Latest news with #arabnews.lifestyle
Arab News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Daniah Alsaleh discusses her Art Dubai installation ‘Shams'
DUBAI: 'Sunsets are always mesmerizing to me no matter how many times you view them,' said Saudi artist Daniah Alsaleh, standing next to her installation 'Shams' (sun in Arabic) — presented at the booth of Art on 56th in the digital section of Art Dubai this month. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Alsaleh called the work 'a meditation on time, transformation, and the ways history can be reinterpreted through technology.' A post shared by Daniah دٓانيَةٌ (@daniah_alsaleh) 'Shams' consists of a projector playing a looped video, surrounded by overlapped photographs of images of the mountains of AlUla — included shots of a multitude of sunrises and sunsets that Alsaleh shot from various locations in AlUla, Saudi's ancient desert region. But the sun was not the only influence on the work. Alsaleh was also inspired by carnelian, reddish-brown semiprecious stones that have been found at numerous ancient sites in AlUla and nearby Tayma, a large oasis. 'The work is inspired by carnelian beads excavated from archaeological sites,' Alsaleh told Arab News. 'Through my research, I discovered that there are a lot of associations and symbolism between carnelian stones and the sun, especially the ancient sun goddess. Captivated by this symbolism, I filmed sunrises in AlUla and used machine-learning interpolation to create a video of a moving sun in a parallel universe. The shifting hues of the sun in 'Shams' mimic the warm browns and deep reds that appear when light passes through carnelian, connecting ancient materials with contemporary digital processes.' In ancient Egyptian mythology, carnelian gemstones represented the sun god Horus and the fertility goddess Isis. Carnelian was believed to help encourage an understanding of the cycle of life and remove fear of death. 'I discovered that many carnelian beads were found in excavation sites in AlUla and Tayma that date back to the early Bronze Age,' Alsaleh told Arab News. In Tayma, she said, a carnelian bead factory with millions of shards of carnelian has been uncovered, along with unfinished beading products and flint drills, some dating back to around 4,000 BCE, suggesting the area was once a major production center for carnelian jewelry that likely played a role in the ancient trade networks and cultural exchange that connected AlUla and the surrounding area with much of the world. 'According to several theories I read, raw carnelian came through the trade routes with the Indus Valley; beads were manufactured in Tayma and then exported to the Levant and Egypt,' Alsaleh said. While the research behind 'Shams' explored the ancient world, its incorporation of digital technology gives the piece a contemporary, avant-garde edge. 'I don't always necessarily incorporate digital into my works,' Alsaleh explained. 'It depends on what is the perfect fit for that project or installation. Sometimes I work purely with digital; sometimes I work purely with paint on canvas. It really depends on the context and the project I'm working on.' 'Shams' was created in 2024 during a residency supported by the German Archaeological Institute and the Goethe Institute in AlUla at the end of 2023 that Alsaleh completed alongside German artist and photographer Susanne Kriemann. The works they created were displayed in the exhibition 'ALAAMAT' at ATHR Gallery's AlUla space, which ended on March 26 and celebrated the connections between art, archaeology and cultural exchange. Additional works Alsaleh made during the residency in the form of intricate abstract and realistic images incorporating crushed carnelian stone on watercolor paper were shown in that exhibition alongside 'Shams,' and, like the latter, they underline the lasting and crucial impact that nature and the land have had on ancient and modern lives.
Arab News
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Art Dubai to return for 18th edition with international lineup
DUBAI: Art Dubai — which is marking its 18th edition this year — is returning and brings together 120 galleries from across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas in what is expected to be one of the event's most multicultural programs yet. Taking place from April 18-20, the event will host a calendar of daily talks, book launches, tours and other attractions. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Its diverse program includes Art Dubai Modern, curated this year by Magali Arriola and Nada Shabout, and Art Dubai Digital by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Bawwaba — which means 'Gateway' — presenting 10 solo presentations by artists from various countries curated by Mirjam Varadinis and focusing on themes of migration, identity and displacement. The event's digital section, the first of its kind in an art fair, organized in partnership with Dubai Culture, highlights the rising influence of artificial intelligence and immersive technology in artistic creation. Installations by Hybrid Xperience, Breakfast, and Ouchhh Studio are featured, as well as 22 digital platforms from Dubai and internationally. Entitled 'After the Technological Sublime,' Delicado told Arab News that the theme aimed to provide 'an opportunity to rethink what sublime is today: the concept that we have inherited since the 17th century when explorers were going out to explore the world. Now we can contrast that moment with what we are living today in the age of information and social media.' In light of 30 new participating galleries from around the world, Pablo del Val, the event's artistic director, said: 'The really exciting aspect of this fair is the quality of the artworks. 'I think that this year you can see the maturity of the participants and really understand the vocabularies and the formats and the media that sell well in the city. 'There's also a lot of color. The works we are showing this year show the state of the world we are living in, from technological change to a desire for escapism.'
Arab News
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Sir Brian Clarke's artwork in Bahrain depicts vision of harmony
MANAMA: Symbolizing hope and beauty, an impressive stained-glass artwork by veteran British artist Sir Brian Clarke has been unveiled at Bahrain International Airport. Brimming with vibrant hues, brought alive by natural light shining through the glass, it is a visual symphony of geometrical details and natural elements, such as jasmine flowers, birds, and dragonflies. The work is called "Concordia" – the notion of living together in peace and harmony. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The work references Islamic geometry, and also features elements of medieval European tapestries and illuminated Christian manuscripts from the Books of Hours, prayer books from the Middle Ages. The work itself, standing tall at 34 meters in width and 17 meters in height, was an intensive labor of love that took more than two years to design, produce and install. The colorful glass of 'Concordia' was crafted by a team of artisans in Germany over a period of 40 days. It took 43 days to install the 127 individual panel work at the airport. For Clarke — whose stained-glass pieces can be found in the UK, Spain and Japan, among other places — 'Concordia' has a special place in his practice. 'I have always had a dream of making a composition in a building on a great rectangular scale that is like a view through to another world,' he said in a written statement shared after Arab News attended the unveiling event. "It's something that in some ways unites the two parts of the world, the one that I come from and this region. Everything I have ever learned about stained glass is in some ways expressed in this window. I am very grateful that I am able to share my enthusiasms about paradise with anyone who sees this window.'
Arab News
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Highlights from Art Week Riyadh
Wael Shawky For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ 'The Gulf Project Camp' This work is part of the award-winning Egyptian artist's ongoing titular series. Its full title is 'The Gulf Project Camp (after 'Hajj (Panoramic Overview of Makkah)' by Andreas Magnus Hunglinger, 1803)' — a nod to its inspiration from the Austrian orientalist's rare early-19th-century drawing of Islam's holiest city. The project as a whole 'investigates the Arabian Peninsula and its modern history through the lenses of migration, trade, petropolitics, religion and tribal alliances' and 'sheds light on specific regional and historical moments: the Utub migration; the establishment of the Emirate of Diriyah, the first Saudi state; and the rise of Wahhabism,' according to a guidebook for the 2019 Sharjah Biennale. 'Historical treaties, conferences, speeches and experiences of war are rendered in the artwork through imagery and the use of various industrial materials, such as tarmac, graphite and metal dust.' Anahita Razmi 'No National Flag Uses a Gradient #1' Razmi is a German-born artist of Iranian and German descent whose practice, she has written, draws on her background to explore 'contextual, geographical, and ideological shifts — with a focus on shifts between an 'East' and a 'West.'' She added that she is interested in 'a fluid, transcultural approach to contemporary art and its histories and references,' as well as 'in work that is producing testing grounds for possibilities of import/export, hybrid identities, and the constructions and ambiguities of cultural representation.' This work was created in 2022 and is a perfect representation of those interests, seemingly representing the lack of room for nuance in nationalist symbols and rhetoric. Safwan Dahoul 'Dream 42' This work forms part of the Syrian artist's ongoing 'Dream' series, which Dahoul began back in the 1980s. According to Ayyam Gallery, the series explores 'the physical and psychological effects of alienation, solitude, and longing that punctuate the human experience at various stages in life.' 'Dream 42,' however, is a notable departure from the earlier works in the series, which always featured a female protagonist, who often 'takes on the form of a despairing woman in isolated interiors.' Her disappearance from this particular work 'could be understood as her final transcendence of a stifling world,' the gallery wrote, noting that in later paintings she is depicted as 'a sort of angel.' Neïl Beloufa 'Double Standard — canyon' The French-Algerian artist and filmmaker's works, according to Francois Ghebaly Gallery, address 'themes of geopolitics, technology, urbanism, and ideology through layered projects that combine video, sculpture, social participation, and often dynamic processes like sensor activation or algorithmic control.' This particular piece, as the title suggests, is illustrative of Beloufa's interest in dichotomies, such as reality and fiction, or presence and absence. 'Combining dichotomies allows him to deconstruct our belief systems and presconceived ideas,' We Art Partners have written of Beloufa's work. 'He tries to confront his audience with his own stereotypes to demonstrate their unbelief.' The work is part of the artist's 'Double Standard' series, which forms, according to a catalogue from his solo exhibition in Basel's Kunsthalle, 'an aesthetic world expressed through gaming-inspired forms and the language of digital imagery.' Lamya Gargash 'Arches Light, Old Jubail Market, Sharjah, UAE' The Emirati artist has long been inspired by inhabited and/or abandoned spaces, 'as well as cultural heritage in a time of rapid change,' according to Dubai gallery The Third Line. In her photo series 'Kun' (which translates as 'To Be'), from which this work is taken, Gargash 'connects the cities of Sharjah, Dubai, London and Bath through carefully curated gold draping gestures captured within each frame to create a unique bond,' Maraya Art Center's catalogue for her solo exhibition there stated. 'This draping, golden fabric is placed into various spaces, guided by the Qibla, a modified compass indicating the direction of prayer. Gargash uses the Qibla to symbolize direction, spirituality and unity. The gold fabric covers and conceals elements in its path; this inclusion breaks the silence of the still frame, drawing attention to focal points and bridging the gap between what is considered sacred and secular.
Arab News
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Art Week Riyadh: A ‘constellation of events' that ‘pushes the boundaries'
RIYADH: The inaugural Art Week Riyadh begins April 6 in the Kingdom's capital. A non-commercial initiative, AWR builds on the city's already thriving art community while inviting international artists and art lovers to join in. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Princess Adwaa bint Yazeed bin Abdullah, head of Art Week Riyadh, explained the event's inspirations and goals in a statement, writing: 'Art Week Riyadh is born from a belief in the power of art to inspire, challenge, and connect us. Riyadh has long been a city of growth, and through this platform we hope to contribute to its cultural future — one that is open, dynamic and deeply rooted in both heritage and innovation.' A post shared by (@visualarts_moc) Curator Vittoria Mataresse heads a team including associate curators Basma Harasani and Victoria Gandit-Lelandais and public program curator Shumon Basar who have worked tirelessly across multiple time zones over several months to bring the event to life. 'It was very important for us to be playful and not have the kind of rigid structure or format we're used to seeing. Art Week Riyadh sits in between an exhibition and an art fair. It's really a constellation of events,' Matarrese tells Arab News. 'Unlike major art events that often impose universal themes and rely on globally established artists, we wanted to work within the frame of a regional art ecosystem, embracing the textures, the urgencies, the sensibilities of the Arabian Peninsula. We are trying to retrace something which is very specific and, in this way, we propose a critical departure (from the normal) format.' The theme of AWR's inaugural edition is 'At the Edge' and the event brings together more than 45 galleries from the Kingdom, the wider Arab world, and beyond. There are three main sub-themes: 'Everyday Life,' 'Landscapes,' and 'Motifs.' JAX District in Diriyah will host three major exhibitions offering an expansive insight into Saudi Arabia's cultural identity. A number of established Saudi artists whose studios are based in JAX will also be opening their doors to the public. Meanwhile, in central Riyadh, more than 15 galleries housed in the Al-Mousa Center will present exhibitions, and a wider program across the city will feature several talks and collaborations. Gandit-Lelandais, who has worked in the region for more than two decades focusing on contemporary Arab art, tells Arab News: 'Art Week Riyadh really is different, because the market and the ecosystem is different. I think it's about making people stop implementing the European and American formats into different places because they don't have to fit — the format can be adapted.' A post shared by Vittoria Matarrese (@vittoria_matarrese) The team have designed the event as 'an umbrella for everyone to gather under,' Gandit-Lelandais says. 'It is inclusive and it's meant to be niche — it is for the public, and for the art enthusiasts and for the collectors. 'With Riyadh growing so fast, the kind of dialogues that we have built are so important to bring people here, but not with a Western look at how art should be,' she adds. Harasani, the lone Saudi in the curatorial team, tells Arab News: 'I'm really excited to link our local artists and our local scene (with the world). I think an educational foundation is super-exciting and super-necessary at this time for artists, art practitioners, young collectors and everyone that comes under that umbrella. We wanted to allow these generations of artists from Saudi Arabia to narrate themselves, beyond the usual framework.' While none of the curators live in Riyadh, they all offer a nuanced and sensitive take on the capital. 'I've been working in Riyadh so much that it does feel like a second home,' Harasani says. 'Riyadh is culturally different from Jeddah, where I'm from, and it was interesting to delve into the art scene. I thought it would be similar to the Hajazi scene, but it's completely different. It was a massive learning experience for me to see that — given that we're all from Saudi — there are so many different ways of working, ways of producing, ways of communicating.' Riyadh's rapid expansion, both physically and culturally, over the past decade contributes to the richness and diversity on show at AWR, the curators say. 'That's the beauty of the Middle East, 10 years here is 100 years elsewhere,' Matarrese says. 'I think what's really smart about what Saudi is doing right now is they've learned from other people's mistakes and they're looking at how to navigate this in a better way. 'There's one thing that is important in the DNA of what we are doing,' she continues. 'Our visitors are not going to know what to expect. We really pushed the boundaries of what this could be showing; we are trying to deconstruct the conventional display models, to experiment with something else and re-articulate the dialogue between the different parts of the art world.' For Harasani, the event is another marker of the artistic progress that has been made in the Kingdom in recent years. 'This did not exist when I was growing up,' she says. 'The fact that we can see our dreams come to fruition now — and (see) bigger projects like Art Week Riyadh — I feel very lucky and privileged to be a part of that.'
