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.
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Schedule
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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