Against the odds, Art Dubai kicked off on Monday.
The fair, now in its 14th year, was among the first to be disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Art Basel Hong Kong cancelled its March event as coronavirus began to spread. Soon after, the team behind the annual Dubai event took its programming to the virtual realm, creating an online catalogue and hosting the annual Global Art Forum via livestream.
It seems things are coming full circle for organisers this year, however, as Art Dubai is now among the first to stage a physical art fair in 2021, although this has come with a few adjustments.
For starters, it has had to move from its usual home of Madinat Jumeirah to Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), where booths are housed in purpose-built tents under the Gate Avenue building. The number of participating galleries has also been reduced from the typical 90 galleries to 50. The smaller set-up does have its advantages, as we bypass the often dizzying experience of large fairs.
Another change is that this year’s booths have been divided up into three halls, with no obvious categories, unlike previous years’ curated sections. Stripped of the themes and expansive public programming, Art Dubai 2021 hones in on what it needs to do – sell art.
With the lockdowns and cancelled events of 2020, the art world has taken various measures to try and stay afloat. Many boosted their online marketing, joining art market platforms and revamping their own websites to keep collectors’ interest. Galleries at Art Dubai 2021 see the physical fair as an opportunity to make up for what the virtual world has not quite delivered – making connections with collectors.
Personal connections lead business
Circle Art Gallery from Nairobi, Kenya, for example, is participating in an in-person art fair for the first time since the pandemic started. Its booth features works by Sudanese artist Salah Elmur, whose retrospective was shown at Sharjah Art Museum in 2018 and whose paintings have been recently been acquired by Centre Pompidou, and Egyptian artist Souad Abdel Rasoul.
Danda Jaroljmek, the gallery’s director, says that despite boosting their online profiles and joining virtual fairs, the efforts have “not been hugely successful”.
"Our business is really based on personal connections," she told The National. "While we get enquiries from new networks, it's mostly the people we do know and built relationships with are the ones who come back."
Now, she is waiting to see if the international crowd will show up. “It’s only the beginning of day two, so it’s hard to tell what type of collectors are actually here, whether people have flown in,” she says.
Online sales expected to rise
Erica Kyung, a sales associate at Aicon Gallery, unlike Jaroljmek, expects that its sales will still take place online. She sees the fair as an opportunity for patrons, collectors, dealers and artists to meet and catch up, with those interactions becoming the focus of their attendance.
“While there are people coming and everyone is excited to see each other again, I think where the actual art acquiring comes from will be the online enquiries. Even with the physical component, we are seeing a shift for more serious enquiries online.”
Located in New York, Aicon has brought over works by a mix of established, mid-career and emerging artists such as Rasheed Araeen, Rachid Koraichi, Khadim Ali, Saba Qizilbash and Saad Qureshi.
'Masks are inhibiting'
For the Tropical Futures Institute, a gallery from the Philippines, the first day already brought in regional institutional interest, with one work by Kristoffer Ardena being sold. Gallery director Chris Fussner says the decision to come to Art Dubai was "nerve-racking", with the general cloud of uncertainty hanging over many events in the last year. "It was intense to say the least," he says.
While the hand-wringing over the opening is over, Fussner says the gallery still has to consider how it will manage fees and the artists when sales come in. The fair’s new payment structure, where organisers take a cut of the proceeds instead of the usual stand fee, has made it “a little easier to come in and participate”, says Fussner, though he still has to cross a certain threshold to make the venture worthwhile.
The gallery may be off to a good start, but he says Covid-19 guidelines are making it harder to establish connections. “The masks are inhibiting in terms of micro-expressions and communicating,” he says. The absence of social events this year – parties and private lounges were once staples of any fair – might also hinder chances to network, he adds.
Elodie Cassamajor, a consultant for Tafeta gallery in London, echoes the same sentiment. "With the masks, sometimes it's hard to understand what people are saying or make myself understood, but I think we have to get used to it," she says. Her gallery, which has experienced cancelled events in the past, namely The European Fine Art Fair (Tefaf) Maastricht in the Netherlands, which was shut down early in March 2020 because of a Covid-19 outbreak, is showing the works of Niyi Olagunju and Nkechi Ebubedike, and Babajide Olatunji, whose delicate hyper-realistic drawings are magnetic.
Tafeta – among others – are hoping that Art Dubai 2021 won’t meet the same fate as the Dutch event. There have been hiccups along the way, after all, including a delayed shipment that meant an artwork could not be not shown in time for the first day, something which seems to be a pattern, with many booths still welcoming artworks on the morning of the second day.
Nevertheless, Cassamajor is grateful the event has been able to go ahead. “We feel lucky to participate in a physical fair," she said. "The collectors need to see the works in person and to engage with the artwork in person. It’s not the same [as it was before], but we have tried to adapt and move forward."
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Racecard
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UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series
Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
The%20specs
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