A slate of new exhibitions and events in the UAE are highlighting cross-cultural connections but in very different ways.
From a show that shares how Lebanon was at a crossroads for abstract artists from across the Arab world to an examination of the poetry of resistance, which reveals how they echo beyond borders and with a universal timbre, here are a few exhibitions to see this week.
Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries at Maraya Art Centre
A pioneering figure of abstract art in the region, Nadia Saikali’s spotlight is perhaps long overdue. The Lebanese artist’s work ranges across a variety of mediums and styles, despite them often veering towards abstraction.
From her early gestural work to the line-based paintings and sprawling landscape canvases in the later stages of her career, Saikali’s work is at the heart of a new show at Sharjah’s Maraya Art Centre. Yet, the exhibition – co-organised with the Barjeel Art Foundation – opens up to feature works by her contemporaries, all of whom are women.
The artists come from across the Arab world, but they all spent time reducing work in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s. As such, Beirut becomes the star of the exhibition, showing how the city was a regional hub for artists.
Saturday to Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday, 4pm-7pm; until July 13; Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah
Shilpa Gupta: Lines of Flight at Ishara Art Foundation
Shilpa Gupta’s first solo exhibition in the Middle East is being held at the Ishara Art Foundation. The exhibition presents a large body of work, produced since 2006. The artworks, though ranging in medium, all have a central preoccupation in that they challenge the notions of border, terrestrial and political.
Some drawings highlight works by poets from around the world who faced persecution, showing how their writings transcended demarcations. A room-filled installation, titled Listening Air, meanwhile, features songs of resistance, emanating from microphones that move across the space.
Monday to Saturday, 10am-7pm; until May 31; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai
Vertical Horizon / 361 Degrees at Inloco Gallery
Tunisian artist Karim Jabbari, whose practice involves light and calligraphy, is presenting a solo exhibition at Inloco Gallery. The pieces, created as part of his residency in Dubai, examine the importance of tradition in a contemporary world.
The works show how poetry is a starting point for Jabbari’s art as well. Several calligraphic pieces take cues from the Arabic poetry that Jabbari found in his father’s library. The exhibition also features documentation of his light calligraphy pieces, showing how the artist engages with disparate traditions and cultures to create something idiosyncratic.
The exhibition comes as part of Inloco Gallery's third season and includes an art intervention in Satwa, as well as performances by Jabbari and Emirati artist Khalil Abdulwahid.
Monday to Wednesday, noon-7pm; Thursday to Friday, noon-8pm; Inloco Gallery, Dubai
Sharjah Biennial
Sharjah’s prestigious art event is back. It is showcasing 650 works by almost 200 artists, including 200 commissioned works. The biennial will be taking place under the title "To Carry", reflecting the memories and traditions we individually carry with us. The event is running across 17 venues in Sharjah, including locations in Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid and Kalba.
The event opens on Thursday and will be running until June 15. It is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Oz.
The biennial is running in several locations across Sharjah. More information at sharjahart.org
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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.”
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%203%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Einer%20Rubio%20(COL)%20Movistar%20Team%20-%204h51%E2%80%9924%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20-%2014%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20-%2015%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classifications%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders)%20-%207%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%2011%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
