The artists who will present works at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery's landmark autumn exhibition have been announced.
Titled Khaleej Modern: Pioneers and Collectives in the Arabian Peninsula, 1941-2008, the show, which will open on September 6, seeks to document 20th-century modern art movements in the Gulf.
It's being curated by Aisha Stoby, who this year also curated the inaugural Oman Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, as it’s based on Stoby’s doctorate research tracing the region's “pre-boom era”.
The historical survey examines the evolution of visual art movements across the region as it transformed after the discovery of oil.
“An exhibition like this is quite rare, a kind of opening salvo and call to action, offering new vistas on art history and art practice in this region," Maya Allison, executive director of the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery and university chief curator, said.
Allison also describes it as a "crucial, path-breaking project".
"Rather than a definitive survey, this project sets us on a journey to explore the understudied — and, for some people, unknown — emergence of modern art in the Arabian Peninsula over the last century. It is a profound honour that Dr Stoby will present her original research with us, in this exhibition that was many years in the making."
Local art histories will be contextualised by tradition, modernisation and evolving national identities. Artistic pioneers and collectives from the 20th and 21st centuries will be studied, beginning with the first exhibition of Kuwait's Al Mubarakiya School in 1941.
Saudi Arabia’s modern art scene dates back as early as 1938, and to explore this, works will be included by artists such as Mounirah Mosly, Safeya Binzagr, Abdulhalim Radwi and Abdullah Al Shaikh. Pieces by Mohammed Al Saleem and Abdulrahman AlSoliman are also being provided by the Saudi House of Fine Arts in Riyadh.
For Bahrain, Stoby takes us back to the 1950s, when the Manama Group formed, with Abdul Karim Al-Orrayed, Nasser Al Yousif and Ahmed Qassim Al Sunni.
Over the following 20 years, The Three Friends collective was active in Qatar, comprising Yousef Ahmed, Hassan Al Mulla and Mohammed Ali Abdullah.
In the UAE, early art practitioners whose work will be touched on in the survey include Abdul Qader Al Rais and The Group of Five, comprising Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Mohammed Kazem, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and Ebtisam Abdulaziz.
Scroll through the below to see images from Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim's latest Dubai exhibition Embryonic Coat
Important figures from Oman will also be included, such as Anwar Sonya, Rabha Mahmoud and the The Circle group, led by Hassan Meer.
It is the first time work by these trailblazing artists will be brought together, and many of the pieces will be on view for the first time in decades, said Stoby.
"Enhanced by the presence of rare and archival material, Khaleej Modern creates a space and offers resources for learning and re-understanding our own histories,” she said. "More broadly, we hope the exhibition will contribute to wider regional and global understandings of modern visual art.
"This project responds to emerging debates around recentring art narratives, toward a more nuanced and inclusive appreciation of global art histories.”
Khaleej Modern: Pioneers and Collectives in the Arabian Peninsula, 1941-2008 will run at NYUAD Art Gallery from September 6 to December 11
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
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.
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
Meydan Racecourse racecard:
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 | 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 1,600m
8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,600m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,600m.
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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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.”
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
