Posts in Features
Preserving Heritage: Zayed National Museum Research Fund’s Role in Cultural Scholarship
Preserving Heritage: Zayed National Museum Research Fund’s Role in Cultural Scholarship

In the early 1960s, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan the Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates, invited a team of Danish archaeologists to excavate the Hili site in Al Ain. These excavations were critical to Al Ain, as a result, eleven sites were listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2011. Having grown up in the area, he was deeply familiar with its terrain, and he naturally sensed its historical importance. These excavations revealed evidence of the existence of agricultural oases in the UAE, dating back more than 3,000 years, in addition to a group of artefacts dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Archaeological research in the country has revealed valuable evidence of the existence of life more than 300 thousand years ago. Archaeological research and excavations will remain a priority in the United Arab Emirates; the efforts are ongoing and will continue well into the future.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanZayed National Museum, Culture, Sheikh Zayed
In Orbit: Madar 39 and the Rise of Abu Dhabi’s Creative Constellation
In Orbit: Madar 39 and the Rise of Abu Dhabi’s Creative Constellation

Found in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed district, Madar_39 [M_39] has established itself as a key part of the MiZa neighbourhood and a growing hub for cultural and creative activity. The space, described as a “thriving ecosystem of creative and cultural entrepreneurs”, offers a supporting and structured environment for connection and enterprise with a dedication to elevating the growth of the creative sector.

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Editor's Picks, FeaturesAnna SeamanAbu Dhabi, Culture, Art
Collector Series: Reem El Roubi and Amir Daoud Abdellatif Collection
Collector Series: Reem El Roubi and Amir Daoud Abdellatif Collection

Reem El Roubi and her husband, Amir Daoud Abdellatif, see themselves as custodians of art and cultural heritage. Their passion for collecting is driven by a deep appreciation for artistic expression and a commitment to preserving and amplifying voices from the regions they hold dear. Originally from Sudan, their journey as collectors began when they moved from London to Dubai in 2013, shaping a collection that weaves together Sudanese, African, and Middle Eastern art - connecting historical narratives with contemporary perspectives.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanCollector, Art, Dubai Collection
Collector Interview: Elie Khouri
Collector Interview: Elie Khouri

With over 30 years of global experience in marketing and investment, Elie Khouri is CEO of Vivium Holding, a progressive single-family office specializing in alternative investing. He is also the Chairman of Omnicom Media Group (MENA), the media service division of leading global marketing communications company Omnicom Group.

Elie is a major Dubai-based art collector, who over the past several years, has brought together a group of emerging and established artists representing diverse international perspectives. An ardent supporter of the regional and global art and design communities, he is also an active patron, member of the Tate Middle East and North Africa Acquisitions Committee (MENAAC) and MoMA’s Media and Performance Committee, as well as supporter of numerous art publishing projects.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanElie Khouri, Collector, Dubai, Kehinde Wiley, Rashid Johnson, Carol Bove, Dana Schutz, Beatriz Milhazes
Poetic Symmetry
Poetic Symmetry

Photographer Ishaq Madan’s 2021 image of Bahraini skateboarders went viral when it was picked up by New York’s MoMA. Today, his practice is more cinematic.

With his ghutra afloat, agal suspended in midair, and arms outstretched like wings, the skater in Shabab Al Mustaqbel became an overnight viral sensation when his image was shown in New York City subway stations in 2022. It was not his identity that captured people’s imagination but what he represented. In a single frame, Bahraini photographer Ishaq Madan had captured the raw and sometimes rebellious energy of youth in an often-misunderstood culture.

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Editor's Picks, FeaturesAnna SeamanPhotography, Ishaq Madan
A Cocoon for Contemplation
A Cocoon for Contemplation

Visiting Sharjah Mosque in the height of summer is a spiritual experience and a journey of discovery.

The burning heat of the Gulf summer makes the light play tricks. Even as the sun descends towards the horizon, as scorching day promises to make way for the respite of evening, shimmering waves of heat-refracted light hang in the air. This atmospheric phenomenon makes the approach to Sharjah Mosque one late afternoon in June feel like the building is a mirage rising from the searing sands.

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Features, Most PopularAnna SeamanSharjah mosque
Chopard's Red Carpet: Collection 77 Fairy Tales
Chopard's Red Carpet: Collection 77 Fairy Tales

Renowned for its creativity, state-of-the-art technology and the virtuosity of its artisans, Chopard has become one of the leading names in the luxury Swiss watch and jewellery industry. Labelled as “the artisan of intense emotions” the jewellery house is the official partner for the Cannes Film Festival for which Chopard’s High Jewellery artisans have been crafting objects of art since 1998.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanChopard, Jewellery, Cannes Film Festival
Transparencies of Material, Culture, and History: The Richard Mille Art Prize Opens Conversations on the Ways We See
Transparencies of Material, Culture, and History: The Richard Mille Art Prize Opens Conversations on the Ways We See

For the third edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize that ran until 18 February 2024, seven artist works from eight artists were showcased at Louvre Abu Dhabi for Art Here 2023. .e application was open to all GCC residents and nationals and is part of the Richard Mille brand’s commitment to the progression of contemporary art. .e prize is part of a 10-year agreement between the museum and the luxury watch brand reinforcing the bond between visual and horological arts as well as championing visionary creativity and innovative perspectives on a global scale. .e prize serves as a platform for support and recognition of artists committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary art and is held annually as a space of interaction and exchange.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanRichard Mille, Prize
Beauty of the Treasured Green Gems: An Exhibition of Emeralds Opens L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelery Art's New Permanent Campus in Dubai
Beauty of the Treasured Green Gems: An Exhibition of Emeralds Opens L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelery Art's New Permanent Campus in Dubai

Upon entering Garden of Emeralds – the inaugural exhibition to mark the opening of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Art’s newest permanent space in Dubai – visitors encounter a magnificent treasure called the Goliath Mineral. It is a huge specimen weighing 33 kilograms that was extracted from a mine in Zambia in 2010. .e uncut mineral stone is filled with more than 100 raw emeralds protruding from its natural base that convey the journey of the treasured gems, straight from the heart of the planet.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanL’ÉCOLE, design, Dubai
“Value and art — a specular relation”
“Value and art — a specular relation”

It was a play on words that sat atop another play on words. When Sarah Meyohas envisioned Bitchcoin (2014) and launched the project in January 2015 as a physically-backed asset on a fork of Bitcoin, she was fusing art and tech with a clever metaphor. Bitchcoin was a spin off from Bitcoin, itself a name that references the financial worlds of gold, mining and speculation but Meyohas added another layer — gender.

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Medium, FeaturesAnna Seamanart, Art Dubai, currency, cryptocurrencyComment
The Great Leveller
The Great Leveller

Not wanting to sound too morbid at the beginning of a new year but the words that I have chosen for the title of this piece, in literary terms, usually signify death and how the fall of the final curtain makes no distinction between rich or poor, status or insignificance. Death, indeed, is the greatest leveller of all. However, these words continually come to my mind when pondering the world of NFTs and how they are impacting the traditional art market.

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FeaturesAnna Seamanart, crypto, NFTComment
Survival of the fittest: the perils of viral memes, internet algorithms and the rise of the NFT market
Survival of the fittest: the perils of viral memes, internet algorithms and the rise of the NFT market

What does it take to go viral? What’s the secret formula that makes one clip about a child biting another child’s finger worth £500,000 whilst the cute, funny home videos on my iPhone only have sentimental value to me? So much about going viral, or skyrocketing prices pegged to your NFT is about being first, new, fresh and surprising. But equally, it can feel like a murky world out there when it comes to the deep, dark mysteries of internet algorithms that bounce one meme to the top of the forwarding pile and leave others lingering to fall into oblivion.

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FeaturesAnna SeamanNFTs, cryptocurrency, BEEPLEComment
Shifting Sands
Shifting Sands

When art historian, critic, and curator Valeria Ibraeva visited Latifa Saeed’s Dubai studio in January, she told the Emirati artist that she wanted to bring her work to Almaty for a solo exhibition that would showcase its breadth and diversity. In June, Saeed’s show A Black Silhouette opened in the city’s Almaty Gallery with a collection of nine distinct bodies of work from 2013 to today. It was her first solo and the first time an Emirati has exhibited a solo show in Kazakhstan. The exhibition paid credit to Saeed’s evolution as an artist and designer whose experimental approach covers fine art, graphic design, advertising, branding, and product design.

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Features, Profiles, Editor's PicksAnna SeamanLatifa Saeed, Emirati artComment
Emel Mathlouthi: The Artivist
Emel Mathlouthi: The Artivist

Labels are something singer Emel Mathlouthi has tried to avoid—but not always successfully. Activist. Revolutionary. Protest singer. Role model.

Born in the suburbs of Tunis and raised during the long rule of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, it is lore that Mathlouthi rose to prominence with a powerful song that became the soundtrack to Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution, which ignited a fire that spread along the North African shore. ‘Kelmti Horra’ (‘My Word is Free’), based on lyrics by Tunisian poet Amine Al Ghozzi, changed Mathlouthi’s career.

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Features, Profiles, Editor's PicksAnna Seamanprofile, singer, music, Emel Mathlouthi
33 Songs, 99 Words
33 Songs, 99 Words

Sawsan Al Bahar’s father raised her with music. “There was never a moment without music playing in our house. I grew up listening to a rich spectrum: songs by superstars and obscure musicians, songs known to all and songs known to nobody,” she says. But it was songs by Arab music’s pioneers that captured her heart. Richly lyrical numbers taught her—yearning, nostalgia, love, joy, pride, protest, celebration, mourning, and humour. Now the Damascus-born, Dubai-based artist presents an exhibition at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, which charts her life through 33 songs, a track for each year.

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Profiles, FeaturesAnna Seamanart, music, Sawsan Al BaharComment