Several thought-provoking exhibitions are currently on display across the Arab world.
From a travelling show of contemporary Saudi artists to one that highlights Beirut as a hub for abstraction in the latter half of the 20th century, here is a round-up of seven exhibitions to see across the region.
Tam Ta – Soaked in the Long Rain at Jameel Arts Centre
This exhibition is the first international survey of Vietnamese artist Tran Luong. A leading figure in Vietnam’s contemporary art scene, Luong has produced work in a variety of mediums, often reflecting upon his country’s political and social elements. The exhibition at the Jameel Arts Centre shows how Luong began as a painter before veering towards conceptual and performance art. It highlights how he was a pioneering figure in the Vietnamese art scene, with an influence that spread across the wider Southeast Asia.
Running until May 18 at Jameel Arts Centre
Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax
Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations is a sharp survey of Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art scene. The exhibition made its debut in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro in November and has been advertised as the first travelling group show of Saudi contemporary artists.
The exhibition provided a platform for audiences in Brazil to discover some of the thought-provoking works that are emerging from the kingdom. It will no doubt find a different resonance at home.
Art of the Kingdom is now being shown at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax in Diriyah. The exhibition will be running until May 24. It presents works by 17 Saudi artists from across generations and areas in the kingdom. These include Muhannad Shono, Lina Gazzaz, Manal AlDowayan, Ayman Zedani, Ahmed Mater, Ahaad Alamoudi and Ayman Yossri Daydban, among others.
The exhibition will travel to the Shanghai National Museum in China later this year.
Running until May 24 at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax
The Eternal Letters at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation
The Eternal Letters: Qur’an Manuscripts from the Abdul Rahman Al Owais Collection is an exhibition that focuses on the history and religious significance of Arabic calligraphy. The exhibition presents 81 Quranic manuscripts that have never been shown to the public before.
The manuscripts come from across the Islamic world and exhibit the breadth of calligraphic styles that emerged from China, Turkey, Iran, and the Mediterranean, among other places. The artefacts cover more than a millennia of Islamic history and are part of the private collection of Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, the UAE Minister of Health.
Running until May 25 at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power at Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s latest exhibition presents a thousand years of African history through the lens of the continent’s royalty.
Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power has been organised in collaboration with Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, and features loans from several notable African institutions.
It brings together more than 350 historical artefacts and contemporary artworks, which collectively show the diversity of the sub-Saharan Africa. The exhibition delves into the rich traditions and mythologies of the region, while also showing how their stories continue to inspire and inform artists from Africa and its diaspora. In that way, it dismantles monolithic conceptions of the continent, to instead show how Africa has been a birthplace to several ancient kingdoms, empires and states, each with their own unique set of customs and beliefs.
Running until May 25 at Louvre Abu Dhabi
Al Raqim exhibition at Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
This exhibition presents works that were competing in the Qatar International Arabic Calligraphy Competition: Al-Raqim. The competition was organised by the Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zaid Al-Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Centre and the Museum of Islamic Art and aims to preserve the art of Arabic calligraphy.
Those who took part in the competition are some of the most distinguish calligraphers today, as such the works presented in Al Raqim exhibition are some of the most cutting edge examples of calligraphy. They highlight the artistry of the craft, as well as its cultural significance.
Running until June 21 at the Museum of Islamic Art
Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah
A pioneering figure of abstract art in the region, Nadia Saikali’s spotlight is perhaps long overdue. The Lebanese artist’s work ranges across a variety of mediums and styles, despite them often veering towards abstraction.
From her early gestural work to the line-based paintings and sprawling landscape canvasses in the later stages of her career, Saikali’s work is at the heart of a new show at Sharjah’s Maraya Art Centre. Yet, the exhibition – co-organised with the Barjeel Art Foundation – opens up to feature works by her contemporaries, all of whom are women.
The artists come from across the Arab world, but they all spent time reducing work in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s. As such, Beirut becomes the star of the exhibition, showing how the city was a regional hub for artists.
Running until July 13 at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah
Tribute to Abdel Hamid Baalbaki at Sursock Museum in Beirut
Abdul-Hamid Baalbaki has an immovable place in the pantheon of modern Lebanese artists.
Baalbaki was born in 1940 in Odaisseh, a village in Lebanon near the border with Israel. He was motivated by the social and political struggles of his day, which he depicted in bright, figurative canvasses – eschewing then in-vogue abstraction for styles more accessible to the public.
After living in Beirut for more than three decades, Baalbaki returned to his native vision, building a home that became as much an art centre and museum as it was a family residence. He collected works by other prominent artists as well as ancient and historical ceramic artefacts, some of which dated back to the first millennium BCE. He also built a collection of hundreds of books and manuscripts. All these were on display on the second storey of the large house, which was kept empty of furniture and arrayed as a gallery.
After Baalbaki died in 2013, his family kept the house open to the public and it often hosted visitors and students from Lebanon’s Academy of Fine Arts. The house, however, was destroyed by Israeli forces in October 2024.
The exhibition at Sursock Museum in Beirut is as much a tribute to Baalbaki as it is to the home that embodied his passion for preserving art and making it accessible to the public. The exhibition presents many of his highlight works, including his famous 1977 War Mural.
Running until September 28 at the Sursock Museum in Beirut
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
SUZUME
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Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
more from Janine di Giovanni
List of UAE medal winners
Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)
Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)
Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
