Quoz Arts Fest takes place annually in Alserkal Avenue, which has become the most important site for art in Dubai Christopher Pike / The National; Carbon 12 Dubai
Quoz Arts Fest takes place annually in Alserkal Avenue, which has become the most important site for art in Dubai Christopher Pike / The National; Carbon 12 Dubai
Quoz Arts Fest takes place annually in Alserkal Avenue, which has become the most important site for art in Dubai Christopher Pike / The National; Carbon 12 Dubai
Quoz Arts Fest takes place annually in Alserkal Avenue, which has become the most important site for art in Dubai Christopher Pike / The National; Carbon 12 Dubai

The state of the art scene in Dubai: a look into how things are going


Melissa Gronlund
  • English
  • Arabic

The global art market has been up and down lately, both as a factor of international economic insecurity and because of changes to the art landscape itself, in which mid-level galleries are finding it tougher to survive. Top tier galleries and art fairs, meanwhile, are continually expanding, in an unquenchable search for new collector relationships. The highly international art scene in Dubai is no exception, where galleries increasingly depend on overseas sales and partnership strategies.

Ten years on from the heady days of 2008, the scene has also settled into a new routine: Alserkal Avenue has emerged as the most important site for contemporary art activity; fewer new galleries are opening; and the overall quality of work shown is rising.

A shift from DIFC to Alserkal Avenue
Dubai International Financial Centre, where many galleries set up shop in the past decade, has this year lost two galleries: Art Sawa, which opened in 2008 and focused mostly on regional artists, and Ayyam Gallery, which also has a space in Alserkal Avenue. Ayyam will now solely be based in Alserkal Avenue, where they were the first gallery to open in 2008. "You don't need two locations to sell the same painting," says Hisham Samawi, Ayyam's co-director. "It's better for us to focus on our space in Alserkal Avenue, which is the real heart and soul of art in Dubai. DIFC is also going through a big transformation. There was a time when that was the centre and core of the art scene, but that shifted to Alserkal Avenue a while ago."

Kourosh Nouri, of Carbon 12, a gallery in Alserkal Avenue, put it more bluntly: “If you’re hoping that people, before they go to Zuma, just see something in your window and are going to come in and buy it – this is not a sustainable strategy for a contemporary art gallery.”

DIFC remains home to Christie’s, Cuadro Gallery, the Farjam Foundation, and Tabari Art Space, which has a strong stable of artists, as well as top-flight restaurants including Zuma and La Petite Maison. But international art-world attention now concentrates on Alserkal Avenue, which has complemented its galleries’ commercial activity with commissioning, talks, and residency programmes. The galleries there, such as The Third Line, Grey Noise, Green Art Gallery, Lawrie Shabibi, 1x1, Carbon 12, and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, are likewise the most successful internationally.

Gallery work is becoming more mobile
Across the board, galleries are now more reliant than ever on selling at art fairs and when they travel abroad. William Lawrie, one-half of Lawrie Shabibi, recently moved to London, and says he is just as able to conduct gallery business there as in Dubai. "We do five shows a year and the rest of the time we're out on the move. It's the same for everyone everywhere. This is not a Dubai thing, but a global thing for small and medium-sized galleries."

Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey’s work on display at Lawrie Shabibi as a result of a partnership with Gallery 1957, based in Accra, Ghana T
Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey’s work on display at Lawrie Shabibi as a result of a partnership with Gallery 1957, based in Accra, Ghana T

The programmes of art spaces are reflecting this new itinerancy through swaps and partnerships. In 2016, the London gallerist Vanessa Carlos initiated the highly acclaimed Condo programme, in response, as she said in a 2017 Art Business Conference, to the fact that half of galleries lose money every year. Condo is a kind of house-swapping for invited exhibition spaces, which set up pop-up shows in galleries in other cities. This allows them to take advantage of new collector bases, while not being creatively limited by the need to recoup the large financial outlay involved in art fairs. (The cost of attending art fairs is so high that galleries often only bring their most saleable work.) The project has now spread to New York, with plans for Shanghai, Mexico City and Sao Paulo instalments.

Grey Noise took part in the New York event this spring, having been invited by the Lower East Side gallery Van Doren Waxter to show work by Fahd Burki and Joana Escoval.

The practice has also moved to Dubai. In February, Lawrie Shabibi partnered with Gallery 1957, based in Accra, Ghana, and showed one of its artists, Serge Attukwei Clottey, in their Alserkal Avenue site. In June, Lawrie Shabibi did a pop-up group show in London, from which it says several further offers of collaborations have been extended.

Lack of a collector base
But though galleries internationally do most of their sales abroad, this need is especially acute in Dubai, which still lacks local collectors. The institutional collecting bodies are only two: Sharjah Art Foundation and Art Jameel. Other major collectors of the past, such as the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, some international collaborators, and the Abraaj Group, which previously sponsored the art prize at Art Dubai, are no longer regularly buying. 

"We don't have a proper collector base," says Yasmin Atassi of Green Art Gallery. "80 per cent of my business is exported, and I'm not the only one. Where are the collectors here? Why aren't people buying?"

“A lot of galleries have to go around the globe – it’s a global phenomenon. But there is a weakness in the region for any form of art above a certain price,” says Nouri. “The wealth is channelled into bags and shoes and watches – all perishable goods.”

"The nature of Dubai being transient doesn't help," he continues. "I still know people who arrived here in 2008 saying, yeah, I'm only here for three years, so I wouldn't know what to do with art. These guys are still here 10 years later and they still haven't collected anything, versus those who started collecting art with us and went back to their homes in the United States or Europe and have built up extraordinary collections."

Khaled Zaki’s ‘Finding a Path’ at Tabari Art Space in DIFC
Khaled Zaki’s ‘Finding a Path’ at Tabari Art Space in DIFC

Long-term impact
There are fears that Dubai is missing out on the chance to acquire works at an affordable rate. In the United Kingdom, for example, Tate, Arts Council England, and the British Council regularly buy works from young artists at art fairs and galleries in order to build up a patrimony before these works get too expensive. No such equivalent collecting body exists in the UAE, beyond the Sharjah Art Foundation.

"There is so much great art being presented and exhibited in Dubai, and in some cases 100 per cent of it is leaving the country on the next plane," says Nouri. "It's a real shame."

Growing the collector base has been one of the initiatives behind Abu Dhabi Art, which last year, under the new leadership of Dyala Nusseibeh, included a more diverse range of prices. Art Dubai, which has traditionally been well-known for its diversity of work, also included a new section this year, the Residents exhibition, mostly at a lower price.

These are strategies that can take years to pay off, and it’s worth taking a sober view. Contemporary art is still very new to the Gulf, both in terms of production and of a culture of collecting and art appreciation. Comparable art scenes are not London or New York, but rather Kuwait or Jeddah, cities where there is also a concentration of high-net-worth individuals, but no entrenched collecting culture.

“To build up collectors and to keep them engaged is a long-term approach to the industry,” says Mohammed Hafiz of the Jeddah-based Athr Gallery. “It’s not a fashion trend. In this part of the world it will take time to become part of the social norms and dynamics. People might want it to move faster, but it will never move faster. Even though the number of collectors are a minority in any society, in this part of the world it’s infinitesimally small. And growing that is very important.”

And in general, galleries remain upbeat. Because Dubai is such a young scene, the successes of the galleries are not just in sales, but in the artists they’ve introduced to Dubai and been able to support.

“You don’t get into art to make money,” says Atassi. “At the end of 2019 it’ll be twenty-five years that Green Art existed. My mother set it up in 1995 in Jumeirah. She wasn’t selling anything – in order to stay afloat she would sell prints to hotels. But she did some amazing shows and the gallery has contributed to the city’s cultural scene.” 

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Read more:

Would you like your work to be displayed at Dubai Design Week? 

Ashok Mody, who built Sultan Al Qassemi’s family home, on the distinctiveness of Gulf architecture

From brutal to beautiful, new book series charts remarkable architecture of the UAE

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Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

While you're here
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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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%3Cp%3EAriana%E2%80%99s%20Persian%20Kitchen%3Cbr%3EDinner%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EEstiatorio%20Milos%3Cbr%3EHouse%20of%20Desserts%3Cbr%3EJaleo%20by%20Jose%20Andres%3Cbr%3ELa%20Mar%3Cbr%3ELing%20Ling%3Cbr%3ELittle%20Venice%20Cake%20Company%3Cbr%3EMalibu%2090265%3Cbr%3ENobu%20by%20the%20Beach%3Cbr%3EResonance%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EThe%20Royal%20Tearoom%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 400hp

Torque: 500Nm

Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)

On sale: 2022 

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')

Manchester City 0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
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
Match info

Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')

Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

The biog

Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus

Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India

Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes

Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island

Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Results:

CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off

1.           Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds

2.           Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09

3.           Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42

4.           Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63

5.           Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.

Name: Brendalle Belaza

From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines

Arrived in the UAE: 2007

Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus

Favourite photography style: Street photography

Favourite book: Harry Potter

The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission 10-speed automatic

Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km

UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

 
What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.

The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers. 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.