Amid the drab warehouses in Dubai’s industrial Al Quoz area, a vibrant art studio stands out with an open invitation to visitors to come in and meet some outstanding homegrown artists.
A riot of colour and thumping music greets those who walk in to Mawaheb, where striking canvasses are displayed on the walls of a high-ceilinged space with large windows and long, sloping rafters.
It has been almost a year since the popular studio reopened in February in its new location in central Dubai.
We want to bring awareness that this hidden gem is here in Al Quoz and open to all
Wemmy de Maaker,
Mawaheb director
The decade-old studio caters for people with disabilities aged 18 and above and had its original home in the city’s historic Bastaikya area.
Mawaheb, which is Arabic for talent, shut down during the coronavirus pandemic for more than a year from October 2020.
The much-loved studio is keen to reconnect with the larger UAE community, engage with people who want to meet artists with special needs, view and purchase their work.
The artists have a range of conditions from Down syndrome and autism to developmental disabilities.
Paint to music
Mawaheb’s current batch of 20 artists seems likely to grow. Many were part of the original group that has benefited from life skills courses taught alongside the art classes.
Verano Field, 29, from the UK, confidently chats with visitors about her abstract art propped against the wall.
“I did it on my own. I did it by myself with music, with my feet,” she said.
“I did the blue and pink one and mixed it up.”
Verano is among students who has gained the self-assurance and skill to teach enthusiasts how to move and paint with music when they sign up for corporate social responsibility events .
She intently listens to the melody and depending on whether it is a soulful tune or a lively rhythm, swirls in time to the beat and paints with her feet and body and wields the brush on large canvasses laid across the floor.
Sean McLennan stands proudly in front of a collage that brings together several of his works with carefully detailed geometric motifs.
In one distinctive work after a visit to the Dubai Safari, the 25-year-old Scottish artist painted perfectly proportionate animals in earthy tones that stare out from the canvas.
Rekha Kirpalani, the oldest student at 66, spent six months drawing tightly spaced small flowers that resemble intricate embroidery.
The elaborate painting of the Indian artist has been printed across a water bottle, among many items on sale in the studio’s café.
Marwan Al Khaja, a 22-year-old Emirati, waits patiently near an easel for the bold black and blue strokes on a canvas to dry before adding gold leaves.
Namrata Pagarani, 31, takes visitors to each of her paintings and explains how a few are inspired by Picasso.
“I am the artist of this painting but this one is from Picasso,” she said.
“In this, I painted flowers, bluebells, yellow buttercups and tulips from Holland.
“It is fantastic to paint.”
Connect with the artists
During workshops it is the students who lead the programmes, teach painting, yoga, sketching sessions, playing games and teaching sign language.
“When you come to Mawaheb you can see the talent and the capabilities of people,” said Wemmy de Maaker, the non-profit studio’s director.
“We want to invite everyone to connect with people of determination.
“Let’s be honest ― where can you meet people of determination if you are not in the field.
“In the cafe on Saturday, we have inclusive dancing, book readings and board games, all in a relaxed environment.
“Our students learn to present themselves to people they have never met.
“It’s a learning for visitors because they realise you can have a conversation with people of determination and that they are talented people.”
The sessions include collaborating on art with the students.
“So the corporate organisation goes home with a beautiful big painting that they created with the students,” she said
“It becomes a talking point because they hang it in the office and it becomes a reminder of the event. When guests come in and see the artwork, they tell the story.
“This has an impact and it helps build a lot of awareness.”
Co-working cafe space
Ms de Maaker aims to grow the number of students, promote the cafe and the weekend interactions.
“We want to bring awareness that this hidden gem is here in Al Quoz and open to all,” she said.
“The cafe is a co-working space, so people can sit here, have lunch, coffee and also meet people of determination.
“We want to build this community, with everyone working with and for people of determination.
“We want to collaborate with institutes, schools, individuals and bring in the mainstream.”
The studio has two levels with students seated around tables or working on easels on the ground floor and space for workshops or corporate events on the upper floor.
The cafe has stacks of products, from cushions to T-shirts, bottles, mugs and date boxes for Ramadan decorated with art produced by students
“All the canvasses reflect the students and the way they see life around them,” said art teacher Clizia Zepparalli.
“Mawaheb is really unique because we try to give students a different way to grow, feed their skills, their dream.
“We use each one’s uniqueness to create art.
“The goal is to create beautiful art but it’s also the medium through which they can grow.”
Angelina Lawless, one of Mawaheb’s artists nods as she listens to her mentors.
“People will get to know us,” the 35-year-old said.
“I have sold four paintings. I like talking to people. I like singing, dancing and karaoke.”
The studio is collaborating with students from New York University Abu Dhabi to present an inclusive exhibition on January 28-29 that is part of the Quoz Arts Fest.
Details about Mawaheb’s weekend programmes and the upcoming exhibitions are available on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERick%20Famuyiwa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPedro%20Pascal%20and%20Katee%20Sackhoff%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Company%20profile
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Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
SPECS
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Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
