American singer Alicia Keys, who is a known art collector and aficionado, paid a visit to the opening of Desert X AlUla 2022, dancing on her own amid the artwork.
The singer is in AlUla to perform a concert at the Maraya concert hall on Friday evening, and came to the contemporary art biennial with her husband, Swizz Beatz.
The arrival of the celebrity pair caused a stir even among the art VIPs. Keys went first to the throne-like piece by Palestinian artist Dana Awartani, and then posed for a picture with another Alicia, the Polish artist Alicja Kwade, whose rectangular sculptures frame the view of the surrounding canyon.
But Keys’s favourite work seemed to be that of American artist Jim Denevan, Angle of Repose, a large expanse of 364 hills of sand, arranged in concentric circles that grow progressively smaller. Keys walked to the middle of the artwork and, her arms aloft, let the wind ripple through her flowing white dress and then twirled in the centre.
The event’s photographers snapped away at full speed, capturing an image that is sure to become widely spread: the regal Keys, in her flowing white dress with her hair piled atop her head, against the backdrop of the artwork's sandy geometry and the stunning hills beyond.
Denevan, in cowboy boots and hat, had a wide smile on his face for the rest of the day. More than a few onlookers wondered whether they were seeing an album cover in the making.
Keys and Swizz Beatz spent about two hours touring the biennial, a notably strong show, with works drawing from the area’s history and unique geography – many of which can now be seen on Swizz Beatz's Instagram account, along with images of the rapper in a gabardine blazer over a camouflage jumpsuit.
The rapper, real name Kasseem Daoud Dean, has become involved in the region lately. In November, he set up a creative agency in Riyadh called Good Intentions, which looks for Saudi cultural talents and helps to develop and promote their work to the world.
Keys told The National that she thought the biennial was “beautiful”, before climbing into an open-top Jeep and speeding off to visit the rest of the show.
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
