in a Roman-era villa in France’s Loupian, here is a look at nine of this year’s best exhibitions of Arab Art.
Prints & Printmaking at the Dalloul Art Foundation in Beirut
Prints & Printmaking is one of the most unique and comprehensive exhibitions of its kind to take place in the region. It presents hundreds of fine art prints by some of the best-known Arab artists, including Samia Halaby, Marwan and Farid Belkahia.
The star of the show, however, is paper – a medium that has long been underappreciated by collectors and institutions alike. The exhibition opened on September 5, and though the foundation closed to the public for security reasons due to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, it was still accessible virtually through the institution's website. It is now running at the Dalloul Art Foundation until February 12.
Menart Fair at Galerie Joseph in Paris
This year’s Menart Fair in Paris was significant in the way it solely focused on female Arab creatives. The fair took place in September at Galerie Joseph, bringing together artists and designers from across the Arab world. Curated sections were dedicated to emerging talents, special research-based projects and artists known for their cause-driven work or academic background.
One highlight from the fair included a beautiful yet tragic series of works by Lebanese artist Aya Haidar, titled The Soleless Series. It featured several canvas and rubber shoes that had fallen apart, decorated with intricate embroidery. The series, as well as the shoes, reflect on stories of displacement and forced migration by Syrian communities across Europe.
Hudood: Rethinking Boundaries at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London
Hudood: Rethinking Boundaries was the Barjeel Art Foundation’s first exhibition of contemporary art, running at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) from July 1 to September 21.
The exhibition presented more than 40 works by Arab artists that were produced from 1990 onwards. These include a number of notable names, including Mona Hatoum, Hayv Kahraman, Larissa Sansour, Ahmed Mater, Manal Al Dowayan and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim.
Interestingly, the exhibition was curated by Soas students. After weeks of readings, classroom discussions and guest lectures, the students pored through the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection of contemporary artworks. The exhibition was a way to apply what they had learnt during the workshop. Highlights included Bashar Alhroub's Here and Now 2, which examines the tensions of being a Palestinian who has moved abroad; Concrete Block II by Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem; Die Wahrheit Ist Konkret (The Truth is Concrete) by Egyptian artist Ganzeer and Infinity by Hatoum.
Lens & Light: Moments in Focus at Ayyam Gallery in Dubai
Arab artists from across the region showcased their varying styles through the medium of photography in Lens & Light: Moments in Focus, which ran at Ayyam Gallery between July 10 and August 31.
The exhibition featured the works of Syrian filmmaker Ammar al-Beik; Iraqi conceptual artist Sama Alshaibi; French-Syrian journalist and photographer Ammar Abd Rabbo; Syrian artist Tammam Azzam; Saudi artist Huda Beydoun, Iranian contemporary photographer and visual artist Majid Koorang Beheshti, Palestinian photographer Rula Halawani; Saudi artist Faisal Samra and Syrian photographer and visual artist Nassouh Zaghlouleh.
Large-scale, mostly black-and-white photographs are thoughtfully arranged in the two spaces of the gallery at Alserkal Avenue. The curation underscored the play between light and shadow, alongside arresting, delicately composed narratives and surreal photo-manipulated scenes. The works spanned various styles and subjects, but there was a commonality in the way they explored existential themes connected to identity.
Floating Homes at the Musee Gallo-Romain Villa Loupian
Floating Homes ran between June and October at the Musee Gallo-Romain Villa Loupian in France. In the exhibition, Syrian architect Sammy Zarka examined how displaced persons carry within them vestiges of the homes they left behind, and how this influences the ways they adapt to and rebuild in their new surroundings.
The exhibition does so using model homes, crafted from clay and soap, following interviews with the Syrian community in Loupian, transcribing their stories of displacement that date back to the early 20th century.
The model homes were displayed across the archeological site of the Roman-era farm villa. One of the works, Disturbed Maps, featured 15 hand-drawn maps stacked on top of each other. The work is not displayed at the Gallo-Romain Villa, but rather on the exterior wall of Espace o25rjj, the residency in Loupian where Zarka developed the project.
The Casablanca Art School: Platforms and Patterns for a Postcolonial Avant-Garde at the Sharjah Art Foundation
This exhibition by Sharjah Art Foundation delved into the significance and impact of the Casablanca Art School, charting its development from 1962 and 1987.
The Casablanca Art School: Platforms and Patterns for a Postcolonial Avant-Garde ran between February 24 and June 16 at the foundation’s Al Hamriyah Studios and Old Al Diwan Al Amiri.
The exhibition was considered one of the first proper surveys of the school and its legacy. It first opened in 2023 at Tate St Ives, before travelling to Sharjah. The show featured the works of several artists associated with the school, including Belkahia, Mohammed Chabaa and Mohamed Melehi.
Foreigners in their Homeland: Occupation, Apartheid, Genocide at the Palazzo Mora in Venice
Foreigners in their Homeland, an exhibition by Palestine Museum US, took place in Venice between April 20 and November 24. It shared the same opening and closing dates as the city’s biennial.
The exhibition was important, especially as it ran despite a rejected proposal by the Venice Biennale and in the face of the event’s scant representation of Palestinian artists. It brought together the works of 26 Palestinian artists, both from within Palestine as well as its diaspora. It explored more than a century’s worth of culture and history at a time when the Palestinian experience is especially marked by heartbreak.
Highlights included a new painting by Halaby titled Massacre of the Innocents in Gaza, as well as I'm still Alive by Maisara Baroud, both of which brought attention to the continuing war in Gaza.
Hour Eternal: 20 Years of Emirati Abstraction at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation in Abu Dhabi
Hour Eternal opened at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on October 13 and will run until February 15. The exhibition explores the evolution of abstract art in the UAE over the past 20 years. It brings together works by 14 Emirati artists, each of whom has delved into abstraction in an idiosyncratic way, evoking emotions and concepts that can be difficult to express in figurative terms. These include Hassan Sharif, his brother Hussein Sharif, as well as Abdullah Al Saadi, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, plus Noor Al Suwaidi, Najat Makki, Shaikha Al Mazrou and Abdul Qader Al Rais.
The works come from a number of varying collections and sources, including the UAE Ministry of Culture. Several works have also been lent out by the artists themselves.
Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial at the NYUAD Art Gallery
Between the Tides reflects upon the changes in the art scene in the Gulf since 2019. The exhibition features 21 artists, architects and collectives from the region, showcasing the breadth of the region’s artistic output.
Those exhibiting include Alia Ahmad, Abdulrahim Alkendi, Mohammad AlFaraj, Noor Al-Fayez, Afra Al Dhaheri, Mohamed Almubarak, Vikram Divecha, Faissal El-Malak, Hazem Harb, Aziz Motawa, Sophia Al Maria, Mariam M Alnoaimi, Christopher Joshua Benton, Sarah Brahim and Ayman Zedani, among others.
The exhibition is set to recur every five years, reflecting on significant artistic moments in the Gulf. Between the Tides opened at the NYUAD Art Gallery on October 1, and will be running until April 20.
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
SPECS
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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.”
The five pillars of Islam
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45'), Aspas (82')
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
