Oasis Unedited

Oasis talks to Reem Al Khalifah > The Queen of Organic Beauty Products & Creator of Green Bar Inc. (Bahrain)

2012-02-11T20:04:00.000+03:00

Name: Reem AlKhalifah
Location: Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Dream Job Title: Witch of the East
The Buzz: Something in the air is brewing

Young, chic and oh-so-organic, Reem Al Khalifa decided to create her own line of organic skincare. After working closely with a California-based perfumist, Reem set up Green Bar Inc. in 2006. All her products are made, produced and packaged right in the heart of Bahrain. Not only that, but the ingredients of her products are all regional. From oils to elixirs, everything was created to detoxify and nourish your skin while also uplifting your spirit.

Oasis Magazine› Why was Green Bar Inc. created?
I wanted a witches cupboard and I wanted to make potions!

Oasis Magazine› Do you think that the current generation cares enough about products being completely natural? I think everyone is attracted to TRUTH and my products are honest to inspire authenticity.

Oasis Magazine› The Arab world is completely fascinated by franchising and importing goods, why did you decide to do everything locally? I thought our local land had a lot of exoticness and just needed some creativity to be exercised on it.

Oasis Magazine› What is your favorite product within your line? The Frangipani body oil; it is narcotic, fun, and sexy and I love to mix it with Hawaiian tropic sun protection.

Oasis Magazine› Were there any fun discoveries along the way of creating your products? Yes, it set so many good examples for myself. It helped me think. Before it, I was disillusioned and lost.

Oasis Magazine› What is your motto? Follow your obsessions! Fixation leads to the best exploration.

Oasis Magazine› What do you hope to inspire in other young entrepreneurs in the region? CREATIVITY! Improvise and have integrity.

Oasis Magazine› Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
Don’t give orders to the universe; figure out other ways to get what you want.

https://www.greenbarinc.com/

Resonance > Tatsuo Yamamoto Solo Exhibition > Bahrain

2012-02-10T18:46:00.001+03:00

La Fontaine centre of contemporary art in Bahrain will be hosting an art exhibition by the Japanese artist and architect Tatsuo Yamamoto – titled Resonance – on Sunday the 12th of February 2012.

The concept is based on bamboo groves and reeds in the wetlands, where invisible winds and vibrations in the surrounding air cause branches and leaves to shake. Nature becomes the instrument – and creates sound as light and shadow intertwine.

The exhibition will compromise of installation sculptures and furniture – and for opening night, two very well-known Japanese drummers will animate the evening as well as causing the artworks to vibrate to the drummers’ beat.

Sunday, 12th February
Exhibition & Dinner 40 BD
http://www.lafontaineartcentre.net/html/monthevents.htm

Black is the New White > Solo Exhibition > Nadia Kaabi-Linke @LawrieShabibi

2012-02-10T14:43:00.001+03:00

Smooth Criminal > Nadia Kaabi-Linke > 2012

Ministry of Tourism > Nadia Kaabi Linke > 2011

“While Arab societies undergo processes of technical, social and cultural modernisation, their traditions are getting stronger and stronger too. How long can a collective withstand the increasing tensions between the present and the past?” Nadia Kaabi-Linke

Black is the New White, a solo exhibition by Nadia Kaabi-Linke that opens on the 19th March as part of Art Dubai Week. The exhibition will feature six new works from an artist who has rapidly become one of the most exciting names in contemporary Middle Eastern art.

Kaabi-Linke’s artistic practice is woven around social, political, cultural and historical concepts, revealing hidden contradictions and coincidences often in subtle and sublime ways. Working in a multitude of media to express her ideas, Kaabi-Linke is not afraid to merge beauty with violence, refinement with vulgarity, producing art that is evocative and paradoxical. Black is the New White is her first solo exhibition since she was awarded the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in 2011.

In this exhibition, Kaabi-Linke takes as her initial premise the concept of the ‘trap’ and develops this in many complex layers throughout each of her pieces, observing ways in which society finds itself lured, ensnared or deceived. Taking as her sources of inspiration historic buildings in Tunis, dilapidated walls, desert bugs, traditional attire and shadow and light, Kaabi-Linke builds on this idea to expose the state of ambiguity and inner conflict that the modern Middle East finds itself caught in.

As is typical of her practice, Kaabi-Linke produces works from a variety of media and in this exhibition she brings together a disparate display of objects, sculptures, and wall pieces. Her mastery of contradiction is evident in her choice of medium: on the one hand she produces a work made from delicate handmade glass and on the other hand she manipulates a lobster trap found in the fishing ports of the UAE. Known for her wall-imprints of historical and graffiti inscribed walls, in Black is the New White Kaabi-Linke will be showing two such works, one of which – Bara’a Yadawiya - a six metre piece made up of fifteen different sized canvases.

Kaabi-Linke describes her art as a form of investigative practice performing a ‘‘kind of archaeology on contemporary life”. In Black is the New White we see Kaabi-Linke dissecting and challenging relevant issues prevalent across the Middle East today: from the euphoria of the revolution in Tunis, to the traditional dress of Gulf region, from the misplaced creative energies of Arab youth to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and from the restricted freedoms of women to the visual imagery of advertisements - all of which in their own way have led to a form of entrapment.

Black is the New White will be accompanied by a catalogue, which features a dialogue between the artist and independent writer and curator Sara Raza.

About Nadia Kaabi-Linke

Kaabi-Linke was born in born in Tunis in 1978 to a Russian mother from Kiev and a Tunisian father. She studied in the Academy of Fine Arts in Tunis, and later in Paris where she received a PhD (summa cum laud) at the Sorbonne University of Paris in 2008. Her solo exhibitions to date have been “Archives des banalités Tunisoises”, Galerie El Marsa, Tunis, 2009 and “Tatort”, Gallery Christian Hosp, Berlin, 2010 and has participated in a variety of group exhibitions most notably “Lines of Control”, Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA, 2012; “El arte contemporáneo en el Magreb“, dos orillas, Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain, 2011; “Based in Berlin, Kunst-Werke-Berlin”, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany, 2011; “The Future of a Promise” (the first Pan-Arab Pavilion) at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011; the 9th Sharjah Biennale in 2009 and the 25th Alexandria Biennale in 2009.

In 2011 she was one of the recipients of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize where her work Flying Carpets was exhibited at Art Dubai, 2011. She is also the recipient of the first prize of the Joint Art and Urban Architecture Competition for rebuilding the square "Platz der Stadt Hof Neukölln" in Berlin, Germany, 2010 and in 2009 was awarded the Prize of the Jury, 25th Alexandria Biennial for Mediterranean Countries, Alexandria, Egypt. Her works form part of the following public collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York (Prints and Illustrated Books), Abraaj Capital and the Ministère de la Culture et de la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine, Tunis, Tunisia. In 2011 she was the Artist in residence at The Delfina Foundation, London, UK. Today, she lives and works in both Tunis and Berlin.

Black is the New White

Solo exhibition for Nadia Kaabi-Linke

Lawrie Shabibi contemporary gallery

19 March, 2012 to 28th April, 2012

www.lawrieshabibi.com

Murakami's Ego Debut > Sneak Peek at the VIP Opening

2012-02-09T03:17:00.004+03:00

On tour with Murakami and Sheikha Al-Mayassa

And the sweets keep coming! Guests were offered bite-sized eclairs, macaroons, and so much more all of which had Murakami's artwork!

Look who we found! Simon du Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company

Amazing view of Ego

Installation View of Murakami - Ego, 2012, Al Riwaq, Doha, Qatar

Welcome to Murakami -‐ Ego, 2012 Inflatable structure

Takashi Murakami, the artist’s first solo exhibition in the Middle East. Murakami – Ego debuted tonight and will be on view from February 9 to June 24, 2012 in the Al-Riwaq exhibition hall, located on the grounds of the Museum of Islamic Art on Doha’s Corniche. The exhibition immerses visitors in a fantasy world conceived by the renowned Japanese artist, capturing the way Murakami channels the ecstasy and anxiety of contemporary culture.

Murakami – Ego is part of a series of cultural initiatives organized by the QMA to promote and support local and international art, foster conversations about artists and popular culture, and build bridges between cultures. At the time of the opening of Murakami – Ego, QMA also will present Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

“Qatar Museums Authority is pleased to present the work of renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami in Doha, for his first solo exhibition in the Middle East,” said Qatar Museums Authority Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. “The exhibition continues to advance QMA’s mission to encourage global cultural dialogue and exchange, as well as launch the 2012 celebration of forty years of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Japan.”

The exhibition features some of the artist’s most celebrated series, including “Kaikai Kiki Lots of Faces” and “Pom and Me,” which are presented in their entirety for the first time. For this presentation, Murakami has conceived of the exhibition itself as a work of art, creating new modes of display that include sculptural pedestals with digital animation, a circus tent that doubles as an indoor cinema, and a new 100-meter-long painting that wraps around the exhibition space. Most spectacularly, the artist depicts himself as a larger than life inflatable creature, greeting visitors at the entrance of the exhibition, turning the show into a giant self-portrait, in which Murakami appears as a character in his own typically supernatural world.

> For more pictures > Check our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/oasismagazine1

Oasis Magazine is Tweeting Live: Murakami, Art World Phenomenon, First Time in the Middle East > Opening Tonight! (Doha)

2012-02-08T11:30:00.000+03:00

Take a journey into Japanese pop culture with one of the most prolific contemporary artists of our time. EGO - Takashi Murakami’s first ever exhibit in the Middle East – is an interactive installation featuring circus tents, indoor cinemas, statues, paintings, and multimedia displays.

Named one of Time magazine's ‘100 Most Influential People’ in 2008, Murakami is an art world phenomenon. Throughout his 20 year career he’s directed music videos for Kanye West, seen his work sell for over $15 million at auction, conceived the ‘superflat’ design aesthetic and led the Kaikai Kiki art collective to international acclaim.

The Murakami exhibit launches the Qatar Japan 2012 program and highlights the special relationship the two countries share. It’s the largest collection of his work ever presented to the public and showcases both the diversity of Takashi Murakami’s art mediums and the singularity of his vision. Don’t miss it.

Murakami: Ego

EGO will be on display from February 9 to June 24, 2012.

Al-Riwaq Exhibition Hall, located on the grounds of the Museum of Islamic Art.

Shezad Dawood Abraaj Art Prize-Winner @AbraajArtPrize > at Paradise Row (London)

2012-02-07T18:49:00.003+03:00

View video interview with Shezad at: http://paradiserow.com/artists/31-Shezad-Dawood/video/

Photojournalist Ammar Abd Rabbo presents "Coming Soon" > @AyyamGallery (Beirut)

2012-02-07T18:45:00.000+03:00

Ammar Abd Rabbo "Coming Soon"
Thursday, Fabruary 16 at Ayyam Gallery, Beirut 7-9 PM

Exhibition Dates: February 16 - March 2, 2012

Ayyam Gallery Beirut is presents a new series of works by renowned photojournalist, Ammar Abd Rabbo, in his first artistic exhibition entitled ‘Coming Soon’. A chronicler of life’s events, capturing nearly every moment from the poverty stricken on the street to the world’s nobility and celebrated figures, Ammar changes his lens to provide a less objective view of the world. Ammar’ s new photographic works transport the viewer beyond the wall of informality providing a privileged look into one of life’s most intimate spheres.

Nude yet cloaked in shadow, the figure appears in stark silhouette against pure white or vividly luminous, almost sonorous, backgrounds. This duality heightens the intimacy, as if we, the viewer, are encroaching upon her solitude. Yet her emboldened poses welcome visitors to glimpse upon this hidden personal world.

Head tilted towards the heavens in exhalation, arms clasped in an embrace around her unborn child, even with her head shielded from the lens in a pensive, internalized moment, the familiarity and connection with the subject is tenable. Though cloaked in darkness, she does not shy away; her strength and calm of pose directly meets the gaze of the viewer. The standing, profile postures amplify the fortitude of the softer sex in its most vulnerable yet empowered state.

The simple composition of a silhouette offset with a richly colored backdrop creates a strikingly modern approach to portraiture. Standing proud or reclined with an arched back, the woman portrayed is a strong symbol of modern femininity and sexuality, directly referencing age-old fertility goddesses. This mixture of ancient symbolism and modern realism is present in all of Ammar’ s photographic works.

* Ammar Abd Rabbo will be present on the opening day to meet and discuss his art.

Born in Damascus in 1966, Ammar Abd Rabbo lived in Libya and Lebanon prior to ultimately residing in France in 1978. As one of the Arab world’s most important photojournalists, his work has been published in the world’s most widely circulated publications, from the ‘Time Magazine’, to ‘Paris Match’, ‘Der Spiegel’, ‘Le Monde’, and ‘Asharq Al Awsat’, where he signed more than 60 magazine covers. From a twenty-year career, his portfolio amassed intimate portraits of head of states, war coverage in Iraq, Lebanon and Libya, world-renowned celebrities like the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as well as high society events such as the Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week.

Image Consultant Najwa > @MaisonBoM (Riyadh)

2012-02-07T18:44:00.000+03:00

www.maisonbo-m.com

The Latest from Hayv Kahraman (artist -Born 1981- Iraq)> @thethirdline (Dubai)

2012-02-07T18:21:00.000+03:00

Hayv Kahraman (Born 1981 - Iraq): "The figures in my work reside in a precarious state of terrifying contingency. Things are happening; will happen; have happened; things that will lacerate when spoken about and are considered taboo or too harsh to deal with let alone witness; nonetheless an aura of sublimity is cast upon the figures, enriching them with an ornate divinity achieved by simple yet meticulously calculated brush strokes. This dichotomy or battle of the opposites encompasses the human condition as a whole and exposes our universal values together with our detestable errors.

Working mainly in ink on paper and oil on unprimed linen and wood, surface is an integral aspect of my compositions and holds a theoretical connotation to the subject matter. The exposed backgrounds create a void that reinforces the perilous environment inhibited by the figures. I have also explored installation work as in project Al Malwiya and large scale sliding puzzles.

As I was trained in a classical manor with a focus on the Italian school of painting, my figures are semi realistically rendered symbolic representations of the modern platonic form of the feminine, an ambiguous existence on the cusp of dejection and defiance.

Through an inherent childlike innocence in movement and form these figures transcend the boundaries of our dismal human condition and seek to subvert and emancipate conventional representations and habitual thought. They are in short surreal documentations of truth.

Evoking concepts of socially coded modes of thought and behavior, gender based issues, dynamics found in diasporic cultures of the middle east, and war are the essence of my visual language and the product of my experience as an Iraqi immigrant. I am a hybrid of east and west in today's growing global multiculturalism, the conditions of which are not dissimilar to those that gave birth to the golden age of Islamic thought and culture and paved the way to a refined state of sensory appreciation. Both aesthetically and conceptually the fusion of cultures are intrinsic to my work. Using the visual language of Bizhad, Islamic ornament, the Italian Renaissance, and Nihonga, I convey subversive figurative narratives that reflect societal concerns and defy doctrinal behavioural patterns."

Made with Love > Choux à la Crème by Rouba Mourtada @chouxalacreme (Beirut)

2012-02-06T16:23:00.000+03:00

Love is in the air this month and Choux à la Crème is celebrating with a fabulous week-long event debuting its Valentine's collection at Ginette concept store in Beirut. Starting this Tuesday the 7th of February and up until Valentine's Day on the 14th. Shop cards, gift tags, notepads, prints, totes and more. There's something for everyone on your list - friends, family, loved ones, crushes and even that ex you may want back (we won't tell!). Those of you not in Beirut, stay tuned as the Choux à la Crème website and e-boutique are launching next month!

Choux à la Crème is a boutique stationery company based in Beirut, Lebanon. Launched in January 2010 by graphic designer Rouba Mourtada, it was born out of a need to create high quality paper goods with a subtle Middle Eastern influence, unique enough to remain timeless and chic. Most of the printing is done on old presses and the foil stamping is done by hand, both of which contribute to the over-all artisan effect. More importantly, it strives to be eco-friendly and sources recycled and recyclable materials for all of its products. Manufacturing goods locally further allows it to reduce its carbon footprint and support local production.

All of the goods are made with love.

www.chouxalacreme.com

For more info, call: 01-443 083

Arab Designers @BOWbyAmanda & @Fozaza Launch the "V" Blazer Exclusively > @saucetweets S*uce (Dubai)

2012-02-06T16:13:00.000+03:00

The "V" Blazer by Arab designers Amanda Gedeon (@BOWbyAmanda) & Alanoud Badr (@Fozaza) launches exclusively at s*uce this Wednesday February 8th! Get your lovely blazers in time for Valentines. Click below for more info on the event and the designers:

http://sauceloves.com/2012/02/02/its-party-time/

www.bowbyamanda.com

www.facebook.com/ladyfozaza

"Makan fi al Zakerah" ( مكان في الذاكرة - Memory of a Place) > @NKanso @CuadroArt (tomorrow - Dubai)

2012-02-06T11:18:00.000+03:00

Nostalgia inspired photography series by Dubai-based Lebanese artist Nadine Kanso -

at Cuadro Fine Art Gallery

"Makan fi al Zakerah" (Memory of a Place) Kanso's photography series, sees her capturing images of today's Beirut and highlights with an eerie familiarity the resemblances they have with times long past.

The exhibition opens on Tuesday, February 7th 2012 at 6:30pm and will run till March 7th 2012.

Kanso's longing for her native Beirut is powerful in her honest depiction of dilapidated buildings in its older neighborhoods, juxtaposed with words and images from publications of the 1950's, 60's and 70's. The artist puts forth an honest and compelling comparison of Beirut's glory days with the reality of today's Lebanon. Images of elegant men and women peer out from the balconies of once luxurious buildings, most likely similar to those they probably once occupied. Words and phrases from these publications of times gone by resonate with the spirit, energy and issues that are relevant in today's world.

Cuadro Fine Art Gallery Director Bashar Al Shroogi remarked, "It's fascinating to see the added complexity in the second iteration of Nadine's "Makan fi al Zakerah" series. The artist is, through socio-political parallels, literally imposing the past as present upon the viewer."

''Maze" Meaning "Table" in Kuwaiti Dialect > Furniture Designer: Bibi Alghanim (Kuwait)

2012-02-04T17:07:00.001+03:00

"Maze" ('table' in the Kuwaiti dialect), is a furniture line founded and designed by Kuwaiti designer Bibi Alghanim. The furniture line also refers to the meaning of maze as a complex structure or passageway. Bibi's designs effortlessly meld Eastern and Western influences into designs that are complex yet simply put a maze of color and cultural influences.

"Where there's a will, there's a way" says Maze founder Bibi Abdullah Alghanim. "I had a will...Colours were always my passion, since I was young I always loved combining colours and fabrics, mixing and matching to see what I'd come up with. Furniture as well was my joy especially the decorative part of it like cushions, throws, ottomans and tables."

"My vintage pieces are chosen and created carefully starting from the fabric, the handcraft, the embroidery, the tassels and even to the legs of the ottomans. The pieces are individual, authentic, and exquisite handmade creations. The concept behind my work is the reversible, double-sided technique so as to have a nice variety of two designs in one item."

In Love with Newsha Tavakolian's Photography > A Look into Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Women, Religion, & Politics

2012-02-04T15:22:00.002+03:00

Newsha Tavakolian (b. 1981-Iran), is a self-taught photographer, whose passion for photography pushed her to seek work as a professional photographer from the age of 16. She started working for major international newspapers and magazines from the age of 21, covering wars, natural disasters, and social documentaries in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Today, she is known for highlighting women's issues and working between documentary photography and art.

www.newshatavakolian.com

Genius > An Exhibition of Genius Illustrations Produced in the UAE @ToonArtGallery (Dubai)

2012-02-02T14:32:00.001+03:00

Curated by The Domino @TheDominoDubai GENIUS is the 3rd in a series of initiatives that promotes and supports a growing community of talented illustrators in the UAE.

Opening on the 1st of February, GENIUS features the works of 28 UAE based illustrators working in a range of styles from caricatures to commercial illustration to fine art and then some pushing the boundaries of the medium. GENIUS is showcasing over 60 pieces of work that explore and challenge definitions of illustration, its origins and its future. The exhibition is accompanied by a number of interactive discussions open to the public.

Artists taking part in "Genius": Adnan Arif, Ali Murad, Anas Awad, Bob Dahm, Deform Industry, Dina Khorchid, Dina Sami, Ella Orencillo, Flordeliza Pesigan, German Fernandez, Guillermo Munro, Julia Townsend (in collab. with Lewis Castaneda and Raymond Prucher), Khalid Mezaina, Kristy Anne Ligones, Layan Attari, Liz Ramos, Luis Vasquez, Mandana Ziaei, Maria Neschetna, Mark Ganzon, Mohammed Hindash, Nasim Abaein, Ragini Nagu, Sasan Saidi, Stefan Messam, Tulip Hazbar, Victoria Viray, Wafa Hasher Al Maktoum.

1 - 29 February at The Cartoon Art Gallery, Al Quoz Dubai.

Location map: http://www.cartoonartgallery.org/contact/

Performing for the First Time Ever in the MiddleEast! > Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens @QatarMuseumsAut (Doha)

2012-02-02T14:10:00.001+03:00

Tickets for the upcoming concert by world-renowned artist Yusuf Islam are now available for purchase online on the website of Qatar Museums Authority and at the Museum of Islamic Art. The concert which will take place on Thursday 16 February at the MIA Park is the artist’s first public performance in the Middle East. The concert which will journey through the extensive catalog of musical hits by Yusuf Islam will be the first in a series of musical performances planned at MIA Park throughout the year.

Yusuf Islam was born in London to a Greek Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. Formally known as Cat Stevens, he was one of the biggest solo artists of the 60s and 70s, selling more than 60 million albums with hits including, Father and Son, Wild World, Peace Train and many more. Following a serious illness and after a near drowning incident, he received a translation of the Qur'an and converted to Islam in 1977 in which he found peace and universal understanding. He decided to withdraw from the music industry at his peak and changed his name to Yusuf Islam beginning a new life.

Following his conversion to Islam, Yusuf Islam became an energetic philanthropist, humanitarian and an enthusiastic supporter of Islamic Education in UK after the birth of his first child. He has been recognized worldwide for his humanitarian efforts. In the 1990s, Yusuf gradually returned to the music business and eventually began performing songs from his time as Cat Stevens. Commenting on his return, he said: “I needed to reconnect with the fans I left back in the 70's, those who still held the same ideals for peace and love which I sang about and which I still promote today as a Muslim.” Yusuf Islam was one of the first Muslim converts to write Islamic songs in English. A pioneering Islamic Nasheed artist and producer, his record company, Mountain of Light, has produced some of the most popular recordings for children, including A is for Allah and I Look, I See, which teach children the basics of Islam. He has also recorded the spoken word Biography of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

As a new recreational facility in Doha, MIA Park hosts Yusuf Islam's concert marking the launch of several activities aimed to engage the local community and offer a new venue for entertainment, creativity and leisure.

In addition to front-row seating, VIP tickets priced at 750 QR offers: on-site parking, an exclusive reception with Yusuf Islam, free tickets to “Murakami – Ego” a contemporary art exhibition soon to open at Al Riwaq and a bag of goodies. Regular tickets will be on sale for 210 QR fans who choose this option must park their vehicles at the Qatar National Theatre parking lot and will be transported to the venue by buses provided by the organizers. All seats at the venue will be numbered and reserved.

For further information, call the Museum of Islamic Art at 44224444 or visit www.mia.org.qa For further information about Yusuf Islam please visit www.yusufislam.com

Mesmerizing Photos by Turkish Artist Nazif Topcuoglu > Green Art Gallery (Dubai)

2012-02-02T13:34:00.000+03:00

Green Art Gallery opens its 2012 program with a solo exhibition for the acclaimed Turkish photographer Nazif Topcuoglu presenting a new series of works. Marking the artist’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, the show opens on January 11th and will be on view until March 5th 2012. A reception will be held on the 11th of January from 7 – 9 pm in the presence of the artist.

Known for his highly staged theatrical works typically featuring young girls living in lavish period backdrops, Nazif Topcuoglu’s photographs take on a nostalgic view of youth. While in his works, like Proust, he does not glorify a certain-definite- “past” era, he nonetheless implies a yearning for one’s own youth or an imagined “golden age”. The way in which we as humans rate our experience as valuable is through moments that are imagined, be they in the past (half-remembered) or in the future (not yet realized).

This idealization of youth however, goes hand in hand with an overall sense of sadness and desperation felt by the artist. With the encroaching global problems facing the youth today, wars, famines, economical downturns, a hope for a better future becomes an idealization in itself. Topcuoglu, who is part of the generation who participated in the major upheavals the world faced in the 1960‘s, maintains that the sense of hope, of a view of changing the world experienced then, seems desolate and almost obsolete today.

The young female characters depicted in his works have grown up in this very context and are now facing the various adult issues of the day. Like a modern day Alice, they may be opposed and frustrated at every turn, but they are mostly dissenters not collaborationists, speaking up against the way people insist on the rightness of their conventional ways of doing things. Like in the Alice stories, these girls raise the voice of common sense against the arbitrary rules and unjust commandments of the grown-up world. It is for this reason that when looking at Topcuoglu’s seemingly ‘pretty’ images of attractive girls, the viewer nonetheless cannot help but sense a disturbing tension at what lies beneath.

Born in 1953, Nazif Topcuoglu graduated with a Masters degree from the Institute of Design in Chicago in 1981. Since then he has exhibited worldwide and has held several solo shows both in Istanbul and abroad, as well as publishing 3 books on the history and criticism of photography. Topcuoglu’s work was included in the Turkish pavillion during the 50th Venice biennale in 2003 and he has participated in various prestigious group shows including“ A Subjective Panorama of Contemporary Turkish Photography” as part of the Turkish Cultural Season in Paris at the Maison de Metallos in November 2009. His work is included in several public and private collections as well as several significant publications on contemporary art. These include: “Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography”, published by Phaidon in 2006, “User’s Manual: Contemporary Art in Turkey 1986-2006”, published by art-ist in 2007 and “Unleashed: Contemporary Art from Turkey” which was published by Transglobe in the spring of 2010.

gagallery.wordpress.com

First Online GCC Wedding Directory Creates Cartoon > Fresh Outlook at the GCC's Brides - YaM3iris @yebab

2012-02-01T20:07:00.001+03:00

Dubai Internet City Announces Expansion Plans of Region’s Leading Online Wedding Directory Yebab.com

Dubai-UAE: 1 February, 2012 – E-commerce will witness an upward growth trend in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt with Internet retail sites touching US$1 billion sales in 2011 for the first time, according to industry analysts Euromonitor International. This evolution is due to the increasing internet user-base in these countries and more Arab shoppers moving to an online purchasing model, said senior executives from Dubai Internet City and Yebab.com, the region’s leading and the only online wedding directory in Arabic.

Yebab.com was one of the participants at DemoCamp Dubai, an initiative spearheaded by DIC as part of its continuing support to emerging entrepreneurs. DemoCamp Dubai offers a crucial platform for tech entrepreneurs to demonstrate their innovative concepts to an audience of investors and venture capitalists. Yebab raised its first round of investment from this event and since then has grown from 30 online retailers on the website in 2008 to more than 1,400. Revenue has nearly doubled while traffic has increased tenfold in 2011.

The site, which provides brides with comprehensive wedding planning services, from gown selection to photography, catering, and venue booking, has cornered a lucrative market by focusing on Emirati weddings.

As part of its expansion plans in 2012, the internet firm aims to extend its services to Saudi Arabia and Egypt in addition to unveiling the first Emirati cartoon ‘Ya Mae’arees’ that portrays the experience of a young Emirati bride in a modern environment. A joint venture with Kharabeesh, the animation can be currently viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/YaM3iris

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “Online and e-commerce business models have changed across the region due to the increasing Internet penetration and the transformation of usage models. At DIC, we are already seeing this evolution due to our regular interaction with entrepreneurs and their innovations that are based on mobile and internet technologies. Most of these aspiring business persons have been recognised by some investors while a few others have opened creative venues for tech enthusiasts. A large number of these innovators are from the UAE and the region, which is indicative of the market’s readiness to invest in online business models.”

Murshed Mohamed, CEO, Yebab.com, said: “The plan from the beginning was to follow the ‘Lean Startup’ concept testing different business models and adapting to what works for our business. This was also done keeping in mind the needs and requirements of the consumer. Therefore, the website focused on giving the bride a new experience by reducing the time spent online and bringing in innovative design concepts. The cartoon is a long term business investment as it could be used as a huge product placement and draw sponsorships that expose brands to Emirati brides and the local community.”

J'ai Deux Amours (I have two Loves)> An Exhibition on Immigration (Paris)

2012-02-01T17:53:00.000+03:00

The Cité Nationale de l'Histoire de l'Immigration decided, when it was created, to bring contemporary art into its collections. It enriches the historic and anthropologic perspective of artists' interpretation of exile, the notion of borders or the question of people's identity, increasingly present in a world of cultural, economic and digital mutations. From Kader Attia to Chen Zhen, from Mona Hatoum to Mathieu Pernot, from Bruno Serralongue to Djamel Tatah, «J'ai deux amours» (I have two loves) shows to what point thoughts on immigration inhabit art today.

A reference centre

The Cité Nationale de l'Histoire de l'Immigration that opened to the public in the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, in 2007, is a cultural multidisciplinary institution as it holds a museum, a room for shows, a movie theatre, a library and a venue for debates. Together with the musée National de l'Histoire et des Cultures de l'Immigration (national museum on the history and culture of immigration), a cultural program, a centre of resources and of reference and a network of partners, its mission is to bring together, protect, give value and make accessible to the largest number of persons the history of immigration, and to have the public know and recognize the role immigration played in the building of France.

Immigration = transformation

In the exhibition «J'ai deux amours», «immigration, whether temporary or long lasting, is no longer a passage but rather a transformation» (Hou Hanru and Evelyne Jouanno, guest curators). Mobility, as seen by the artists, is not only geographic, it is also a way of living, of creating, of regenerating. Today's artists are citizens of the global village and are in transit between their original cultures and the cultural capitals of Paris, New York, Berlin, London, New Delhi or Beirut… Their works, often the reflection of these crossed-identities, are the proof of the tension felt in this uprooting and the latter becomes the venue itself of the artists' creativity.

The exhibition is open till June, 24, 2012

CITÉ NATIONALE DE L'HISTOIRE DE L'IMMIGRATION

293, avenue Daumesnil, 75012 PARIS

http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/2011/3/j-ai-deux-amours

Are you ready for your 15 minutes of fame? > Andy Warhol Exhibition & iPhone app (Singapore)

2012-02-01T10:51:00.001+03:00

‘Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal’ exhibition will tour Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo throughout 2012/14

"In the future everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes" - Andy Warhol

To mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the acclaimed American painter, printmaker and filmmaker, BNY Mellon is bringing the largest touring collection of Andy Warhol’s work to Asia in 2012/14.

Andrew Warhola (6 August 1928 – 22 February 1987), known as Andy Warhol, was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as Pop Art. 15 Minutes Eternal will be the largest retrospective exhibition of the artist in Asia to date. It will feature over 300 paintings, photographs, screen prints, drawings, 3-D installations and sculptures to provide a fascinating insight into one of the most provocative and influential artists of the 20th century. Iconic works in the exhibition include Jackie (1964), Marilyn Monroe (1967), Mao (1972), Campbell’s Soup (1961), Silver Liz (1963), The Last Supper (1986), and Self-Portrait (1986).

The exhibition is curated by The Andy Warhol Museum in Warhol’s home town of Pittsburgh. It chronicles the breadth of the artist’s career and demonstrates the extraordinary scope of his interests. It will travel to five Asian cities over 27 months starting at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, where it will run from 17 March 2012 until 12 August 2012. It will then tour to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing throughout 2013 and end in Tokyo in 2014. Further details on these locations will be confirmed in due course.

“Fascinated by the glitterati, Warhol remains a complex and often misunderstood persona, whose artwork depicting consumer objects such as Heinz ketchup boxes, and paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Mao Tse-Tung have been imprinted into our collective consciousness,” said Eric Shiner, director, The Andy Warhol Museum. Shiner added: “We are thrilled that BNY Mellon is bringing the life, work and creative genius of Andy Warhol to cities across Asia. This remarkable and extensive collection celebrates anew someone whose life and work define the concept: fame is fleeting, art is eternal.” “BNY Mellon’s global commitment to the arts is designed to facilitate access and deeper exploration of art through the communities in which we live and work. We are very proud to be supporting The Andy Warhol Museum and bringing this remarkable body of work to Asia,” said Steve Lackey, chairman of Asia-Pacific, BNY Mellon.

Experience a glimpse of the exhibition via your smartphone!

Visitors with smartphones can preview a selection of the exhibition in advance. The Warhol Art app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android mobile devices via the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace. The Warhol Art app allows users to examine works of art and from The Warhol collection with an in-depth view of archival materials, letters, source images, film and video clips, and audio. The Warhol Art app features a behind-the-scenes glimpse of over 50 art works spanning Warhol’s career from the 1930s to late 1980s.

The Warhol D.I.Y. Pop app is also available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad mobile devices and can be downloaded via the iTunes app store. This app allows the user to learn about Warhol’s silkscreen process and create a digital silkscreen print by utilizing the built-in camera or a photo from the device’s library as source material. The user employs Warhol’s famed process step by step to create a personal work of art. The hands-on process includes cropping, exposing, painting, and even pulling the virtual screen. Once completed, the user can then share this newly created art via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. The Warhol D.I.Y app also includes information about The Warhol, a curator’s video perspective, a video demonstration of the actual silkscreen process and more.

Musical Alchemy > Omar Basaad (profile of a young music producer) @OmarBasaad

2012-01-31T13:35:00.000+03:00

“Men die but music lives on. Leading and learning are indispensable to each other,” John F. Kennedy once said. Omar Basaad captures the quintessence and continues to discover and progress in building memorable beats. He chooses to steer his dreams by music and lead the infinitude course.

The youngest Saudi music producer loves being in the studio and deems music as the theme of life. Unique in his origin, he is a young music prodigy and a prevalent Saudi media figure. Born to a Turkish mother and a Saudi father, Omar infuses his music with his mixed heritage and a stroke of bold imagination.

Soon to release his new single ‘La Chants’ Basaad talks exclusively to Oasis Magazine for the very first time. Interview and article by Mariam Nihal for Oasis Magazine...

His quest to create something new. He believes in “taking your own experiences and making something out of them.” With his single, “Theme Of Life,” released on iTunes worldwide in 2011, he did just that. The world certainly stopped and allowed this transition. “No one back in the day could have imagined a Saudi choosing, let alone commanding respect in the electronic music spectrum,” admits Basaad.

Basaad’s music journey started off with him buying a beat-box and DJ equipment. He is also a keyboard player and plays a few notes on the radio edit to his single 'Theme of Life,' now available on Youtube.

Basaad wanted more. So he involved himself in the production side of music, at the young age of 17. He envisioned himself to be more than just a onetime wonder, so he delved deeper into audio engineering. He pursued music in the United Kingdom and played his music in Turkey and the Middle East region.

Describe yourself in three words.

The Insatiable Dreamer.

Can you give us a sneak peak into any new tracks, remixes and collaborations coming our way in the near future? I have a new track coming up called ‘’La Chants’’. The teaser is already out there, but I haven’t released it yet. Currently I’m working with a couple of new talents from Saudi and hopefully I’ll be collaborating with one of the top 100 DJs in the world.

What’s your favorite song at the moment? “Levels by Avicii’’.

Read the full and interview article in Oasis Magazine's 18th issue (now in stores)

Listen to Omara Basaad's tracks at: www.omarbasaad.com

Images courtesy of Omar Basaad

Cruel & Unusual > Eleven Women Photographers Take Us on a Journey Behind Prison Walls (Netherlands)

2012-01-30T10:09:00.002+03:00

Worldwide, prisons are ‘home’ to more than 9 million people, and their numbers will only increase over the coming decades. But what do our various societies seek to accomplish by locking up such massive numbers of offenders? From 18th of February through the 1st of April, in Cruel and Unusual Noorderlicht Photogallery presents revealing, and quite unexpected photography dealing with life behind bars. For this exhibition the guest curators Hester Keijser and Pete Brook have brought together work by eleven women photographers, most of which has never before been shown in Europe. As background for the exhibition Noorderlicht is publishing a newspaper with articles, interviews and extra photo material.

Cruel and Unusual looks at how the prison system is presented in images, and how these images are created, distributed and consumed. How do citizens – tax payers and empathetic humans – come to an understanding of life in prisons on the basis of the information – politicized or not – which they receive? Cruel and Unusual takes a startling and sometimes disconcerting look behind various prison walls around the world. Each photographer confronts her viewers in her own way with the question how current practices of mass incarceration reflects our changing sense of decency and justice.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The title of the exhibition refers to the English Bill of Rights from 1689 and the Eighth Amendment to the America constitution, which stipulates that citizens must not be subject to ‘cruel and unusual punishment’. But when is punishment cruel and unusual? To assist in the public discussion of this issue, photography helps by providing insight into the various facets play a role in the question.

Participating photographers

The photographers selected, Araminta de Clermont, Amy Elkins, Alyse Emdur, Christiane Feser, Brenda-Ann Kenneally, Jane Lindsay, Deborah Luster, Nathalie Mohadjer, Yana Payusova, Lizzie Sadin and Lori Waselchuk, each use their own strategies, materials and techniques. Given the extent of access to prisons, they work with amateur photography, alternative processes, texts, painted images, digital manipulation or traditional black and white documentary photography. Much of the work is being shown in The Netherlands and Europe for the first time.

Pete Brook

Pete Brook is a freelance writer who focuses on the politics of media, visual culture and social justice issues, to the extent that they relate to photography and photojournalism. He publishes the results of his research on the widely-read blog Prison Photography. He recently made a crowdfunded round trip through the United States, Prison Photography on the Road. The outcome of that road trip is to be seen in this exhibition.

Hester Keijser

Hester Keijser is a freelance curator specialising in photography from and about the Middle East. She is presently working as the in-house programmer for The Empty Quarter Gallery in Dubai. She also writes the stimulating and influential photography blog mrs.deane.

Catalogue

Cruel and Unusual is accompanied by a unique catalogue in the form of a newspaper. In addition to visual material from the main exhibition, the publication includes articles, blogs, interviews, sketches and supplemental material from other photographers who Pete Brook has encountered during Prison Photography on the Road.

Opening and lecture

Andrea Stultiens (www.andreastultiens.nl) will be responsible for the opening of the exhibition on 17 February, at 5:00 p.m.

On 18 February, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., the guest curator Pete Brook will present a lecture on his road trip. In it he will also discuss the roles and responsibilities of bloggers in the light of the decline of print media.

Opening hours

18 February – 1 April

Noorderlicht Photogallery

(Admission free)

"Arabicity: Divided We Stand" & 'Arab Photography Now' Book Launch > Talk by Rose Issa @AthrGallery (Jeddah)

2012-01-29T17:14:00.000+03:00

Arab Photography Now

Sunday, 5th February, 2012 (7.30 pm - 9.30 pm) Athr Gallery (200 SR per person)

This publication shows the visual dynamics of Arab photography in all its fascinating beauty, revealing a rich new aesthetic. We see works of great political and cultural relevance by thirty-six photographers. Their visual imagery constitutes an exciting and instructive journey for the reader. Each of the contributing photographers was asked to supply a statement on his or her life and experience as an artist.

Arabicity: Divided We Stand When 22 polymorphous countries share the same language, geographical and historical sphere and a majority the same religion, is there a common cultural link? “Arabicity” (Ourouba) explores what some “Arab” concerns may be, conceptually and artistically. Through the work of very different artists from the Arab world, this presentation shows how they resist stereotyping, challenge the confines of their identity, reshape the parameters of their traditions and bring visual poetry to life. Another line of enquiry is whether there are any links between the old and new aesthetic in Arab culture.

How comes that most well known artists have in common their multi-layering of Arab history in their work, even if they belong to different cultures - East and West, south and north? Were there signs of changes to come in their work? How aware are they of boundaries? How do they layer Eastern elements with western techniques, experiences and histories, personality and pride? Who are their role models? How do they negotiate and illustrate the fragmented nature of memory and nostalgia? “Arabicity” is about the different routes and roots that artists from the Arab world choose, whether living inside or outside the region. It gives them a space in which to express their response to the personal, national and regional issues affecting the Arab world - why do we do what we do, resist clichés, injustice, opportunism and sometimes opportunities.

Iran: The Fabric of Life & Art

by Rose Issa Monday, 6th February, 2012 (7.30 pm - 9 pm) Athr Gallery (200 SR)

Could the current focus on Iranian modern and contemporary art be a superficial buzz, or are there genuine interest, concerns and creations, regarding this ‘emerging’ art scene? The 1970s witnessed, under the initiative of Queen Farah Pahlavi and her team of expert-advisors, the construction of more than a dozen museums, of contemporary art, Qajar art, Islamic art, and numerous cultural centers. The acquisitions, whether ancient, modern or contemporary started during prosperous times in Iran, when the price of oil was high. However, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new regime dismantled or confiscated some, but few collections remained intact, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

So now are we witnessing another wave of collecting, out of the center, in the peripheries such as Dubai, the Honk Kong of Iran? Or is there a genuine need to document our cultures and take a step towards our own representations?

Criterium of Choices

by Rose Issa Private collections vs. Public institutions: collecting contemporary artworks from the Arab world, Iran, and Turkey. (Tuesday, 7th February, 2012 7.30 pm - 9 pm - Athr Gallery - 200 SR)

This introductory brief by Rose Issa, who has advised, for more than two decades, several public institutions in Europe and USA, and many private collectors all over the world, shows through her eyes and experience how collecting developed in the last 40 years, from the early contemporary collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in the late 70s to current trends in Europe and the creation of new foundations in the Gulf.

www.athrart.com

Coming Full Circle > Art Consultancy JAMM (Kuwait) - Feature in Oasis Magazine

2012-01-29T14:05:00.001+03:00

JAMM is the Art Advisory service founded by HH Sheikha Lulu al Sabah of Kuwait. In this issue of Oasis Magazine, Maha Majzoub talks to HH Sheikha Lulu about finally debuting JAMM in its home Kuwait. JAMM previously only had a space in London but today has a permanent space in Kuwait and soon it will be opening a unique space in Dubai in collaboration with Toby (the brand by Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel).

Tea-inspired art exhibition > at Bait Nasif (best preserved traditional house in Jeddah)

2012-01-29T13:50:00.000+03:00

الفنانة التشكيلية "فاطمة باعظيم" تروي مشهدية فنية استثنائية عبر لوحات تشكيلية تعرضها في باحة "بيت ناصيف" بجدة ضمن معرضها "الشاي ... ألالهام"

المعرض يؤسس لحوار فكري عصري يتحرر من النمطي نحو الحداثة والدعوة للاكتشاف

...ويجسد احتفاء بلحظة الإلهام لدى المبدعين

اللوحات تتخلص من سيطرة الموضوع الفني كمحور أساسي نحو سيطرة مادة التشكيل البصري ... وتقدم نوعا من الانعتاق الجريء من سحر الألوان التقليدية

جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية، يناير 2012: "ما أروعها تلك اللحظات التي نعيشها في عبق التاريخ، والتي ترتسم فيها أسمى معاني الأصالة والحضارة، لقد كانت آسرة تلك الدقائق التي عاشتها المنطقة التارييخية في مدينة جدة وتحديدا في "بيت نصيف"، تلك المنطقة التي كانت دوما ملاذا للفنانيين الموهوبين لينثرو ابداعاتهم بين ثناياها وباحاتها، اجواء حجازية بالغة الروعة رسمت الإبتسامة على محيا كل من عاشها عندما تعالت أصوات الفرقة الشعبية زارعة الفرحة في قلوب كل الضيوف اللذين شاركو في تدشين معرض "الشاي .. الإلهام" للفنانة فاطمة باعظيم والذي احتضنته ودعمته مبادرة ليبتون للإلهام، التي اطلقتها شركة بن زقر يونيليفر في المملكة العربية السعودية.

In collaboration with Lipton’s “A Sip of inspiration” Initiative, artist Fatima Baazim exhibits artistic scenery in “Bait Nasif” Hall in Jeddah. The “Tea… Inspiration” exhibition contemplates the relationship between the creator and their daily routines.

Jeddah, January 24, 2012: In collaboration with Lipton’s “A Sip of Inspiration” campaign, launched by Binzagr Unilever KSA, Artist Fatima Baazim opened her exhibition in “Biet Nasif” Hall in Jeddah, where she has taken artistry and artistic experience to new heights in the Kingdom. The “Tea… Inspiration” exhibition showcases a collection of paintings with which Fatima Baazim marks the beginning of a new experimental phase in her career. Through her exceptional vision, she establishes the concept of using brewed tea in shaping these works of art.

Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam > #hajjexhibition @britishmuseum (London)

2012-01-27T16:46:00.000+03:00

Examining the extraordinary travel logistics involved and how the wider operation of the event has changed over time, the exhibition compares how pilgrims over the centuries negotiated this often monumental undertaking and how it continues to be experienced by people from all corners of the globe today. Beautiful objects, including historical and contemporary art, textiles and manuscripts, bring to life the profound spiritual significance of the sacred rituals that have remained unchanged since the Prophet Muhammad’s time in the 7th century AD.

Exhibition curator Venetia Porter introducing the Hajj Exhibition

'This exhibition will enable a global audience to deepen their understanding of the significance and history of the Hajj. In particular, it will allow non-Muslims to explore the one aspect of Islamic practice and faith which they are not able to witness, but which plays such a major part in forming a worldwide Islamic consciousness.' Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum

The exhibition which has been organised in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Public Library Riyadh will examine three key strands: the pilgrim’s journey with an emphasis on the major routes used across time (from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East); the Hajj today, its associated rituals and what the experience means to the pilgrim; and Mecca, the destination of Hajj, its origins and importance.

A wide variety of objects will be lent to the exhibition. Loans include significant material from Saudi Arabia including a seetanah which covers the door of the Ka’ba as well as other historic and contemporary artefacts from key museums in the Kingdom. Other objects have come from major public and private collections in the UK and around the world, among them the British Library and the Khalili Family Trust. Together these objects will evoke and document the long and perilous journey associated with the pilgrimage, gifts offered to the sanctuary as acts of devotion and the souvenirs that are brought back from Hajj. They include archaeological material, manuscripts, textiles, historic photographs and contemporary art. The Hajj has a deep emotional and spiritual significance for Muslims, and continues to inspire a wide range of personal, literary and artistic responses, many of which will be explored throughout the exhibition. This exhibition concludes the British Museum’s series of three exhibitions focused on spiritual journeys.

www.britishmuseum.org/hajj_exhibition

Who is Sugar Vintage? > Interview with Leila Al Marashi (Oasis Magazine Autumn 2011)

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000+03:00

Inspired by tiny kiosks in Singapore, the duo that launched Sugar Vintage took on the fashion world and released a line that breathed a Parisian soul to traditional designs. The high-end fashion line, now run entirely by Leila Al Marashi, made vintage accessible and oh-sochic to the everyday fashionista.

What is your design philosophy?

Be generous with the quality of the raw materials used and for the fabrics, use nothing but the best. My inspiration is from streetwear, how people carry off a certain look; I love young edgy designers that are emerging. Other things that inspire me are culture, everyday life, travels, and Vogue of course.

What has been the toughest challenge so far? Setting up an infrastructure for my production and ensuring the demand and supply growth compliment one another.

What has been your greatest accomplishment? Sugar Vintage not only expanded in the GCC, but also is now also available in ten different countries in only two and a half years.

What do you feel is the role of the designer? The role of the designer is to understand the fashion trends and make it consistent with the brand’s identity. To understand the demands of his/her customer and to get the fit and cuts right. For me comfort and functionality are so important. A designer needs to be able to maintain the level of the brand through quality, durability, etc.

If you were to be remembered for one thing, what would you like it to be?

Originality and the ability to put a smile on my customers’ faces.

Where do you hope to be in ten years? For the brand: a global brand, an empire with perfume and cosmetics, shoes, bags, swimwear, and accessories falling under Sugar Vintage. Active in all fashion weeks and shows.

What is your advice for young aspiring designers and entrepreneurs? Start small and let your business grow organically. Have a very clear idea of what the growth strategy of your brand is and always be consistent.

Are you working on any new projects? Yes! My Spring/Summer collection for 2012, which will be showcased in Paris Fashion week! The rest, is a surprise!

www.sugarvintage.com

Lunar & Rén, fuses > Nordic Design with Eastern influences (Furniture Design)

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000+03:00

SPACE Copenhagen present the new Lunar and Rén furniture Collection with StellarWorks January 2012

Danish design duo SPACE Cph are delighted to announce their first collection with the newly established design brand StellarWorks. Launched at last year's China International Furniture Expo September 2011, SPACE'S new furniture collection, Lunar and Rén, fuses Nordic design with influences from the East.

"From the very beginning we found The StellarWorks project very exciting, very modern in its constellation and very compatible to how we work and our approach to design. The Japanese/French ownership founded on a high appreciation of artisan skills relating to both culture and tradition, combined with a specific passion for Scandinavian Design was very inspiring. Our hope has been to create a convincing series of furniture infused with this cross-culture phenomena where the pieces are perceived intuitively with a recognition of this storytelling as an apparent part of the aesthetics." -- Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, Co-founders of SPACE.

Sursock Museum's Salon D'automne 2012 > (Beirut)

2012-01-26T19:11:00.000+03:00

معرض الخريف الحادي والثلاثين في مركز بيروت للمعارض

The annual “Salon D’Automne” of Sursock Museum is back to the Beirut Exhibition Center. The event will take place from the 28th of January till February the 17th, 2012. In 2011, “Salon D’Automne” of Sursock Museum presented 118 pieces realized by 98 artists and selected by the jury after 4 selection rounds. Prizes of the 30th Edition were distributed as followed: the Sursock Museum Prize awarded to Raouf Rifai, the prize for talent was awarded to Youssef Nehme and the Jury Prize went to Mario Saba. Finally, the work of Annie Kurkjian, May Haddad, Karim and Hassan Joreij Zahreddine all received a special mentioning.

تستضيف شركة سوليدير صالون الخريف (Salon d’Automne) الحادي والثلاثين الذي ينظمه متحف نقولا سرسق ويتم افتتاحه عند الساعة السادسة من مساء السبت 28/1/2012 في مركز بيروت للمعارض عند الواجهة البحرية لوسط بيروت.

يضم المعرض 120 عملاً فنياً لـ 98 فناناً لبنانياً اختارتهم لجنة تحكيم من بين 465 عملاً لـ 229 فناناً عرضوا عليها. وسيقوم رئيس لجنة متحف سرسق الوزير السابق طارق متري خلال حفل الافتتاح بالاعلان عن الجوائز وتوزيعها على الفنانيين التي نالت اعمالهم المراتب الاولى.

يستمر المعرض لغاية 17 شباط 2012 حيث يفتح أبوابه يومياً من الساعة الحادية عشر صباحاً حتى الثامنة مساءً.

www.beirutexhibitioncenter.com

Suspended Dreams > Visual Arts Festival Damascus @ International Film Festival Rotterdam

2012-01-26T14:57:00.000+03:00

January 30 – February 02 2012

Suspended Dreams, experimentation and documentary in Syrian cinema, curated by Charlotte Bank / Shifting Shores, video, installation and performance, curated by Delphine leccas and Charlotte Bank / Complete programme attached and available on the festival website: http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/programmaonderdelen/signals-power-cut-2012/

The non-profit organization AIN launched the Visual Arts Festival Damascus in 2010 with a program comprising exhibitions, screenings, multi-media performances, lectures and talks. The aim of the festival is to create a forum for meetings and discussions focused on contemporary visual practice in the Middle East in dialogue with other regions of the world and to facilitate exchange between young artists from Syria and the neighboring Arab countries. The 2012 edition of the festival will have a nomadic form and see its premiere as a guest of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

To facilitate this new format, the emphasis in the 2012 edition will be on moving images; film and video, presented as screenings, installations & performance. Curators: Charlotte Bank and Delphine Leccas

Art is Change > "DETOUR: Saudi Art Movement" (Teaser) @edgeofarabia

2012-01-26T14:16:00.000+03:00

I Am Anything, I Am Everything > Ayman Yossri Daydban (Jeddah)

2012-01-26T14:02:00.001+03:00

المعرض يفتتح أبوابه من الآن ولغاية 16 فبراير في صالة أثر الفنية في مدينة جدة

فنان الوسائط المتعددة المميز أيمن يسري ديدبان يسخر العلم الوطني ليعكس مفاهيم الهوية والانتماء خلال معرضه المميز «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء»

جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية، 26 يناير 2012: بعد عرض مسبق خاص لمنظمي المعارض والفنانين ومقتني الأعمال الفنية والنقاد وغيرهم من أفراد الحركة الفنية الدولية والإقليمية، افتتح الفنان أيمن يسري ديدبان معرضه المميز «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء» في صالة أثر الفنية بجدة، إذ ستستمر فعالياته من الآن ولغاية 16 فبراير.

وفي معرضه الفردي السابع له «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء»، يوسع ديدبان من استخدامه للعلم كوظيفة شكلية من خلال طي الصفائح المعدنية الملساء واللامعة وإعادة تشكيلها بطريقة إبداعية لصنع أعمال فنية قائمة بذاتها تظهر للمشاهد انعكاساً جديد و متغير. وبارتفاع مترين وعرض متر واحد، قام ديدبان بطي هذه الأعلام وطيها وتشكيلها ليصنع منها هياكل فنية جديدة.

ويُظهر العنصر الثاني من عناصر معرض «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء» تحويل ديدبان للثقافة الاستهلاكية من خلال النماذج المتكررة للعلم، حيث يقوم بطي المواد المهملة كصفحات المجلات والعلب الورقية وتهذيبها لصنع أعلام تعبر عن مفهوم الفنان للهوية والانتماء. ومن خلال وضعها على أوراق من نوعية أوراق المتحف، تهذب هذه الأعمال الصغيرة في «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء» الأشياء في الحياة اليومية وتحولها إلى أعمال فنية تسلط الضوء على التناقضات الموجودة في المجتمع الحديث الذي تحدده رغبات المستهلك.

وقبيل الافتتاح الرسمي لمعرض «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء»، اطلع الحضور على عمل ديدبان الجديد الذي يشكل جزء من معرض "يجب أن نتحاور" الأول لفناني "حافة الجزيرة العربية" داخل المملكة، الذي أُفتتح في جدة في 19 يناير.

وفي هذا الصدد، قال محمد حافظ، مؤسس صالة أثر الفنية: "لقد خلقت مشاركة أيمن في معرض حافة الجزيرة العربية "يجب أن نتحاور" توقعات كبيرة لمعرضه الفردي الجديد "أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء" في صالة أثر الفنية. إذ أن حجم هذه المجموعة الجديدة – وضع أعلام معدنية كبيرة إلى جانب أشكال مصغرة لثقافتنا الاستهلاكية التي عُرضت كعمل فني، مع إيصال مفهوم العلم الوطني عبر مجموعة متنوعة من الوسائط، يسلط الضوء على التقدم الذي أحرزته أعمال أيمن في عقده الأخير بوصفه فناناً محترفاً".

وأضاف حمزة صيرفين المؤسس المشارك لصالة أثر الفنية: "إن أيمن تحرر ولم يعد جسدا بل روحا وضمير وهو أي شيء وكل شيء".

وسيستمر معرض أيمن يسري ديدبان «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء» في صالة أثر الفنية حتى منتصف شهر فبراير، قبل انتقاله إلى دبي. وسيشهد عام 2012 إطلاق الفنان لكتابه الجديد عن أعماله فضلاً عن مشاركته في عدد من المعارض والفعاليات الإقليمية والدولية.

وفي معرض تعليقها على معرض «أنا أي شيء وأنا كل شيء»، قالت المؤرخة والخبيرة في تاريخ الفنون، سلوى مقدادي: "نرى في الأعمال الفنية لأيمن سيرة ذاتية ووصفاً للبيئة التي ترعرع فيها في آن معاً، حيث يعكس فنه حياته الشخصية بطرق عدة... ومن خلال التحدث إليه، يشعر المرء بأنه يعيش من أجل فنه إلى درجة الهوس، ويأتي أجر عمله الفني ومبيعاته في الدرجة الثانية بالنسبة لشغفه في جذب المشاهد إلى عالمه".

أيمن يسري ديدبان:

يعيش فنان الوسائط المتعددة أيمن يسري ديدبان (المولود في فلسطين عام 1966 والذي يحمل جنسية أردنية) في جدة في المملكة العربية السعودية. ويتمتع أيمن باحترام بالغ بين عشاق اقتناء الأعمال الفنية وزملائه الفنانين، فقد حظي بعدة معارض فردية وجماعية في جميع أنحاء العالم العربي منذ عام 1992. وفي عام 2008، شارك ديدبان في معرض حافة الجزيرة العربية في غاليري بروناي في جامعة لندن، وتميزت أعماله في مشاركات معرض حافة الجزيرة في بينالي البندقية 2009، وبرلين 2010، واسطنبول 2010 ودبي 2011. ومنذ ذلك الحين ظهرت أعماله في مزادات كريستيز في دبي، وتميزت في معرض "بالا-دراما" الجماعي الذي أشرف عليه الفنانة نور والي في غاليري برادايس رو في لندن، كما تميزت أعماله في مشاركات «صالة أثر الفنية» ضمن معرض آرت دبي 2009 و2010 و2011.

وعقب معرضه الفردي الأول في لندن في غاليري سيلمى فيرياني في يناير 2011، شارك أيمن في عدد من المعارض الدولية بما في ذلك "مستقبل الوعد" في معرض بينالي البندقية 2011، و"شجاعة الخروج من دائرة المألوف" في «صالة أثر الفنية» وبعدها في صالة سلطان، و"الدولة" في مؤسسة ترافيك الفنية في دبي، و"ترجمة تلفزيونية" في صالة كوادرو في دبي، بالإضافة إلى عدد من المشاركات في معارض الفنون التشكيلية مثل أرت دبي، ومراكش أرت فير، وميناسا أرت فير، و السولو-بروجيكت، بازل في يونيو 2011.

يقيم أيمن يسري ديدبان حالياً ويعمل في جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية

JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Following a private preview for curators, artists, collectors, critics and other members of the international and regional art world, Ayman Yossri Daydban's I Am Anything, I Am Everything exhibition is now on display at Athr Gallery in Jeddah until 16 February. In I Am Anything, I Am Everything, his seventh solo exhibition, Daydban extends his use of the flag as a form function, folding and repurposing glossy brushed sheets of stainless steel into freestanding yet fragilely balanced works that show the viewer a distorted reflection of identity.

Two metres in height and one metre wide, these unfurled, flag-sized artworks are folded, curled and shaped by the force of the artist's strength into origami-like new structures, including cones and boxes. The second element of I Am Anything, I Am Everything sees Daydban transform elements of consumer culture through the flag motif, folding and elevating pedestrian, discarded materials from magazine print to cardboard containers into flags which express the artist's concept of identity and belonging.

Framed on museum-quality paper, these smaller works in I Am Anything, I Am Everything elevate everyday objects into 'art' -- highlighting the contrasts in a modern society that is defined by its consumer appetites. Prior to the opening of I Am Anything, I Am Everything, audiences received a preview of Daydban's new work as part of "We Need To Talk", the first exhibition of Edge of Arabia artists within the Kingdom, which opened in Jeddah on 19 January.

"Ayman's participation in the Edge of Arabia exhibition 'We Need to Talk' has created tremendous anticipation for his new solo show, I Am Anything, I Am Everything at Athr Gallery. The scale of this new series - the juxtaposition of the large-scale steel flags to the miniature forms of our consumer culture showcased as art, with the concept of the flag communicated across a diversity of mediums -- highlights the progression that Ayman's work has made in his last decade as a professional artist, " said Mohammed Hafiz, Director, Athr Gallery.

Hamza Serafi, Co-founder of Athr Gallery commented: ''Essentially, Ayman has been liberated and is no longer bound by his physical body - he is anything and everything"' Ayman Yossri Daydban's I Am Anything, I Am Everything exhibition will remain at Athr Gallery until mid-February, before moving to Dubai.

2012 will see the artist launch a new book of his works as well as participate in a number of regional and international art fairs and events. Commenting on I Am Anything, I Am Everything, art historian Salwa Mikdadi said, "Ayman's art is both biographical and a commentary on the environment he grew up in; his art in many ways is a reflection of his life...Talking to him, one gets the sense that he lives for his art almost to the point of obsession. The price and sale of his art work are secondary to his passion for drawing the viewer into his world."

Domination, the master/slave relation, & its history> @viatraffic (Dubai)

2012-01-26T13:25:00.000+03:00

In order to grasp how globalization and global antagonism works, we should distinguish carefully between domination and hegemony. One could say that hegemony is the ultimate stage of domination and its terminal phase. Domination is characterized by the master/ slave relation, which is still a dual relation with potential alienation, a relationship of force and conflicts. It has a violent history of oppression and liberation. There are the dominators and the dominated- it remains a symbolic relationship. Everything changes with the emancipation of the slave and the internalization of the master by the emancipated slave. Hegemony begins here in the disappearance of the dual, personal, agonistic domination for the sake of integral reality- the reality of networks, of the virtual and total exchange where there are no longer dominators or dominated. - Jean Baudrillard, April 2005

The Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late eighteenth century. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. The design comprises a circular structure with an "inspection house" at its centre, from which the managers or staff of the institution are able to watch the inmates, who are stationed around the perimeter. Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to hospitals, schools, poorhouses, and madhouses, but he devoted most of his efforts to developing a design for a Panopticon prison, and it is his prison which is most widely understood by the term. Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind."

Domination, Hegemony and The Panopticon

Curated by Rami Farook

Artists: Allora and Calzadilla, Athier Katherine, Bernhardt Blek, Le Rat, Arnaud Brihay, Fahd Burki, André Butzer, Jake and Dinos Chapman, James Clar, Ayman Yossri aka Daydban, Manal Al Dowayan, Faile, Reem Al Faisal, Ian Francis, Michele Giangrande, Dan Graham, Loris Gréaud, Shilpa Gupta, Rokni Haerizadeh, Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Mark Jenkins, Jeffar Khaldi, Idris Khan, Bharti Kher, Barbara Kruger, Huda Lutfi, Jill Magid, Adam McEwen, Philip Mueller, Sara Naim, Ahmad Amin Nazar, Nicky Nodjoumi, Shahpour Pouyan, Richard Prince, Iman Raad, Hesam Rahmanian, Anselm Reyle, Farzan Sadjadi, Marwan Sahmarani, David Shrigley, Taryn Simon, Ebru Uygun, Vhils, Dan Witz, Word to Mother, and Zevs.

Opens Thursday, 2 Feb - 7 pm Performance by Diligent Thought* - 8pm

*Jibberish, Feras Ibrahim and Wriggly Scott (aka DJ Solo) have worked together for years as members of the conscious hip hop collective Diligent Thought (alongside fellow member SoulPhonic) and also on each other’s individual projects. They are widely regarded to be at the forefront of the live hip hop scene in the U.A.E.

Traffic

179 Umm Suqeim Rd

Dubai, UAE

www.viatraffic.org

The Khaizaran Chair > The archetypal chair gets redefined by Samer Al Ameen (Beirut)

2012-01-25T16:49:00.001+03:00

Walking Objects by Samer Al Ameen
In his first object Samer avoids creating new forms; rather, he uses a historical archetypal shape, the Khaizaran chair, which he then adapts through the use of new materials and techniques to give it a new meaning, combining the past and the present. The traditional Khaizaran chair is produced in stainless steel in 5 variations:

Solid edition: flat seat
Dots edition: perforated seat
Classic edition: leather seat in two classic leather colors
Neon edition: silk seats in eight vibrant colors
Neutral edition: glossy rafia seats in six neutral colors

Smogallery opens Monday to Friday from 10:00-6:00pm | Saturday from 2:00-6:00pm

For more information please email info@smogallery.com or call 01 572202

Dagher Bldg | 77 Senegal Street | Karantina | Beirut | Lebanon

www.smogallery.com

Dubai Berlin Fashion fusion > Meet the Designers

2012-01-25T14:25:00.000+03:00

Dubai, 25 January 2012

The joint fashion collection “Dubai-Berlin Fashion Fusion” of eight young designers from Dubai and Berlin was presented recently at a fashion show, focussing on fashion in both cities. The event, that took place at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, was organised by the Goethe-Institut German Language Center Dubai, liaison office of the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region.

This was part of the 2nd Berlin-Dubai Festival, which took place in October/November 2011. An integral part of the Festival was the “Young Designers’ Fashion Exchange Project”, including the designers, who presented their joint work at the fashion show. In the context of the exchange programme, the Emirati designers Khulood Thani, Maryam Selaich and Madeyya Almazroie and the Dubai based German-Egyptian designer Mona Fares visited Berlin in order to meet young fashion innovators from the German capital and gain first-hand insight into their work. In return, four fashion design students from Esmod Berlin International University of Art for Fashion, Lena Braatz, Sophie Boehmert, Marina Hoermanseder and Anna Wilhelmi, travelled to Dubai to be introduced to the Emirati fashion design scene during the Berlin-Dubai Festival 2011. This close exchange of views on fashion brought to the creation of a joint collection by the eight young designers.

The collection offers not only an insight into the designers’ personal style but it also mirrors both cities’ individual style and tries to link their history with traditions, values and visionary concepts. According to Friederike Moeschel, Director of Goethe-Institut German Language Center Dubai, “fashion is used as a medium to discuss iconic values in societies as well as lifestyles and Zeitgeist in general and to nourish and inspire each other.” The designers’ collaboration has the same objective and the young designers have exchanged ideas about their cultural backgrounds and detected differences and similarities used in the creative process. As a result, the Abaya, the traditional Arabian garment, was revised in different styles ranging from ‘rocker’, ’20’s’ to ‘ethno’. Other pieces of the collection presented at the fashion show include a coat that combines a varsity jacket and an Abaya as well as an A-line leather dress, partly inspired by the theme of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.

As the fashion industry is still very new in Dubai, it is important for local designers to find out how their colleagues in other countries work and present themselves. In this regard, Khulood Thani, founder of the fashion label “Bint Thani”, stated that the exchange programme has been a great learning and very stimulating experience for the Dubai based designers, who are paving the way for shaping the local fashion industry. The designers from Berlin also declared to have profited from the “very inspiring and interesting collaboration, highlighting not only the convergence of two entirely different fashion styles but also the diverse approaches to work on designs,” according to Sophie Boehmert. The fashion show showcasing the “Dubai-Berlin Fashion Fusion” is expected to represent a prime example of bridging the gap between Arabic and Western styles and make the East meet the West.

How are Syrian artists expressing what's happening in their country? > Explore the latest work of Syrian artist Thaier Helal "In Army We Trust" @AyyamGallery (Dubai)

2012-01-24T19:11:00.003+03:00

On February 6, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai (DIFC) will proudly present “In Army We Trust” an exhibition featuring recent canvases by Syrian painter Thaier Helal. Known for his large mixed media canvases that perpetually demonstrate the evolution of his artistic style, the artist will present an entire new body of work incorporating photographs of the Syrian military forces originally taken by the media. Helal’s photographs are re-staged and enlarged in ways that provoke a direct - physical encounter with the images. The works presented have a shared quality under which is heavy and deeply meaningful, which will only immerse the viewer even deeper in his thoughts.

Over the last decade, the ongoing political turbulence, military conflicts within the Middle East and their uneasy aftermath have impacted on a generation of contemporary artists which led Helal to consequently explore such a theme as the Army’s role in today’s society. His work is arguably cerebral, concentrating on issues of power, expression and liberation. Through these works of art, he therefore reflects and reveals that which is integral to the Army’s foundation, mythology and daily functioning.

Born in Syria in 1967, the distinguished artist has become a significant member of the Arab and Gulf Art scene since moving to the United Arab Emirates in the 1990s. A senior faculty member of the University of Sharjah, Fine Arts College, he has participated in prominent exhibitions and events throughout the region, including the Sharjah, Alexandria and Tehran Biennials and Christie's and Bonhams auctions.

A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, his prominence is confirmed by the countless honors that have been bestowed upon him, such as the Al Burda International Award from the Emirati Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development (2008), the Grand Gold Award at the Tehran International Biennial (2005), the Award for Painting at the Sharjah International Biennial (1997) and the Distinguished Works Award at the 15th General Exhibition of the UAE Fine Arts Association (1996). Yet Helal's long exhibition history is not limited to the Middle East, as he has been featured in international art fairs, biennials and exhibitions throughout Asia and Europe.

Thaier Helal "In Army We Trust" Monday February 6, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai (DIFC) from 7-9pm

www.ayyamgallery.com

Somewhere in My Memory > "Makan Fi Al Zakerah 2" by Nadine Kanso @NKanso @CuadroArt (Dubai)

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000+03:00

MAKAN FI AL ZAKERAH 2

new works by Nadine Kanso

Tuesday, February 7th 2012 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Cuadro Fine Art Gallery Building 10, DIFC Gate Village

A New Set of Creatures is in Town > Sabhan Adam (Beirut)

2012-01-24T12:50:00.000+03:00

Sabhan Adam I “THE AWAKENING”

THURSDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, 2012

Mark Hachem Gallery- Beirut: is proud to present ‘THE AWAKENING’ by renowned Syrian artist SABHAN ADAM. The much-anticipated exhibition will be unveiled on Thursday, 2nd February 2012 and will run until the 16th of February. The exhibition will showcase Sabhan Adam’s most recent paintings: and for the first time Sabhan enters into a new period. The exhibition inspired by the recent political uprisings in the Arab world, see ”speeches” being swirled in circles of rhetoric being expressed during recent times!

‘Culture reaches abyss as well as art enters its own catastrophic words; for those that want to see Sabhan Adam’s artworks, it can not be seen by big black Arabian eyes, green or blue eyes, via sunglasses nor contact lenses. Who only sees it, are those eyes filled with tears’. Sabhan Adam

The tortured creatures reflecting our humanities loneliness and desperation are still prominent, however in the forefront new subjects are revealed with playfulness and vibrant colors. Sabhan’s interpretation of “Little Miss Red Riding Hood” takes the viewer back to child hood memories.

‘In 2012, animals of different species; kangaroos, donkey’s, birds, comic people who are sad idiotic, harmless; that is what I currently tend to depict, it is a disbelief in the human reality and the obscurity of its equations’ Sabhan Adam Interchanging colors between, red, white and black. He alternates the spirit of each painting. Painting’s inspired by the poetic masters of the 19th century reveal a romantic, spiritual and softer side to Sabhan. Extracting his favorite parables, and poems, expressing them through the beautiful Arabic font of calligraphy. Paintings show creatures peeping at you appear to be smiling and more regal.

‘From the very first moment- birth -I remember the first breath, the present and the future have always been a past. Everything that has been happening was already known with every event and each detail, it deceptively appears to the other -the viewer-what lies in a painting is a texture, a fabric or paints. Nevertheless, it never has been it is always a piece of a wounded heart; it is the fractured pain into textile and lines and colors. In my early years, the high price I paid was misunderstandings and isolation, a room with no windows, that is who I am, that is who I was, where future seemed to be past, and when what I predicted, and what I have imagined, has happened in reality. Art reveals the hidden and gives thoughts a better way’ Sabhan Adam

“The Awakening’ will take you on a journey through Sabhan’s world: Mark Hachem Gallery invites the public to share in his wonder.”

Mark Hachem Gallery is Open Mon-Sat from 10am - 7pm

The exhibition will run until | February 16th, 2012

Oh Banksy, How We Love Thee > The Latest & Greatest from Banksy

2012-01-22T19:42:00.000+03:00

www.banksy.co.uk

Breathing Space by Driss Ouadahi @LawrieShabibi > 6 February to 14 March

2012-01-22T14:16:00.000+03:00

Over the fences > 200x180cm > oil on canvas > 2010

Lueurs pour la nuit > 190x240cm > 2010

Lawrie Shabibi will be presenting Breathing Space- the first solo exhibition in the Middle East for
Driss Ouadahi. For this exhibition Ouadahi continues to take as his subject matter the lost idealism of the modern architecture in the mode of Le Corbusier and the metropolises that were made in its image. Gridded glass-clad skyscrapers, which were once synonymous with the avant-garde architecture of the early 20th century and meant to enable a cleaner, more ordered existence, evolved over time into symbols of wealth and achievement on the one hand, and faceless housing estates on the other, segregating the societies that dwell in them. Ouadahi’s paintings of repetitive grids and walls have an unnerving absence of human life and are discreet observations of urban alienation and the isolation and disconnection that exist in many modern cities today, particularly in lower quality housing developments. In this exhibition we see sterile modernist public housing developments, wire netting and underground passageways, each linked with Ouadahi’s core concerns of geometric abstraction, transparency, opacity or reflection.

Ouadahi’s large formal reflected skyscrapers, produced in broad brushstrokes applied horizontally, are montages of spaces and places he knows. In the foreground of these works are a grid pattern, which seems at once a barrier between the viewer and the background architectural elements in which the scene is reflected. In his other works, he is preoccupied with facets that separate the buildings or link them together, such as fences, walls and underground passageways. His freehand paintings of wire-netting are lavished in such detail that they nudge photo-realism: these fences are common in the metropolitan suburbs of France and Algeria, demarking privileged zones into which entry is not permitted or from which escape is difficult. His underground passageways on the other hand have an air of eerie expectation – a crime scene waiting to happen - and resonate remoteness and seclusion.
Amongst the works in the exhibition are three important paintings that were first shown in the 2010 Cairo Biennial, held shortly before the second Egyptian Revolution, and which miraculously survived the chaos and turmoil that followed.

Ouadahi’s practice reflects both the artist’s North African background and his long ties to the new trends within German painting, especially within his adopted city of Dusseldorf. Originally from Algeria, Ouadahi was a graduate of Dusseldorf’s prestigious Kunstakademie, which counts amongst its former students Gerhard Richter and Andreas Gursky, and Peter Doig amongst its professors. Following his studies, like many of its former students, Ouadahi has remained in the city ever since and maintained close ties with the Kunstakademie.

About Driss Ouadahi
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, of Algerian parents in 1959, Driss Ouadahi grew up in Algeria. He studied at the Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts d'Alger before enrolling and subsequently graduating from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, the city where he now lives and works. Ouadahi has exhibited in solo exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, Düsseldorf, Germany, Marseille (Istres) and Paris. He has also taken part in a number of group exhibitions, most recently in Le Retour, 3ème Festival International d'Art Contemporain d'Alger; Magreb: Dos Orillas, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid; Future of a Promise at Venice Biennale 54, Cairo Biennial 12, and CU Art Museum, University of Colorado in Boulder.

http://www.lawrieshabibi.com/

Christie's Dubai April Sale to Include Masterpieces by Kayyali, Guiragossian and Afjehei

2012-01-22T13:49:00.002+03:00

Azra Aghighi Bakhshayesh

Saad Yagan

Early highlights consigned for this spring's Modern and ContemporaryArab, Iranian and Turkish Art sale at Christie's in Dubai on April 17th and 18th, 2012 will include works by Louay Kayyali, Paul Guiragossian and Nasrollah Afjehei. The sale will be held at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai with pre-sale viewing from the Sunday prior to the sale.

Michael Jeha, Managing Director of Christie's Middle East and specialist in charge of the sale, said: "It is always very encouraging to have a strong selection of works already consigned so far in advance of the sale and we look forward to adding other important works over the coming months prior to the April sale."

The highlight of the sale is a beautiful calligraphic work by the highly respected and internationally known Iranian artist Nasrollah Afjehei (b.1933). Entitled Wave, the large-scale canvas (measuring 2 metres square - see page 1) depicts the movement and energy of the crashing wave through the tightly-written words which expand and contract in parallel 'strands' gently curving to simulate the curve of the wave. It was painted in 2010 and is estimated at $80,000- 120,000. Painted in the same year by the female Iranian artist Azra Aghighi Bakhshayesh (b. 1968) is Ringlet, an oil on canvas (shown above). This calligraphic piece is dominated by a confection of interlocking symbols across the top three quarters of the canvas while the bottom section remains empty and black, (estimate: $10,000-15,000).

From the Syrian modern master Louay Kayyali (1934-1978) is a figure of an Old Man painted with oil on masonite, a type of hardboard. The texture of the wood chips clearly visible beneath the surface of the paint, the composition shows an old man slumped in the corner with his head in his hands, (estimate: $50,000- 70,000). The Newspaper Seller by the Syrian artist Saad Yagan (b.1954) shows the abstract news vendors hands embracing a collection of broadsheets, his face shown full on and then again in profile against a blue background, (estimate: $6,000-8,000). The newspapers he is selling represent a cross-section of publications with their varying social and political views. This is the first time that the artist has been included in the sale and is an interesting juxtaposition to the work of Kayyali above. Yagan represents the next generation of Syrian artists and was also from the city of Aleppo. Both the work by Kayyali and Yagan represent portraits of people at the margins of society.

Paul Guiragossian's (Lebanon, 1926-1993) L'Adieu is an early work from 1962, showing two figures embracing, the muted pastel colours of the oil scratched with lines which give depth to the seated group. It is a much smaller work than the majority of pieces by the artist and unique as it shows such an intimate moment between the loving couple from an artist best known for his large scale works of groups of people with a more common focus on the relationship between mother and child. It is estimated at $20,000-30,000.

Atef Ahmed (Egyptian, b. 1969) shows two contrasting views of women. Untitled (Niqab and Hend) has the figure on the left in a tightly fitted dress and provocative pose beside another hidden beneath her abaya and is estimated at $12,000-18,000.

WE NEED TO TALK > Images from the Opening Night > @edgeofarabia

2012-01-20T18:15:00.001+03:00

The Edge of Arabia exhibition We Need to Talk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Edge of Arab's WE NEED TO TALK > a sneak peek

2012-01-20T16:14:00.000+03:00

Manal Dowayan's My Name Courtesy of Sulafa Kurdi

Ibrahim Abumsmar's Birdhouse Installation Courtesy of Sulafa Kurdi

Abdulnasser Gharem's The Stamp Courtesy of Sulafa Kurdi

Courtesy of Sulafa Kurdi

Following its recent success with the first Pan-Arab exhibition of contemporary art ‘The Future of a Promise’ at the 54th Venice Biennale, the internationally renowned arts initiative Edge of Arabia, with support from Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and Abraaj Capital, will be launching the most significant show of Saudi contemporary art ever held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Edge of Arabia Jeddah: We Need to Talk, curated by Mohammed Hafiz and co-curated by Edge of Arabia founder Stephen Stapleton, opened last night in a stunning space in the Al Furusia Marina, a magnificent new development on the Jeddah Corniche overlooking the Red Sea.

Ranging from video to sculpture to installation, the exhibition features over 40 new works by Saudi’s emerging contemporary artists, including: Abdulnasser Gharem, Adwa AlMubarak, Ahaad Alamoudi, Ahmed Angawi, Ahmed Mater, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Effat Fadaag, Eyad Maghazel, Hala Ali, Hamza Serafi, Ibrahim Abumsmar, Jowhara AlSaud, Maha Malluh, Manal Al-Dowayan, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, Nasser Al-Salem, Noha Al-Sharif, Saddek Wasil, Saeed Salem, Sami Al-Turki, Sara Al-Abdali and Sarah Abu Abdullah.

Curator Mohammed A. Hafiz says: “This exhibition will be a true homecoming for Edge of Arabia and is geared towards encouraging constructive discussion and dialogue between Saudi contemporary artists and the local community. All participating artists will react to our title ‘We Need to Talk’ within three categories: the Past, the Present, and the Future. This is a great opportunity for us all to think about how we can positively shape and influence the world around us.”

The Exhibition is on till the 18th of Feb.

Paper Does Not Blush > The Online VIP Art Fair is Back

2012-01-19T13:47:00.003+03:00

Galerie Michael Janssen will be presenting Paper does not blush, a group exhibition with artists of the gallery program at this year's VIP Art Fair. The exhibition focuses on works on paper, including prints, illustrated books, and selected drawings, that explore and manipulate the materiality of paper itself. On view are works by Yoshitaka Amano, Gianfranco Baruchello, Meg Cranston, Lili Dujourie, Monique van Genderen, Emil Holmer, Christof Mascher, Christoph Steinmeyer, Shaan Syed, Joris Van de Moortel and Mario Ybarra Jr.

Yoshitaka Amano gained fame in the 1970s creating anime, manga and video game characters. He combines traditions of Japanese painting with western influences and popular culture.

Meg Cranstons work includes sculptures, drawing, collages, photographs and installations. Her longstanding interest in anthropology and cultural history have always shaped her approach to making art in both material and conceptual ways.

The extensive and complex oeuvre of Gianfranco Baruchello goes back to the 1960s. An important part of his artistic expression are his assemblages composed of cutouts from magazines, self-painted paper and small objects in boxes made of wood and Plexiglas that offer a glimpse into filigree universes.

Lili Dujourie is continuously concerned with contemporary reinterpretations of themes, forms and gestures from art history. In her articulation of minimalism and conceptual ideas, her works draw questions on the relation between matter and subject and how these relate to perception.

Monique van Genderen explores elements of narrative, illusion and figuration within abstraction by allowing the surface and material to narrate the picture plane rather than a subject. Playing with a ready-made language and graffiti style Emil Holmers artistic rhetoric is both subjective and impartial in which collages of medical and pornographic material meet total abstraction.

Christof Mascher creates worlds in which utopian notions are fused with apocalyptic visions revealing contradictions and unexpected interruptions. Influenced by both high and mass culture his visual language follows its own iconography.

Christoph Steinmeyer uses motifs gleaned from European painting traditions and filmic replicas. He has adopted a multiple transformation process in order to generate images that alienate the original motif.

The heavy and highly textured surfaces of Shaan Syeds works betray his interest in notions around real and painterly space. Playing with what is written on the horizon line where pigments seemingly merge Syed invokes hope and ambitions associated with the wide-open landscape.

Joris Van de Moortel arranges objects in extreme situations stripping them of their original function. Inspired by found situations as well as by music his works often have no definite beginning, middle or end. Leading them toward ?predicable incidents he explores the point at which something turns ?performative.

Mario Ybarra Jr. draws attention to forms of culture on the fringe of the mainstream. Influenced by graffiti and early cartoons he doesn't reject his Mexican-American identity.

Profile > Noon by Nur Kaoukji (check out the video of her latest collection)

2012-01-19T12:29:00.002+03:00

Click/Zoom in to read Oasis Magazine's interview with Nur Kaoukji

www.nooncollection.com

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138363963486

Latest works by Saudi-Based Artists at Lam art Gallery

2012-01-18T11:42:00.000+03:00

Lam Art Gallery's Entrance showing latest artwork by Corinne Martin

Artworks by Talal AlZeid (left) & Khaled Zahed (right)

Chair by Khaled Zahed

Artworks by Talal AlZeid

Artworks by Bassem AlSharqi (left) & Corinne Martin (right)

Artworks by Bassem AlSharqi

Images courtesy of Lam Gallery and Corinne Martin
For more images from the exhibition visit Corinne Martin Art

FAʞiƎ > Skateboards transformed into art pieces @Tashkeel (Dubai)

2012-01-17T16:02:00.000+03:00

Louvre Abu Dhabi Talking Art Series > January 25th > Precious Arts in the Christian Middle Ages

2012-01-17T12:00:00.004+03:00

Louvre Abu Dhabi: Talking Art Series is a monthly series of lectures taking place in the framework of the launch of the Louvre Abu Dhabi; a universal museum addressing the historic achievements of the world’s major cultures as seen from a traditional crossroads of trade and cultural exchange. Beginning in September 2011, and bringing together eminent specialists, museum curators and academics, the illustrated lectures will focus on key questions of art history to introduce the public to the artistic and historical messages of the future museum.

Precious Arts in the Christian Middle Ages
25 January 2012, 6.45pm

Dr. Hassan NaboodahDean, UAE University Libraries

Elisabeth Taburet-DelahayeDirector, Musée de Cluny

Olivier GabetDeputy Curatorial Director, Agence France-Muséums
Among the great artistic diversity of the Christian Middle Ages, secular and religious precious objects from the Merovingian time to the Late Gothic are certainly the most fascinating. As luxurious symbols of political power or as objects of Christian liturgy, the precious medieval production shows a great variety of materials, techniques, and forms, both with prestigious and symbolic function. Goldsmiths and the work of precious metals such as gold, silver, and gilded copper, but also lapidary and enamels, finely decorated jewels, ornaments, reliquaries, liturgical objects, and manuscript bindings, occupied a significant place. Commissions from princes, aristocrats and major prelates willing to magnify the interior of their churches left a sumptuous medieval collection of precious objects such as sculpted ivories, exquisitely nuanced stained glass, and shimmering tapestries.

Nermine Hammam to Show Her New Series, Ma’at > in Cairo for the Very First Time

2012-01-17T11:52:00.000+03:00


“Ma’at is a transformative, ritualistic work, where I confront the instability that surrounds me, striving through art to call forth order, balance and the restoration of harmony.” Nermine Hammam

Egyptian photo-artist, Nermine Hammam is showcasing six images from her new series, Ma'at (2011) at the group exhibition, PARADOX(ON), that opened Sunday 15th January at the European Union Residence in Cairo.

Named after the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, order and justice, Ma’at is a series of seven 'archetypical' women that pay homage to iconic figures, such as Frida Khalo and Egyptian singer Om Kolthum, in a series of mixed media works that represent: “all the women I admire or wanted to become.”

Ma’at was created in response to the Egyptian revolution and the sense of upheaval, experienced by ordinary citizens, as political events unfolded. According to the artist: “Ma’at is a reaction to the unsettled environment around us, a shamanic, transformative ritual to conjure harmony and restore order. The goddesses combine the symbols of male and female power in one. In uniting these opposing energies, Ma’at takes on a transformative quality, asking the universe for healing, and recalibration, through art.”

The iconic female figures all emerged from one simple dress pattern. Taken together, they form a sequential and symbolic narrative of the emergence of Woman, from child until final maturity and spiritual fulfillment. Their faces are all composites of the artist’s own: “I began projecting elements deeply personal to myself onto this template until a consecutive series of Women, or expressions of the feminine, began to emerge from this initial work. I called them Ma’at because they embody that fine balance between masculine and feminine energies inherent in the archetypal woman. They are a modern reincarnation of the ancient Egyptian goddess, carrying within them the elements of order and balance but also power,”says Hammam.

In the first image of the series, the goddess as a child is seen, suspended mid-canvas, a finely balanced composite of opposites: her delicate, jeweled hands clasp a miniature fighter plane, toy-like in her childish grip. Her feet are the broken wooden legs of African dolls, yet she stands powerful and upright, oblivious to their fragility. Her wings are the representations of the inlaid wings of the Goddess Ma’at. An Islamic plate crowns her head like a halo.

Ma’at pays homage to Egyptian cultural icon, Oum Kulthum. The singer is transformed into the archetypical woman, a larger than life composite of images, sourced from the subterranean nooks and crannies of the collective subconscious; a harmonious blend of the earthly and the spiritual, of male and female, in a single perfect whole. She is flanked by serpents reaching out ceremoniously, and in symmetry, on either side of her head. The serpent is the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyph denoting Woman; it is also a mystical symbol of self-knowledge, of salvation, eternity and reincarnation; and a force of nature, projected through atmosphere, with the power to create or destroy. In another image, the goddess without arms adopts the submissive posture of Christ, the cross behind her head. Her Geisha-like attire and the male symbols of power radiating beneath her feet are a statement on the power of acquiescence.

Many of the women in Ma’at carry guns, strapped across their tiny shoulders. According to Hammam, the gun plays an integral role in this work: “Ma’at is a symbol of the power that comes from balance: a female warrior carrying the gun, not attired in male clothing but wearing a dress. I have transferred the power of the male domain into the feminine space. Entering this new sphere where it is traditionally excluded, the gun becomes a symbol of power for its bearer and also a form of defiance.”

For further information on Nermine Hammam please visit: www.nerminehammam.com

Tunisia a Year After > @ Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris)

2012-01-16T12:44:00.000+03:00

The Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) is organizing an exposition, in their headquarters in Paris, from January 17th till the 1st of April 2012, celebrating the first anniversary of the Tunisian revolution. IMA is a cultural institute, which is the fruit of a partnership between France and 22 Arab countries including Tunisia, and serving as a cultural bridge between France and the Arab world. The exposition-entitled “Degagements: Tunisia a Year After”- will include works of approximately 20 Tunisian artists who witnessed first-hand the proceedings of the revolution, as well as a few foreign artists who have been especially interested in the Jasmin revolution.

"Although photography is the main focus of the exposition, other forms of expression, such as painting, sculpture, videos, and even caricature, will be represented. The Tunisian artists, who witnessed history in the making, will be expressing their stance on the different issues marking the past year in Tunisia, including freedom of speech, secularism, women’s rights, respect for religions, and the birth of a democratic process. The artists will also be able through their art, to tackle more existential and abstract questions, and offer their personal perspective on these issues." -- Excerpt from the article “Degagements: Tunisia a Year After” Art Exposition in Paris by Hanen Keskes (TunisiaLive.net)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo > Offers to stay at one of the filming locations (Zurich)

2012-01-15T16:38:00.000+03:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at Zurich’s the Dolder Grand

To mark the release of David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo early January 2012 worldwide, Zurich’s the Dolder Grand, one of the locations in the film, is offering a package fit for movie aficionados across the region. The movie director, crew and cast consisted of more than 60 people were on location in Zurich to shoot the Dolder Grand sequences in early December 2010. In the theatrical trailer, its exterior is glimpsed, and in the film, the driveway, reception and luxury Masina Suite can be clearly seen. Protagonist Lisbeth Salander, played by Golden Globe nominee Rooney Mara, is greeted with “Welcome to the Dolder Grand”, depicting a special Dolder Grand moment in a movie that seems to be enjoying raving reviews by the critics.

The two-night package includes accommodation, Garden breakfast, 3-course dinner with in the Garden restaurant, signature drink in the bar; included are also movie passes with limousine transfer to and from cinema (1 cinema ticket per person) and a copy of the Stieg Larsson novel on which the film is based as treasured mementos during your stay at the Hotel.

This exclusive package features the following rates:

2 persons in a Dbl Room Deluxe US $ 1,861

For the die-hard movie enthusiasts, opt for the ultimate experience by staying in the Masina Suite itself enjoying striking views overlooking the treetops and the lake. The plush layout of the Top Suite includes two bedrooms, sauna, steam shower and whirlpool as well as a billiard table. The Masina price per night is US $ 10,207 for 1 person; prices are available up to 4 people.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo only just started screening in Lebanon.

For reservations please call +41 44 456 60 00 or contact reservations@thedoldergrand.com. All the aforementioned rates and package are valid from January 2012 upon request and availability.

Get a glimpse of the Dolder Grand Experience by visiting www.thedoldergrand.com

Listed in the Condé Nast Traveler’s «Gold List 2011» of World’s best hostels and «World’s 50 Best New Hotels» by ForbesTraveler.com (US) WINNER OF: “Hotel of the Year” and “Hotel Design Innovation of the Year” at the 2010 European Hospitality Awards