The Gulf Arab states will welcome the end of Obama’s administration. But there are no guarantees that Trump will be a better partner. Read more »
Articles
How art can help diffuse Middle East tensions
Some Gulf Arab cities led by Dubai have defied the regional swing into sectarianism and suspicion by publicly displaying art from across the Middle East. With its vibrant 90,000-strong Iranian community active in cultural and commercial sectors, Dubai is today an essential link between communities on both sides. Read more »
Liberals sidelined in a polarised Arab world
Amongst the casualties of the post-Arab Spring era are the Arab world’s dwindling number of individuals who identify themselves as Liberal. Six years on, Liberals are increasingly squeezed out of the (almost non-existent) political scene. Today Liberal thought in the Arab world is under siege. Read more »
eL Seed: The Writing’s On The Wall
Few artists of their generation have left a global mark as French-Tunisian artist eL Seed. At thirty-five years old his monumental canvases are instantly recognizable and can be seen in cities across the world. Walls in cities as varied as Montreal, Sao Paolo, Paris, Doha, New York and Sharjah have been transformed with his magic spray can into open air galleries. Much like Banksy one never knows where next eL Seed artwork will appear. The world is his canvas. Read more »
A Dubai architectural gem worthy of a museum
The Dubai Petroleum’s HQ must be preserved for the future of this country when it is vacated, and what way to better honour a building that has literally fueled the development of Dubai into a global city than turn it into a public institution, an art museum for the people. Read more »
Mona Hatoum: The First Contemporary Arab Artist?
Attempting to pinpoint a specific date in which modern Arab art gave way to the contemporary is bound to raise more questions than answers. I propose that Arab contemporary art timeframe begins with artists who have come of age in the decade between the early 1980s and the early 1990s due to their general readiness to adopt the latest technologies and concepts in their work. In my opinion the artist that best embodies this definition is Beirut born British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum. Read more »