Syrian artist Mohamad Hafez is the subject of a new short documentary presented by The New Yorker.
Directed by Jimmy Goldblum, A Broken House gives audiences a glimpse into Hafez’s life and his artistic practice, which is centred on recreating Damascene architecture through models pieced together by various objects and scrap materials.
The 20-minute film opens with the artist in his studio, detailing his collection of materials, from shells and nails to stones and miniature toys, all with the potential of being repurposed towards his artworks.
“This knob here is a radio switch, but what I see in it is an exploded engine,” he says.
A cross between collage and sculpture, Hafez’s assemblages were the result of homesickness when he was a young architecture student in the US around 2003. His single-entry student visa prevented him from visiting his home city of Damascus, so he decided to make it with his own hands.
“I wanted to build the Damascus of my memories,” he says.
He began to exhibit his miniature models more widely in 2015, in the US, the UK and Kuwait. In 2019, Sharjah Art Museum presented Journeys from an Absent Present to a Lost Past, a solo exhibition of Hafez's work that featured his well-known series Baggage, as well as more recent creations such as Hung Memories, where the artist experimented with hanging installation.
The pieces, keenly rendered with Hafez’s architectural eye, are not just direct replicas, but materialised memories of the artist’s childhood. Some of the dioramas burst out of suitcases symbolising displacement or are arranged in front of ornate mirrors.
In some works, lines of poetry are scribbled on the walls and metaphors, such as hidden keys, embedded in the structures. Other times, the dioramas are lamentations over the Syrian civil war, showing shelled buildings and houses in ruin.
In A Broken House, Hafez also reflects on the psychological toll of the Syrian war on his personal health and art, revealing that he was unable to eat for periods of time and persisting at work despite being consumed by news from his country.
“I had a monitor on those channels 10 hours a day,” he says. He also stopped producing artworks for two to three years.
Goldblum’s film also depicts scenes from the artist’s personal life, including his family relationships. In one particular instance, Hafez, while visiting his mother, asks her to move to America, but she insists on returning to her home country. “What do you have in Syria?,” he tearfully asks her several times.
Available to view on The New Yorker’s YouTube channel, the film is part of the magazine’s documentary video series. Its producers include Dick Gephardt, a former US congressman who, according to The New Yorker, “wanted to support projects featuring immigrants".
Currently, Hafez works at an architecture firm in New Haven, Connecticut, and exhibits his models in the US.
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Fixture and table
UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
- 3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
- 6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership – final standings
- Dubai Exiles
- Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Jebel Ali Dragons
- Dubai Hurricanes
- Dubai Sports City Eagles
- Abu Dhabi Saracens
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
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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