Eid Al Fitr may be a relatively quiet moment on the local arts scene, but it also marks the last few days of several exhibitions in the UAE, as galleries and institutions prepare to launch a new slate of shows.
From a sculptures examining how we internalise the ugliness of the world, to works by francophone women artists living in the UAE, here are three exhibitions to see this weekend.
Lumieres de Femmes at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is hosting an exhibition in honour of International Women’s Rights Day. Titled Lumieres de Femmes, it has been organised in collaboration with AD'Art Collective, a francophone community of artists in Abu Dhabi, as well as The Feminin Pluriel Collective, a global network for women across professional and artistic sectors. The exhibition is supported by arts patrons Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain.
Lumieres de Femmes features works by 23 French and francophone women artists living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It brings together paintings, photographs, illustrations and ceramics.
Participants include French artists Karine Roche, a painter known for vibrant landscapes that blend urban and natural elements, and Benedicte Gimonnet, who takes a minimal approach to exploring the interactions of colour and light, as well as Emirati artist Khulood Al Jabri, who embeds cultural motifs in her dynamic and textured canvases.
Monday to Thursday, 8am-4pm; Friday, 8am-4pm; until March 29; Atrium of SUAD Campus, Abu Dhabi
Vestiges at Ayyam Gallery
Athar Jaber's first solo exhibition in Dubai presents a series of sculptures produced as far back as 2014, but which he believes embody his artistic intentions.
The works, which feature contorted and disfigured human bodies, aim to explore how we internalise the ugliness of the world today.
“People are sometimes disturbed or shocked by my work,” the Iraqi-Dutch sculptor told The National. “But then, look at what we have been fed through the media. Seeing what we've seen, I can't make beautiful things that just embellish and adorn.”
“It speaks more to a state of being,” he added. “An interior one of anxiety, of uncertainty, of unclear identity. I won't speak for everyone, but I think many of us feel that, right?”
Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm; Saturday, noon-6pm; until April 1; Ayyam Gallery, Dubai
Of Dust and Woven Air: Seher Shah at Green Art Gallery
In Of Dust and Woven Air, Karachi-born artist Seher Shah uses drawing, printmaking and poetry to explore the concepts of absence and memory.
The exhibition draws inspiration from The Dacca Gauzes by Indian-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, which conjured up Shah's memories of her maternal family and their experiences in various cities. The poem spurred what the exhibition describes as “emotional cartography” that draws a line between the seaports of Chittagong, Chennai and Kochi, as well as Karachi and the Arabian Sea.
Through her works, Shah “reveals a quiet poetry of loss and erasure, tracing what lingers long after it has disappeared”, the exhibition description states.
Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm; until April 5; Green Art Gallery, Dubai
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
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2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
