Welcome to the latest edition of The Arts Edit, the weekly newsletter from The National's Abu Dhabi newsroom rounding up this week's most noteworthy arts and culture stories.
IN FOCUS
One of the world’s leading music festivals has become the unexpected stage for a deepening ideological rift over Palestine.
A campaign is seeking to remove the Northern Irish hip-hop group Kneecap from the Glastonbury Festival line-up because of their outspoken stance.
“What we're seeing is a co-ordinated attempt by 30 members of the musical elite, people with systematic influence, to silence the voices of three working-class artists from Belfast. And all of it was done behind closed doors,” Toddla T, who's also performing at the festival, posted on Instagram.
“At the heart of this is not just a dispute over a festival slot. It's about Palestine and the ongoing genocide we're witnessing,” the artist added.
A campaign is seeking to remove Kneecap from the Glastonbury Festival bill. AFP
Kneecap have been among the most vocal international advocates for the Palestinian cause in the arts, with their Coachella set in March prompting calls to ban the group from performing in the US.
But as we've seen increasingly in recent days, they are far from alone. In response to the private letter from music industry professionals, more than 100 artists, including English group Massive Attack and Northern Irish duo Bicep, have signed another letter in support of Kneecap's Glastonbury slot.
On Monday night, Johnny Marr, guitarist of The Smiths, released a statement in support not only of Kneecap, but of Glastonbury's preservation as a historically supportive space for political activism.
“Oppression fears artistic expression. I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality and give voice to the voiceless. I stand with my audience and fellow musicians who call for an immediate end to the atrocities and a free Palestine,” Marr said.
Gaza by Aude Abou Nasr calls for Palestinian rights. Photo: Malu Halasa
In the wider arts community, there is an increased urgency to use their platforms to support Palestine, with the hope that their voices may help save lives.
At London’s P21 Gallery, a Palestinian poster exhibition runs until Friday. The artists involved, including Asad Azi, Bashar Khalaf, Aude Abou Nasr and Mohammed Joha, have chosen the ephemeral medium deliberately.
Curator Malu Halasa tells The National's Saeed Saeed: “Maybe we’re entering a time when we can’t afford frivolous art. We need work that speaks to the moment, and that’s what poster art does. We live in a visual world. We need direct messages. Poster art is urgent. It speaks to its time. And right now, the time demands it.”
One thing is clear – artists working across mediums will not be intimidated into lowering their voices for peace.
An art residency has opened in a 500-year-old Byzantine cistern beneath Istanbul.
Curated by Anlam de Coster, the programme invites international artists who have never exhibited in the Turkish city for a residency, to create and produce a site-specific body of work every six months, inspired by the hammam’s layered history, architecture and cultural significance.
The first exhibition is Murmurations, running until August 15, created by London-based artist Anousha Payne. Through painting, sculpture and sound, Payne’s work is a direct response to the cistern’s storied walls.
Artist Anousha Payne uses materials commonly found in hammams such as hammered brass, wood and mother-of-pearl. Photo: Zeyrek Cinili Hamam
“My curatorial approach for Murmurations was rooted in creating a sensitive, open-ended dialogue between Anousha Payne’s practice and the unique spiritual and material resonances of the Zeyrek Cinili Hamam, particularly its recently uncovered Byzantine cistern where the exhibition takes place,” de Coster tells The National.
Iran has moved key historical artefacts from major museums to secure storage facilities across the country, according to a statement shared on social media by the official account of Iran Air.
The decision follows recent Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. With no reports of damage to museums or heritage sites in Iran, the relocation of artefacts appears to be a precautionary measure to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage.
Institutions such as the National Museum of Iran house archaeological material that dates back thousands of years. AFP
“In response to recent Israeli attacks on Iran, Iranian authorities have completed the emergency transfer of key historical artefacts from major museums to secure storage facilities across the country,” Iran Air posted on X on Sunday.
No further details about the transfer have been made public, and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has not issued an official statement. As such, the nature of the storage facilities, the timeline of the operation and the specific artefacts involved remain unclear.
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
Cape Town Sevens on Saturday and Sunday:Pools A – South Africa, Kenya, France, Russia; B – New Zealand, Australia, Spain, United States; C – England, Scotland, Argentina, Uganda; D – Fiji, Samoa, Canada, Wales
HSBC World Sevens Series standing after first leg in Dubai 1 South Africa; 2 New Zealand; 3 England; 4 Fiji; 5 Australia; 6 Samoa; 7 Kenya; 8 Scotland; 9 France; 10 Spain; 11 Argentina; 12 Canada; 13 Wales; 14 Uganda; 15 United States; 16 Russia
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
