Smita Prabhakar, founder and Nada Raza (L), artistic director of Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Smita Prabhakar, founder and Nada Raza (L), artistic director of Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Smita Prabhakar, founder and Nada Raza (L), artistic director of Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Smita Prabhakar, founder and Nada Raza (L), artistic director of Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

New centre for South Asian art opens in Alserkal Avenue


Melissa Gronlund
  • English
  • Arabic

"For me, Dubai is a part of expanded South Asia," says Nada Raza, the artistic director of the Ishara Art Foundation. "The art histories of this region and those of India and Pakistan and Bangladesh, are completely imbricated with one another, and there are many conversations that still need to be had."

Ishara Art Foundation, one of the few international foundations to focus solely on art from South Asia, opens tonight in a two-storey warehouse space in Dubai's Alserkal Avenue. It is the brainchild of Indian entrepreneur Smita Prabhakar, a warm woman who is already one of the most important collectors worldwide of South Asian art. Now, she is launching a space for the work in her long-time home of Dubai.

"It gives away my age," she says with a laugh. "But I've lived in Dubai for 39 years as of this year. It's my home. I have always felt that if I lived in a city – Dubai or anywhere in the world – that had been responsible for and contributed to my success, then I would do something to give back."

The Foundation will host a rotating series of exhibitions and events, with works drawn in part from Prabhakar’s collection and others on loan, in a programme put together by Raza and a small team that is still in the midst of being assembled.

Raza, who was born in the UK and has family in both India and Pakistan, began curating in the early 2000s when she lived in the UAE. In 2012 she was hired by Tate Modern as a curator with a focus on South Asian art – the first time the UK museum had a curator devoted to that area. There, Raza brought key South Asian works into the collection and developed relationships on behalf of the museum with South Asian collectors. It was through the latter remit that she and Prabhakar came into contact.

"I had come during Art Dubai to tour Smita's collection," Raza recalls. "Her regular curator was unwell, and I knew the work anyway, so said I would do the tour. But there had been a party the night before and nobody showed up. Smita very kindly gave me gluten-free bread and home-made jam, and we started talking."

When Prabhakar came up with the idea just last year to set up the foundation, she lured Raza away from Tate Modern and back to Dubai. The inaugural show, fittingly, circles around the idea of home. Titled Altered Inheritances: Home Is a Foreign Place, it brings together two Indian artists who are important to the collection: Zarina and Shilpa Gupta, who both create restrained, formal investigations drawing on poetry and the language of minimalism. “It almost curated itself,” says Raza. “There are so many formal connections between them. They both deal with borders and belonging in an emotional register. It’s not journalistic documentation, it’s not voyeuristic looking at bodies crossing the border.”

Shilpa Gupta. Detail from Altered Inheritances - 100 (Last Name) Stories, 2014. Installation, Site specific Courtesy Galleria Continua
Shilpa Gupta. Detail from Altered Inheritances - 100 (Last Name) Stories, 2014. Installation, Site specific Courtesy Galleria Continua

Zarina, who goes by her first name only, was born in 1937 in Aligarh. She is a key artist in the Prabhakar collection, as well as to modern Indian art. Her work addresses the absurdity of political borders, histories of violence and dislocation, and often draws on her own experiences: she left India in the 1960s and lived in Tokyo, Thailand, Paris and California before settling in New York. The artwork Home Is a Foreign Place (1999), on view in the Dubai show, is a well-known examination of the emotional tolls of migration: it consists of 36 woodblock prints, each representing a memory from her childhood home through what she calls an "ideogram".

Zarina's understanding of home as both a place and (literally) a symbol, anchors the foundation: Raza and Prabhakar chose one of the ideograms from Home Is a Foreign Place for the foundation's logo, now emblazoned upon its sign next to Alserkal Avenue's A4 space. Zarina's family home suffuses the exhibition in other ways as well: the layout of the rooms is based on the courtyard house that her family left behind in Aligarh.

Zarina. Home is a Foreign Place, 1999. Portfolio of 36 woodcuts with Urdu text printed in black on Kozo paper and mounted on Somerset paper. Courtesy Zarina / Luhring Augustine
Zarina. Home is a Foreign Place, 1999. Portfolio of 36 woodcuts with Urdu text printed in black on Kozo paper and mounted on Somerset paper. Courtesy Zarina / Luhring Augustine

Gupta, who lives in Mumbai, likewise plays with forms of language and techniques of art-making that resonate directly with South Asia, often transforming information and poetry into other states to reflect on the political histories of trade and exchange on the subcontinent. In an untitled work she shows glass bottles in which lines of poetry have been whispered into and then stopped up with corks, as part of a larger research project into how news, dissidence, and culture spread and can be quashed. In a work from 2017, she uses smuggled sari cloth from Jamdani, near the India-Bangladesh border, as a base for drawings about the area: a rumination of the absurdity of political borders on cloth from a town directly affected by them. 

“The exhibition speaks to what it means to be South Asian in a subtle and nuanced way,” says Raza, “We are looking at the idea of home in and of itself, and presenting it as a complex idea, and displacement as something germane to the 20th and 21st centuries. So rather than thinking wholly about South Asia, it is how the South Asian experience speaks to a wider public. There’ll be something in the show that everyone who lives here, whether local or expat, can relate to. Living in a place where things have changed so quickly, everyone has that experience of not being able to go back to their childhood home.”

Prabhakar concurs: “I am Indian, but I don’t consider myself only Indian. This space is for everyone.”

Prabhakar says her main goal for the foundation is simply to furnish a site where people can see and learn about work they would not otherwise have come across. "I remember when I was in university, on a very tight budget, there was the United States Information Service," she says. "They ran a library and it was the only air-conditioned place in New Delhi. As a student you got a free membership, and if you came in you had to get a book and sit there. So I would sit there. And that way, coming from a very British education system, I was exposed to American writers. I never would have read, in those days, the books of Raymond Carver, whom I absolutely adore, or I never would have discovered Maya Angelou, but it was air-conditioned, and I loved reading.

“Just like that people discover things. If you make the space not intimidating, a welcoming space, they will come.”

Altered Inheritances: Home Is a Foreign Place is at the Ishara Art Foundation in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, till June 23, 2019.

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

Results
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SERIE A FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm) 
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)

Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)

WITHIN%20SAND
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
MATCH INFO

BRIGHTON 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 3

McTominay 44'

Mata 73'

Pogba 80'

EGYPT SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
Forwards: Ahmed Ali, Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen, Ahmed "Kouka" Hassan.

Which products are to be taxed?

To be taxed:

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category

Not taxed

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules

Where%20the%20Crawdads%20Sing
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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.

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador

Company%20Profile
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Sour%20Grapes
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Result

Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')

West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

WE%20NO%20LONGER%20PREFER%20MOUNTAINS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Inas%20Halabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENijmeh%20Hamdan%2C%20Kamal%20Kayouf%2C%20Sheikh%20Najib%20Alou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Racecard

7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m

8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m

8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m

9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m

9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m

10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m

The biog

Name: Timothy Husband

Nationality: New Zealand

Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney

Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier

Favourite music: Billy Joel

Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia

The results of the first round are as follows:

Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent

Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent

Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent

Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent

Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent

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

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
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
MATCH INFO

Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')

Chelsea 0

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041mm%20%E2%80%93%20352%20x%20430%3B%2045mm%20%E2%80%93%20396%20x%20484%3B%20always-on%20Retina%20LTPO%20OLED%2C%202000%20nits%20max%3B%20Ion-X%20glass%20(aluminium%20cases)%2C%20sapphire%20crystal%20(stainless%20steel%20cases)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20S9%2064-bit%2C%20W3%20wireless%2C%202nd-gen%20Ultra%20Wideband%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2064GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20watchOS%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20metrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Blood%20oxygen%20sensor%2C%20electrical%20heart%20sensor%20and%20ECG%2C%203rd-gen%20optical%20heart%20sensor%2C%20high%20and%20low%20heart%20rate%20notifications%2C%20irregular%20rhythm%20notifications%2C%20sleep%20stages%2C%20temperature%20sensing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmergency%20services%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Emergency%20SOS%2C%20international%20emergency%20calling%2C%20crash%20detection%2C%20fall%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GPS%2FGPS%20%2B%20cellular%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20LTE%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP6X%2C%20water%20resistant%20up%20to%2050m%2C%20dust%20resistant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20308mAh%20Li-ion%2C%20up%20to%2018h%20regular%2F36h%20low%20power%3B%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eSIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinishes%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aluminium%20%E2%80%93%20midnight%2C%20pink%2C%20Product%20Red%2C%20silver%2C%20starlight%3B%20stainless%20steel%20%E2%80%93%20gold%2C%20graphite%2C%20silver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Watch%20Series%209%2C%20woven%20magnetic-to-USB-C%20charging%20cable%2C%20band%2Floop%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starts%20at%20Dh1%2C599%20(41mm)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C719%20(45mm)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 400hp

Torque: 500Nm

Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)

On sale: 2022