I first met Mounirah in Dammam, when she was teaching art to girls at a charity institution and in parallel, working on publications at Saudi Aramco. I remember her staunch support of those girls; she had this unwavering desire to help and encourage them. It was awe-inspiring. Mounirah liked to give and, as I got to know her more, I realised that it was what made her happiest.
My first impression of her was that she was a serious person who was resolute about art, and whose works were extremely precious to her. They carried pieces of her soul and beliefs in them, and it was so difficult for her to sell any. As I got to know her more, her warmth emanated. She was, no doubt, a real humanitarian and a real artist. So much about her personality and character made her a memorable person and a devoted artist. Fundamentally, at her very core, Mounirah was humane – powerfully connected to her intuition, committed to her heritage and absolutely empathetic with the human condition.
Of course, I'd heard of her before. In 1968, along with fellow Saudi modernist Safeya Binzagr, she showed her works at Jeddah's first art exhibition that was inaugurated by a prince from the Saudi royal family and staged at a girls' school. A lot of pomp and circumstance surrounded that exhibition because it was a first and it also vigorously energised our young art scene at the time with the government and individuals actively patronising the arts.
She was intolerant of superficiality and always wanted to delve deeper into a subject. This was reflected in her work – one could sense the respect, culture, intellect and empathy
Today, some, especially in the West, look to that exhibition as merely a "two-woman show", which is such a limited and narrow perception. Mounirah was not concerned about being a woman artist. It wasn't an issue and it never affected her or her work. Mounirah was first and foremost an artist, and she was incredibly proud to be Saudi. I don't think she feared anything actually. She had the confidence to face anything.
In 1985, I co-founded a group called the Friends of Fine Art Society in the GCC that included names such as Abduljabbar Yehya, Mohammed Al Saleem, Fahad Nasser Al Rubaiq and Nabeel Najdi from Saudi Arabia; Abdel Rasoul Salman, Thuraya Al Baqsami and Jassem Bu Hamad from Kuwait; and Balqis Fakhro from Bahrain. When Mounirah joined the group, our friendship grew stronger. She was excited, eager to give her opinion and always contributed with her thoughts in what was such a refreshing engagement. She didn’t take spontaneous decisions; she thought things over, reviewed aspects and paid such passionate attention to detail. This is really who she was: incredibly organised and a perfectionist through and through.
For a decade, the group made a big impact in the region and staged exhibitions at major institutions worldwide, first in the GCC and then across the Arab world and Europe.
In 1990, Mounirah and I worked together on a dual show that was to take place in Jeddah and Riyadh, and met several times to discuss curatorial aspects. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled with the onset of the Gulf War.
Last year, with the lockdowns that came with the Covid-19 pandemic, I came across my notes of all of these discussions and I am awed at the level of detail that we considered.
Looking back, I am reminded of how contemporary a perspective Mounirah had. Perhaps part of it was innate, just how cultured she was, how weighted her thoughts were. She was intolerant of superficiality and always wanted to delve deeper into a subject. This was reflected in her work – one could sense the respect, culture, intellect and empathy. Indeed, these were paintings, but they were invitations to intellectual discussions, too. Her work reveals a departure from the cliche, from the simple; she always aimed to go further, deeper.
Her exposure to Arab, European and American cities – having studied in universities in Egypt and the US – contributed to her thought. She was avant-garde in many respects. She had many questions and always sought to get answers. One way in which she did so was by incorporating various materials in her work, which she felt lent her pieces an element of surprise. Copper, papyrus, wood and dyes, among others, featured in some works, all of which nod to her heritage, of which she was so proud.
What was fundamental to Mounirah was humanity. She was very sympathetic to and sensitive about plights, whether of children or other causes, and she couldn’t help but address the need for humanity. It was her ambition to help, it was a priority, a necessity even. Her very make-up was concerned with the human condition. She was happy when others were happy and sad when others were sad.
Arab land was a core concern of hers, which she addressed through series on the Palestinian cause; the power in these paintings is palpable and they are charged with her thoughts and feelings. Mounirah never hesitated to support charitable endeavours, and we worked together on a few, one of which she organised herself in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information for the Children of Gaza in Riyadh in 2009, whose proceeds were donated to Palestinian children.
I believe that Mounirah had ideas on what she wanted to do with her art and the messages she hoped to transmit. Perhaps an institution that would gather her paintings and writings and document her life in art.
I hope to see this done by her family, patrons or the government, because she is part of an important story about our homeland and its cultural modernity.
She crosses my mind every day and I smile when I see our joint artwork that hangs in my studio. She was my friend, and she is unforgettable.
Remembering the Artist is our monthly series that features artists from the region
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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.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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
Wonka
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
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The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Ferrari
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points