Latest news with #Jabbari
Gulf Today
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Karim Jabbari reimagines vanishing cultural landscapes at Inloco Gallery
Inloco Gallery is currently presenting Vertical Horizon/361 Degrees, a solo exhibition by Karim Jabbari (Jan. 29 – May 30). The show is the final chapter of a three-part artistic exploration of lost tradition and urban nostalgia themes in contemporary Dubai's public immersive calligraphy-based artworks, light installations and photography, Jabbari examines the intersection of heritage and modernity, inviting viewers to engage with Arabic script as a dynamic vessel of memory and transformation. The title 'Vertical Horizon/361 Degrees' hints at the contemporary human condition of two opposing operatives, one verticality that firmly roots people in their cultural heritage, and the second offering a wide 361 degree perspective that keeps them alert to the perpetual transformations around them. In addition to photographs of light calligraphy, the main part of the exhibition consists of handwritten calligraphic works inspired by classical and contemporary poetry. Emirati artist Khalil Abdulwahid and an artwork. Born in Tunisia and shaped by the experience of global migration, the artist discovered his heritage through an old library of ancient Arab manuscripts preserved by his father. The manuscripts became the foundation for his calligraphy practice and an essential self-identification tool, connecting him to his roots and inspiring his artistic journey. Jabbari does not confine himself to a single calligraphic technique, but employs a variety of artistic approaches to convey his conceptual vision. He explores layering in his work, superimposing manuscripts or elevating individual lines above the surface, evoking the presence of an archaeological artifact. At times, he reduces the calligraphic gesture to the repetition of the Arabic articles, focusing solely on the plasticity of form. The approach creates a visual rhythm reminiscent of meditative chanting, where meaning recedes, giving way to the perception of pure sound and textual structure. Some works include compositions executed in the 'vortex' technique, alongside subtle references to Japanese calligraphy, whose sacred qualities he acknowledges. Jabbari draws inspiration from a diverse range of authors, including prominent figures of Arabic and global literature like Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, Ibn Khaldun and George Orwell, as well as contemporary artists like rapper Yasiin Bey. Karim Jabbari with the camera (left) and Khalil Abdulwahid. Colour plays a fundamental role in his practice. Unlike the variety of techniques he employs, his palette remains deliberately restrained, focusing on a monochromatic spectrum ranging from transparent to deep black. However, gold and copper hold a distinct place in his visual language, carrying symbolic weight as representations of human connections that emerge within a community. The balance of technique and colour reinforces the exploration of calligraphy as a tool for preserving knowledge and transmitting urban culture across generations and geographies. A few events served as harbingers of the exhibition. The project began with an artistic intervention in Dubai's historic Al Satwa district. Jabbari and Emirati visual artist Khalil Abdulwahid, besides exploring the fusion of tradition and modernity in the city's urban fabric, spoke on documenting street life and conversations with residents; their work captures the vanishing cultural identity of the neighbourhood through photography and video art. The intervention drew inspiration from Emirati urbanist Dr. Khaled Alawadi's 2024 project Sikka, which highlighted the importance of traditional alleyways as social and cultural hubs. Building on the intervention, the project culminated in a live performance and video art screening in Al Quoz that combined Jabbari's signature light calligraphy with Abdulwahid's video art. The evening began with the screening of Abdulwahid's film, a document of Al Satwa's disappearing cultural landscape, presented from both the perspective of an observer and as a member of the community. The nine-minute video was an unstructured exploration of the neighbourhood. As the screening concluded, the film glided into Jabbari's live performance, where calligraphic forms emerged in real time, filling the space and creating a sense of community in the audience. Overflowing calligraphy. The evolving imagery was projected onto a dedicated screen, accompanied by the musical improvisations of Faisal Salah (FaceSoul), whose compositions provided a throbbing soundscape that bridged past and present. Calligraphy and light artist Karim Jabbari is recognised among the Top 30 Public Artists by the International Award for Public Art (IAPA); his work has been exhibited worldwide, with permanent installations in prestigious institutions such as the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Saudi Arabia, and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. His influence has been spotlighted in numerous international biennales, including the 2023 First Islamic Biennale in Jeddah, the 2023 Dubai Calligraphy Biennale, and multiple editions of the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennale. Khalil Abdulwahid is a mentee of the late Hassan Sharif, specialising in painting and video art. His notable exhibitions include FotoFest International's View From Inside in the USA, Abu Dhabi Festival (2014–15), Sharjah: Art from the Emirates at the National Museum of Denmark (2010), and numerous annual exhibitions by the Emirates Fine Arts Society. His works are part of the ADMAF Art Collection and have been featured in the ADMAF publication, The Art of the Emirates. Inloco Gallery (from Latin, 'in place') has been dedicated to promoting and supporting urban and street artists since 2017. As part of the Inloco Initiative, founded the same year, the gallery operates alongside projects such as the Street Art Research Institute, Street Art Storage and Nuvo Buro Group. Together, the initiatives foster a critical dialogue on the role of art in urban environments, while championing the artistic perspectives of contemporary creators from the MENA region.
Shafaq News
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran: 7 arrested for anti-regime activities 'covered by Nowruz celebrations'
Shafaq News/ Seven individuals involved in organizing Nowruz celebrations in western Iran were arrested, accused of exploiting the occasion to carry out activities "against the regime,' the public prosecutor of Kurdistan province in western Iran, Mohammad Jabbari announced on Sunday. In a statement to Iranian state media, Jabbari highlighted that judicial authorities had developed a plan to counter "any activities believed to use Nowruz celebrations as a cover for organizing anti-regime actions or inciting disturbances." Jabbari further accused the detainees of having "organizational and partisan connections," claiming that some of the activities were directed and supported by opposition groups. It is worth noting that Nowruz holds a special cultural and symbolic significance for Kurds, with celebrations beginning several days before the new year. The holiday is a major occasion for public gatherings in various Kurdish regions.
Rudaw Net
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Seven arrested in Iran's Kurdistan for ‘anti-regime propaganda' during Newroz
Also in Iran Negotiations with US not possible until 'certain things' change: Iran FM Anti-Kurdish chants in Urmia raise concern over ethnic tensions Iran says waited for compensation from US after nuclear accord withdrawal Iran rejects direct talks with US, to reply to Trump's letter via 'appropriate channels': FM A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian authorities on Sunday said they arrested seven Kurdish individuals accused of participating in 'anti-regime propaganda activities' under the guise of Newroz celebrations in Kurdistan Province, west of the country. 'Since early March and February 2025, the Kurdistan province judiciary has prioritized taking action against individuals and groups' who 'sought to use the [Kurdish New Year, Newroz] occasion as a platform for anti-regime propaganda,' Mohammad Jabbari, the prosecutor of Kurdistan province told the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. Newroz, which marks the first day of spring, is widely celebrated by Kurds in western Iran (Rojhelat). However, Iranian authorities have frequently clamped down on Kurdish celebrations during Newroz, banning some Kurdish symbols and songs, and prohibiting certain types of Kurdish attire, namely the Jamaneh and Khaki. The Jamaneh and khaki are traditional Kurdish outfits often worn by Kurdish groups that oppose the Iranian establishment. They are widely seen as symbols of resistance among Kurds, many of whom share images of themselves wearing them on social media as an act of dissent. Iran additionally prohibits the Kurdish folk dance, known as Halparke, which is performed by mixed groups of men and women who dance holding hands, a custom not welcomed by Iran's political and religious authorities. Jabbari stated on Sunday that the judiciary is 'officially addressing' the issue of those who are 'breaking the norms and demonstrating insulting behavior.' He emphasized that serious measures were taken, leading to the identification of 'a number of these [groups'] main leaders' and the arrest of 'around seven individuals.' According to Jabbari, the arrested individuals 'had organizational and group affiliations' and that their actions were carried out with the 'reinforcement, backing and direct overseeing of those groups.' Last week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed to Kurdish-majority regions and set up temporary checkpoints to interrogate people, according to the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network. Meanwhile, the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported on clashes between the Newroz celebrators and Iranian security forces in Kurdish-majority regions. Many people have reportedly been threatened and barred from participating in Newroz celebrations over the past month, according to human rights watchdogs, with a number of them arrested. Earlier this month, Hengaw reported that several Kurds in Bukan and Oshnavieh were summoned by intelligence agencies and warned against participating in Newroz events.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jonathan Majors is on a redemption tour. For what, he won't say
NEW YORK (AP) — Throughout the implosion of his once-skyrocketing Hollywood career, from his arrest almost exactly two years ago to his harassment and assault conviction, Jonathan Majors has maintained that he has never struck a woman. But on Monday, as Majors was in the midst of a comeback attempt and a PR push that returned him to magazine covers, Rolling Stone published an audio recording of a conversation between Majors and Grace Jabbari. Majors was found guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation for striking Jabbari in the head with an open hand and breaking her middle finger by squeezing it. 'I aggressed you,' Majors acknowledges in the recording, confirming her description of him strangling her and pushing her against a car. The recording appeared to contradict Majors' previous claims and upend his redemption tour just as his film 'Magazine Dreams' opens in theaters Friday. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Majors declined to address the recording, and whether he has assaulted women. 'I can't answer that,' Majors responded. 'I can't speak to that.' Majors says he's changed, but not everyone is convinced Majors, who was sentenced to probation and settled a lawsuit with Jabbari in November, is striving for an unusually swift rebound following a precipitous downfall. Before his March 2023 arrest, Majors was steering toward years of Marvel stardom and a possible Oscar nomination for Elijah Bynum's 'Magazine Dreams,' in which he plays a disturbed aspiring bodybuilder prone to violent outbursts. Two years later, Majors returns to the public eye with a pledge that he's changed just months after completing a year of court-ordered domestic violence counseling. At the same time, he's not directly addressing any of the allegations against him — including those from two previous partners, Emma Duncan and Maura Hooper, who in statements submitted pretrial, detailed physically violent and emotionally abusive incidents that bear some similarities to the Jabbari case. 'It's not something I can talk about legally,' Majors says. 'I said to my wife the other day, I've changed. I don't recognize myself. I don't recognize that guy. I'm in a completely different place. There's no doubt that I was in turmoil. That guy then didn't have any tools to deal with things. I don't know if I liked the guy then. He was accomplished, he was doing great things in certain ways. But I don't know if I would have hung out with him.' Majors, who sat for an interview at a Manhattan hotel without a publicist present, spoke reflectively about his experience of the past two years — with the exception of anything specifically related to the conviction, the additional abuse allegations or the women who say he harmed them. Despite never naming a misdeed, Majors says he is reformed. 'I'd say to anyone who cares to listen: I've had two years of deep thought and mediation and rumination on myself and my actions, my community, my industry,' he said. 'I'm stronger now. I'm wiser now. I'm better now.' Not everyone is convinced. Hooper, who met Majors at Yale Drama School and dated him from 2013 to 2015, described a traumatizing and controlling relationship. A year after their relationship ended, Majors learned of her having a relationship with someone he knew, she said. According to Hooper's statement, Majors called her and shamed her for having an abortion, which he had encouraged, and told her to kill herself. 'The level of anger that I experienced from this man, I don't know you exorcise that from your life or your behavior in only 52 weeks,' Hooper told the AP. 'People go to therapy for years. I went to therapy for years after Jonathan Majors just to get my mind back.' Hooper and Duncan's statements were ultimately not allowed as evidence during the trial, but they remain public record. Attorneys for Majors have denied some of their claims, describing both relationships as 'toxic.' Duncan, who dated and was engaged to Majors from 2015 to 2019, described at least eight physical or threatening encounters in her statement. During an argument in 2016 while driving in Chautauqua, New York, he threatened to strangle and kill her, she said. At a spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she discovered text messages between Majors and another woman and began packing to leave. He pushed her into couch and began choking her while saying he was going to kill her, Duncan said. (She didn't respond to an email from the AP seeking comment. Attorneys for Jabbari also didn't respond to emails.) 'There is a documented history of 10 years of abuse of women where he calls women 'sluts,' he calls us 'fat whores,' he tells us to kill ourselves,' Hooper says. 'When I hear people say, 'Come on, how come he can't come back into the fold?' I don't know that those people have read this or understand that we're talking about a pattern.' Another test of #MeToo in Hollywood A changed political climate and several recent cases, including the overturning of Harvey Weinstein's New York sexual assault conviction, have suggested Hollywood has entered a new chapter in the #MeToo movement. Majors' attempted comeback is one of the most conspicuous tests to the fraying curbs of cancellation and #MeToo vindication. 'We're suffering a period of tremendous political retrenchment and backlash in this movement,' says Debra Katz, the civil rights attorney who represented Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, along with Weinstein accusers. 'Much of what we've fought for seems to be on the line.' But women are still coming forward, and Katz believes companies and industries will hold the accused accountable. For his part, Majors, who was dropped from all projects following his conviction, has no new films announced. 'Magazine Dreams,' which debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival before his arrest and was subsequently dropped by Searchlight Pictures, is being released by Briarcliff Entertainment, the indie distributor of 'The Apprentice.' 'Jonathan made a mistake. There was due process. Justice was served. And then we move on, which I think is generally how we like to think this country operates,' Tom Ortenberg, chief executive of Briarcliff, said Thursday. 'We're faced with two choices: Should 'Magazine Dreams' be allowed to be seen? Or should we burn the negative?' Numerous A-listers, including Michael B. Jordan and Matthew McConaughey, have advocated for Majors' return to Hollywood. Still, Katz believes Majors' comeback will ultimately sputter because it hasn't gone beyond the strategy of what she describes as 'get a good PR firm and show my soft side.' 'I think he's going to suffer a significant comeuppance,' says Katz. 'He hasn't owned up to the behavior. He hasn't apologized. The only thing he appears to be sorry about is that he got caught.' Majors' past, and where he goes next For Majors, his self-examination has focused more on an earlier experience he suggests was at the root of what he calls his turmoil. 'There was a lot of trauma that was piled up and ignored. The best way to describe it is it as an energy that unfortunately was there,' says Majors. 'I was feeding the wrong wolf. And that wolf became unignorable. And I was really good at moving fast and outrunning the rabid wolf of trauma. The best thing that could have happened to me — not to my career but to me — was to have to face it.' Majors, who was raised by his pastor mother in Texas after his father left, says from the age of 9 to about 13, he was the victim of multiple incidents of sexual abuse, from, he says, 'two male family members and my sisters' friends who were older than me — they were older than her.' 'It felt like kids being kids and then it became something different very quickly,' Majors says. 'And then it became a pattern.' Majors only recently began wrestling with this past, he says, working through it in therapy and in conversations with his family. A phone call with his sister, he says, reawakened memories. 'It was an experience that I just killed in my head,' Majors says, tearing up. 'It's not a boo-hoo-bro, so-sad-for-you situation,' he says, wiping away tears. 'It's life. It's the hand you're dealt, and I didn't know how to play those cards. I'm learning how to play those cards.' Now, Majors says, he's never been happier. On Tuesday, he and Meagan Good were wed in a small, impromptu ceremony in Los Angeles officiated by his mother. 'We called the family and said, 'Hey, jump on FaceTime,'' he says, calling it the best day of his life. 'Magazine Dreams,' he thought, would never see the light of day. Now, though, he's hopeful he can act again. 'I now understand that acting is in many ways my ministry. It's in many ways my calling,' Majors says. 'If it's not, I'm waiting for someone to tell me it's not. I'm waiting for God to tell me it's not. He's not said that.'
Associated Press
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Jonathan Majors is on a redemption tour. For what, he won't say
NEW YORK (AP) — Throughout the implosion of his once-skyrocketing Hollywood career, from his arrest almost exactly two years ago to his harassment and assault conviction, Jonathan Majors has maintained that he has never struck a woman. But on Monday, as Majors was in the midst of a comeback attempt and a PR push that returned him to magazine covers, Rolling Stone published an audio recording of a conversation between Majors and Grace Jabbari. Majors was found guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation for striking Jabbari in the head with an open hand and breaking her middle finger by squeezing it. 'I aggressed you,' Majors acknowledges in the recording, confirming her description of him strangling her and pushing her against a car. The recording appeared to contradict Majors' previous claims and upend his redemption tour just as his film 'Magazine Dreams' opens in theaters Friday. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Majors declined to address the recording, and whether he has assaulted women. 'I can't answer that,' Majors responded. 'I can't speak to that.' Majors says he's changed, but not everyone is convinced Majors, who was sentenced to probation and settled a lawsuit with Jabbari in November, is striving for an unusually swift rebound following a precipitous downfall. Before his March 2023 arrest, Majors was steering toward years of Marvel stardom and a possible Oscar nomination for Elijah Bynum's 'Magazine Dreams,' in which he plays a disturbed aspiring bodybuilder prone to violent outbursts. Two years later, Majors returns to the public eye with a pledge that he's changed just months after completing a year of court-ordered domestic violence counseling. At the same time, he's not directly addressing any of the allegations against him — including those from two previous partners, Emma Duncan and Maura Hooper, who in statements submitted pretrial, detailed physically violent and emotionally abusive incidents that bear some similarities to the Jabbari case. 'It's not something I can talk about legally,' Majors says. 'I said to my wife the other day, I've changed. I don't recognize myself. I don't recognize that guy. I'm in a completely different place. There's no doubt that I was in turmoil. That guy then didn't have any tools to deal with things. I don't know if I liked the guy then. He was accomplished, he was doing great things in certain ways. But I don't know if I would have hung out with him.' Majors, who sat for an interview at a Manhattan hotel without a publicist present, spoke reflectively about his experience of the past two years — with the exception of anything specifically related to the conviction, the additional abuse allegations or the women who say he harmed them. Despite never naming a misdeed, Majors says he is reformed. 'I'd say to anyone who cares to listen: I've had two years of deep thought and mediation and rumination on myself and my actions, my community, my industry,' he said. 'I'm stronger now. I'm wiser now. I'm better now.' Not everyone is convinced. Hooper, who met Majors at Yale Drama School and dated him from 2013 to 2015, described a traumatizing and controlling relationship. A year after their relationship ended, Majors learned of her having a relationship with someone he knew, she said. According to Hooper's statement, Majors called her and shamed her for having an abortion, which he had encouraged, and told her to kill herself. 'The level of anger that I experienced from this man, I don't know you exorcise that from your life or your behavior in only 52 weeks,' Hooper told the AP. 'People go to therapy for years. I went to therapy for years after Jonathan Majors just to get my mind back.' Hooper and Duncan's statements were ultimately not allowed as evidence during the trial, but they remain public record. Attorneys for Majors have denied some of their claims, describing both relationships as 'toxic.' Duncan, who dated and was engaged to Majors from 2015 to 2019, described at least eight physical or threatening encounters in her statement. During an argument in 2016 while driving in Chautauqua, New York, he threatened to strangle and kill her, she said. At a spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she discovered text messages between Majors and another woman and began packing to leave. He pushed her into couch and began choking her while saying he was going to kill her, Duncan said. (She didn't respond to an email from the AP seeking comment. Attorneys for Jabbari also didn't respond to emails.) 'There is a documented history of 10 years of abuse of women where he calls women 'sluts,' he calls us 'fat whores,' he tells us to kill ourselves,' Hooper says. 'When I hear people say, 'Come on, how come he can't come back into the fold?' I don't know that those people have read this or understand that we're talking about a pattern.' Another test of #MeToo in Hollywood A changed political climate and several recent cases, including the overturning of Harvey Weinstein's New York sexual assault conviction, have suggested Hollywood has entered a new chapter in the #MeToo movement. Majors' attempted comeback is one of the most conspicuous tests to the fraying curbs of cancellation and #MeToo vindication. 'We're suffering a period of tremendous political retrenchment and backlash in this movement,' says Debra Katz, the civil rights attorney who represented Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, along with Weinstein accusers. 'Much of what we've fought for seems to be on the line.' But women are still coming forward, and Katz believes companies and industries will hold the accused accountable. For his part, Majors, who was dropped from all projects following his conviction, has no new films announced. 'Magazine Dreams,' which debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival before his arrest and was subsequently dropped by Searchlight Pictures, is being released by Briarcliff Entertainment, the indie distributor of 'The Apprentice.' 'Jonathan made a mistake. There was due process. Justice was served. And then we move on, which I think is generally how we like to think this country operates,' Tom Ortenberg, chief executive of Briarcliff, said Thursday. 'We're faced with two choices: Should 'Magazine Dreams' be allowed to be seen? Or should we burn the negative?' Numerous A-listers, including Michael B. Jordan and Matthew McConaughey, have advocated for Majors' return to Hollywood. Still, Katz believes Majors' comeback will ultimately sputter because it hasn't gone beyond the strategy of what she describes as 'get a good PR firm and show my soft side.' 'I think he's going to suffer a significant comeuppance,' says Katz. 'He hasn't owned up to the behavior. He hasn't apologized. The only thing he appears to be sorry about is that he got caught.' Majors' past, and where he goes next For Majors, his self-examination has focused more on an earlier experience he suggests was at the root of what he calls his turmoil. 'There was a lot of trauma that was piled up and ignored. The best way to describe it is it as an energy that unfortunately was there,' says Majors. 'I was feeding the wrong wolf. And that wolf became unignorable. And I was really good at moving fast and outrunning the rabid wolf of trauma. The best thing that could have happened to me — not to my career but to me — was to have to face it.' Majors, who was raised by his pastor mother in Texas after his father left, says from the age of 9 to about 13, he was the victim of multiple incidents of sexual abuse, from, he says, 'two male family members and my sisters' friends who were older than me — they were older than her.' 'It felt like kids being kids and then it became something different very quickly,' Majors says. 'And then it became a pattern.' Majors only recently began wrestling with this past, he says, working through it in therapy and in conversations with his family. A phone call with his sister, he says, reawakened memories. 'It was an experience that I just killed in my head,' Majors says, tearing up. 'It's not a boo-hoo-bro, so-sad-for-you situation,' he says, wiping away tears. 'It's life. It's the hand you're dealt, and I didn't know how to play those cards. I'm learning how to play those cards.' Now, Majors says, he's never been happier. On Tuesday, he and Meagan Good were wed in a small, impromptu ceremony in Los Angeles officiated by his mother. 'We called the family and said, 'Hey, jump on FaceTime,'' he says, calling it the best day of his life. 'Magazine Dreams,' he thought, would never see the light of day. Now, though, he's hopeful he can act again. 'I now understand that acting is in many ways my ministry. It's in many ways my calling,' Majors says. 'If it's not, I'm waiting for someone to tell me it's not. I'm waiting for God to tell me it's not. He's not said that.'
