Alex Loveday works in the studio in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Lee Hoagland / The National
Alex Loveday works in the studio in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Lee Hoagland / The National
Alex Loveday works in the studio in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Lee Hoagland / The National
Alex Loveday works in the studio in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Lee Hoagland / The National

Hidden talent at Dubai art studio, Mawaheb from Beautiful People


  • English
  • Arabic

His concentration was almost infectious. Abdullah Lufti sat on a stool, bent over his canvas, and used a black marker pen to outline the cartoon-like faces of two Emirati characters with uncanny precision.

Alternating between the ghutra-clad male and the female in a black abaya, Lufti drew the identical images again and again into a grid. I asked him if he found it difficult to achieve such faultless work. He held my stare incredulously for several seconds. "No!" he said so assertively that I had to smile; he grinned back widely before continuing to draw. "I am drawing happy people - Arabic people."

Lufti, 19, an Emirati from Dubai, is a student at Mawaheb from Beautiful People, an art studio for adults with special needs. He has a high functioning yet mild form of autism that affects cognitive development and can lead to social difficulties such as physical clumsiness, use of odd language and repetitive behaviour.

Artistic talent is common in people on the autistic spectrum but it is often difficult for these people to find an appropriate outlet for their talent and a safe place in which to practise.

For that reason, Wemmy De Maaker, a Dutch national and nurse, founded Mawaheb (meaning talent in Arabic) in December 2010. Now, thanks to her determination, every day in a sun-drenched courtyard of a villa in Dubai's Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, Lufti and 17 other students create art. As well as the daily workshops usually led by Gulshan Kavarana, their resident art teacher, De Maaker and her team of 28 volunteers take the students on regular field trips to galleries or other public studios.

"All our students are talented in their own ways," says De Maaker. "It is our job to give them the opportunity to express that. The students develop themselves through art and so here at Mawaheb, it is about the process. The fact we have brilliant artwork is a bonus."

Although Mawaheb initially relied on public funding, it is now sustained through sales of the students' work, so the bonus that De Maaker talks about is actually keeping the centre alive. As time goes on, the quality of the art improves, which in turn leads to more sales - another unplanned bonus.

In September last year, Mawaheb had its first international exhibition, at the Bozana Milic Gallery in Zutphen, The Netherlands. In one month, a third of the pieces on display had sold.

"I'm not just saying this but the artwork has become so professional now. It is really touching and really exciting," says De Maaker.

The sounds of laughter emanating through the open wooden doors and down the alleyways of the Al Fahidi neighbourhood are infectious. It is a joy to be in the centre; tourists often wander in to meet the artists. De Maaker is clear: "For us it is mainly important for people to come to visit us. We want people to know that we sell the products and that is what we need to sustain the studio. We welcome people to come and sit with us to meet the students and to see the talent."

As Lufti worked on his grid, Alex Loveday daubed orange paint on to a large canvas under the shade of a palm tree in the courtyard. "This is called Alex in Wonderland," he waved his brush at the painting. "My name is Alex and I live in my own little world so it is like Wonderland."

Loveday, a 20-year-old American, works under the supervision of one of the many volunteers who donate their time to the centre and, as he points out the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March Hare and Queen of Hearts, he tells us that the character of Alex is not in the image. "I'm not in the painting," he laughs. "I am in the real world."

Nearby, Victor Sitali, a deaf man who was born in Zambia and raised in the UAE, is working on a watercolour portrait of a man wearing a kandura. It is incredibly detailed and lifelike, as is his self-portrait, showing deep, dark eyes staring from the large canvas, and a portrait he has painted of Marilyn Monroe.

These are just a few examples of the talented people in the centre. Lianne Welford, a British volunteer who comes once a week, says it is not just about the work produced but the increased confidence levels. She says she has noticed a difference in the individual students in only a few months.

"A lot of these people are invisible to the rest of society but they come here and feel completely comfortable. They all have different things wrong with them but it doesn't matter. We all get along and work together. We all need encouragement to bring talent out of us, a catalyst to start you rolling, and that is what this place does. It gives them great confidence."

Case study: Sharan Budhrani, 22

When Sharan Budhrani was 9 years old, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. He had always struggled to fit in and keep up with his classmates in school and the medical report confirmed that he was indeed different from his peers.

He wanted to be a pilot but found it difficult to sit for long periods of time and couldn’t pass all of his exams. Eventually, he was taken out of school. When he was 19, his condition deteriorated. He now uses a wheelchair and attends daily, painful, physiotherapy sessions.

Two years ago, Budhrani, now 22, discovered Mawaheb. When his family first brought him to class, he was very shy and would only look at his hands or the floor. Nevertheless, he had always been interested in painting and drawing so he began creating art. Now, Budhrani holds his head high. Although he is still softly spoken, he is intelligent, polite and incredibly peaceful.

“Before I came here I was a very quiet person and I found it very difficult to talk to anyone,” he says. “I still find it hard but I have got a lot more confidence now. Art has really helped me.”

Budhrani likes to paint the lion, a symbol of bravery and boldness, characteristics that he clearly displays in himself. He says that coming to Mawaheb has allowed him to express himself.

“It is a wonderful place. The people are kind and they accept you just the way you are. I didn’t know how the place would be before I came here but I didn’t expect it to be so nice. Now I really look forward to coming here.”

Mawaheb from Beautiful People is open daily from 9am to 3pm in Villa 28/40, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. In April, it will hold an exhibition at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

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How do Sim card scams work?

Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.

They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.

They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.

The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Results

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

 

If you go...

Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.

Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.

The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.

BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The%20specs
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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

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.

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57%20Seconds
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Favourite things

Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery

Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount

University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China

Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai

Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China

Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs

ARGENTINA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets