The fourth edition of Emirati Expressions is opening at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Thursday, November 12. Timed to coincide with Abu Dhabi Art, the exhibit investigates the relationship between art and social life.
The result is an exhibition in which thought-provoking artworks seek to engage directly with the spectator: spell your name out in tile-like blocks on benches designed by Abu Dhabi-based Sumayyah Al Suwaidi, try out Emirati letters on a computer keyboard set up by Salem Al Qassimi or post messages to Nasir Nasrallah from his in situ postboxes (both are Sharjah artists). You can even hang out in the majlis that Hind Bin Demaithan, from Dubai, created especially for the event.
In particular, Emirati Expressions looks at the different community clubs that are a historic part of life in the region.
“Social clubs are found across the Gulf,” says Reem Fadda, who put the show together with fellow curator Maisa Al Qassimi. “They are the focal points for different communities, and were used for a number of purposes, including exhibiting artworks.”
Fadda and Al Qassimi — also curators at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi — were struck by the idea of these clubs offering an alternative model for showing art to a public.
“We wanted to look at the places where art was exhibited before there were museums or institutions,” Al Qassimi says.
The two were also interested in the strong history of applied art in the region. Fadda says: “We asked ourselves, what if art was useful? What would that look like? There is a strong current of art in the UAE that responds to society, and we wanted to look at that alongside the social clubs.”
It is also the first time Emirati Expressions is spreading out beyond the galleries of Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Just as the curators have brought parts of the archives into Manarat Al Saadiyat, artworks have been installed in outlying clubs as well.
Nasrallah, for instance, put up his postboxes in the Indian Club and Writers’ Union, while Abu Dhabi-based painter Alia Lootah installed one of her works in the Armed Forces Officers’ Club.
Lootah based her paintings on archival images she found from the Club. “They resemble the work of Gerhard Richter,” Fadda says.
“But where he tries to put a distance between the spectator and the subject, she tries to bring each individual closer.”
The curators worked with the artists to uncover the history of the clubs and many of the artists used aspects from the clubs for their works.
Dubai-based Khalid Shafar, for example, created a gorgeous installation based on an image of a boat docked at the Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club, with glass and a moulded carpet evoking the reflections of a seascape.
Al Qassimi says the clubs were enormously welcoming to them and to the artists.
“They even loaned us a model,” she reveals, referring to the large-scale model of the vast, stylish Armed Forces Officers’ Club on Khaleej Al Arabi street that is exhibited in the show.
Importantly, the leitmotif of “engagement with the public” is not just a curatorial phrase, as was discovered during the preview tour. The show includes Dubai artist Rami Farook’s long-standing work of freely disseminating stickers to see where they might travel.
At Emirati Expressions, he offers for the taking a sticker showing himself carrying a pineapple and bearing the words, "Calm, Caring, Confident, Consistent".
I mention I know the sticker because it’s stuck on my fridge at home and is the perfect mantra for dealing with my toddler’s tantrums.
“But that’s his project,” exclaims Fadda. “The four Cs of parenting.”
• Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts runs from Thursday November 12 until March 31 from 9am to 8pm daily at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island. Visit saadiyatculturaldistrict.ae
artslife@thenational.ae
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Wolves 3
Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2
Arsenal 1
Papastathopoulos 80'
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
UAE finals day
Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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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.”
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
