Last year, I asked the renowned German art dealer and gallery owner Rafael Jablonka why he was closing his Berlin showroom and returning to his Cologne base. "Because Berlin is an economically retarded place. The collector's market is nonexistent," he replied.
None, none at all? I asked. "There are some collectors in Berlin, but I don't think they are buying in Berlin. Why do artists go to Berlin? Because the rents are low. But there is no other business there, there is no reason to be in Berlin."
Jablonka was right in a business sense, but perhaps missing a wider point. Berlin has become a haven for artists across the world, drawn by the low cost of living, the pleasantly ramshackle ambience and plenty of studio and exhibition spaces.
As the disgruntled head of Galerie Jablonka pointed out, there is very little money in the city's art market to sustain any serious collecting culture, but under the radar thrives an underground music, art and literature scene that has evolved over decades of decadence, war, repression and finally a sustained, not prosperity exactly, but economic calm that fuels a booming cultural life for thousands of young artists, writers, directors, dancers and others "resting".
Three thousand miles away in Dubai, things are, predictably, rather different. Here, there are significantly fewer full-time practising artists, facilities are far less available and the complex nature of the city's society presents a contrasting set of circumstances for contemporary artists. Yet the city thrives as a collectors' hub, attracting hundreds of eager art-lovers of all stripes from around the world, with events such as Art Dubai, regular auctions by Bonhams and Christie's, as well as a profusion of galleries showing work by artists from across the Middle East and beyond.
Attempting to draw contrasts and find common ground between these two distinct cityscapes is a new event taking place this weekend at The Jam Jar gallery in Al Quoz, Dubai. The Goethe Institute's Berlin-Dubai Festival sees a group of Berlin-based cultural mavens - including filmmakers, writers and critics - in town to debate and discuss with their UAE counterparts how their city supports and nurtures its fertile grassroots art and literature scenes.
The festival kicks off at 8pm tonight with a screening of Frank Kuenster's underground documentary Let It Rock, which is a fascinating insight into Berlin's creatives.
After the screening Kuenster will speak about his film and join a panel discussion, which is intended to be the intellectual core of the programme. The panel includes the German-Croatian journalist and author Jasna Zajcek, Alexander Smoltczyk, who is the regional correspondent for the German news magazine Der Speigel, and the Berlin author Norman Ohler. Representing Dubai will be The Jam Jar's founder Hetal Pawani, the Emirati artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz and the Emirati cultural commentator Mishaal al Gergawi.
Ohler and Zajcek will also be holding a reading on Saturday at 2pm, followed by a further discussion with the object of trying to make sense of the very different directions the two cities take in pursuing an arts agenda.
The director of the Goethe Institute in the UAE, Friederike Möschel, describes the aim as showing Berlin's cultural scene and diversity. "Rightly, Berlin is one of the most attractive metropolitan centres in the western world and it is about time to present it here in the UAE," she says. "Personally, I think it is always very fascinating and also rewarding to see similarities among all the differences. As the latest discussions in Europe have shown, there are still a lot of prejudices concerning the Arab and Muslim world. I guess a lot of people there have no clue that in this part of the world there are people who are really interested not just in finance and business, but also in arts and culture. Dubai is such a melting pot with so many influences from different countries that it might be an interesting place for Berlin artists to become inspired."
The idea for the festival grew out of a meeting between Zajcek and Möschel in Dubai earlier this year. "My first impression of Dubai was that it was so much of a shopping-and-dining-out culture," says Zajcek. "But I wondered, how do the souls of these people get fed, how are their ideas inspired?
The UAE event will seek to address this and other questions on creativity as well as highlighting a number of key issues, not least the contrast between Dubai's high-velocity, high-spending growth and Berlin's more cash-strapped situation.
"What could we learn from Dubai?" says Zajcek. "How to accept new architecture! And how to sell what you have to offer, this is a thing we could learn from Dubai."
Möschel believes ultimately that in their disparities and unrecognised connections there is much synergy between the two cities, which she hopes the weekend's events will help elucidate.
For those in the vanguard of art and culture in the Middle East, discovering the inner world of the German capital will be a fascinating insight into how art is made in an environment that has supported creativity for decades. Similarly, Dubai has much to offer its German guests in terms of learning how best to capitalise on and promote their cultural assets.
"On one hand," she points out, "in Berlin, artists are more independent and don't have to care so much about sensitivities connected to traditions, culture and religion. On the other hand, in Dubai, it is much more challenging for artists' creativity, to express changes in their life and their society.
"In this respect, they need sometimes a certain subtlety in their art, which is really interesting. It is also a big challenge to create a unique style for this region and not just copy western art. It is always fascinating, when a region is in the process of bearing something new."
The Berlin-Dubai Festival is on from tonight until Saturday. For more information, visit www.goethe.de/dubai.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters