A visit to Fikra Campus

Salem Al Qassimi, the founder of Fikra has launched a new campus aimed at encouraging collaborative work and boosting the design community in the UAE and the region.

Features, Most PopularAnna SeamanDecember 22, 2017Fikra Campus, Sharjah, Fikra Designs, Salem Al Qassimi

Threading a link between past and present

This podcast discusses the details of Art Jameel's current exhibition at their Project Space in Alserkal Avenue. Anna Seaman speaks to Uns Kattan and Lana Shamma about the show and future plans for Art Jameel.

FeaturesAnna SeamanDecember 10, 2017Art Jameel, Lana Shamma, Uns Kattan, Alserkal Avenue, Project Space Art Jameel

Research Studio: Annotations

Art Jameel's Project Space is a chance for us to see what the institution will offer when it is open next year. The Research Studio is a well presented collation of some of the ongoing work dedicated to documenting the early history of the contemporary cultural scene of the UAE.

Inspiring a new generation of curators

The Louvre Abu Dhabi has international crowds singing its praises, but it is also raising a new generation of curators.

Highlights of Abu Dhabi Art 2017

Abu Dhabi Art 2017 coincides with the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Galleries, curators and programmers are pulling out all the stops for what should be a great fair.

A Night At The Museum

During a one-night only exhibition at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, audiences were asked to reconsider the relationship between ancient Pharaonic artifacts and contemporary Egyptian art

The art of the portrait with Caleb Arias

Caleb Arias is a super cool and talented portrait photographer. He took my new shots, so I thought I would share with readers a few of his images.

Features, Editor's PicksAnna SeamanOctober 14, 2017Caleb Arias, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, Alserkal Avenue

What's on at Dubai Design Week: a guide

Dubai Design Week is set to host a jam-packed schedule of events, talks and workshops over a week in November. Here is my guide to navigate the highlights.

Features, Editor's PicksAnna SeamanOctober 9, 2017Dubai Design Week, Abwab, Global Grad Show, Khalid Shafar

Behind the Portrait

The stories behind this collection of wonderful portraits are as compelling as the images themselves.

Caravan to the Dark Side of the Moon

Rev Paul-Gordon Chandler founded Caravan in 2009 as a peace-building arts initiative. Now hosting annual internationally touring exhibitions, its success is all about the content.

Features, Editor's PicksAnna SeamanSeptember 15, 2017Caravan, Paul-Gordon Chandler, Cairo, Mohamed Abla, Omar Sharif, I AM, Janet Rady

On a Paper Trail to find Gypsum

Gypsum Gallery is arguably Cairo's strongest contemporary art gallery. I visited the space and saw the current exhibition, dedicated to works on paper.

Features, Most PopularAnna SeamanAugust 31, 2017Gypsum Gallery, Cairo, Islam Zaher, Nada Baraka, Fadwa Ramadan, Paper Trail

The tug of war and the chaos of life: On solo shows in Dubai

As the new art season approaches in Dubai, three very different solo shows have some unexpected parallels and point to a regional aesthetic.

Supermarket shelves to seascapes at the 57th Venice Biennale

In Christine Macel's statement for the current (57th) edition of the Venice Biennale she wrote: "Today, in a world full of conflicts and shocks, art bears witness to the most precious part of what makes us human. Art is the ultimate ground for reflection, individual expression, freedom, and for fundamental questions."

A Fast Moving Sky: a podcast

In a podcast interview with Dexter Wimberly, Anna Seaman discusses cultural hybridity and how it affects our identity to live in a multicultural world. The conversation was in the context of The Third Line's exhibition A Fast Moving Sky

Abdullah Al Saadi: A UAE National Treasure

Tucked away in the mountain valleys near a village called Madha on the Omani border with the UAE, Abdullah Al Saadi’s studio is a veritable treasure trove of discovery for the art enthusiast. Al Saadi, born 1967, is one of the most prolific Emirati artists and his studio, which he built himself next to his family home, houses the results of his life-long dedication to his art.

The Baby Whisperer: Anne Geddes on International Fame and Regional Work

Geddes does not consider her overwhelmingly cute subjects to be props for elaborate costumes. She is an artist and the babies in her photographs are part of a narrative. "The babies are not dressed up like insects or animals, they are playing roles as those characters," she says. "For me, my work is all about storytelling and I am giving them a voice."

Most Popular, FeaturesBeth PayneJune 9, 2017Anne Geddes, Small World, TaschenComment

Beej: Sowing Seeds in a Sharjah Roundabout

Vikram Divecha is one of five artists who will represent the UAE at the Venice Biennale next month in Italy. He is also one of three UAE-based artists exhibiting artworks at the ongoing Sharjah Biennial. Yet his work is rarely found in a gallery.

On Existentialism and Materiality with Tony Cragg

"My interest is not what things look like, but why they look like that," he says. "I don’t want to represent something or reproduce something we are already familiar with. I want to be involved with the internal structure of the material."