The Taskhent Qur’an – also known as the Samarkand Kufic Qur’an is one of the oldest surviving Qur’an manuscripts in existence. The large lettering, where only a few words populate an entire page, is written in an early version of the kufic script and dates back to the eighth century. About one third of the original manuscript is housed in the Hast-Imam Library in Tashkent, Uzbekistan but one page, in immaculate condition is currently on show at the Museum of Islamic Civilisation in Sharjah. It is a key part of Sacred Words, Timeless Calligraphy: Highlights of Exceptional Calligraphy from the Hamid Jafar Qur’an Collection displaying some of the world’s finest examples of Qur’an manuscripts and Islamic calligraphy owned by Hamid Jafar. Jafar is the founder and chairman of Sharjah-based Crescent Group of companies and he began collecting the rare manuscripts more than 40 years ago.

Fewer than a thousand people have been to the blackness of outer space. But some 20,000 were able to walk through the Xposure International Photography Festival in February, where photographs of space exploration were spotlighted in the near darkness of galleries set up as mock moonscapes—featuring boulders and suspended meteors.

Serving as a makeshift shade from the pervasive sunshine on Sharjah’s east coast, Ibrahim Mahama’s installation on the outer flank of Kalba Ice Factory had visitors squinting upward. A Tale of Time and Purple Republic (2023) is a convergence of several elements of the Ghanaian artist’s practice pulled together over much of the last decade. It consists of an 80 x 9 meter swathe of dark grey cloth, upon which traditional handwoven smock fabrics were sewn, the entire piece was then threaded through an enormous, purpose-built metal loom. Despite its almost overwhelming size, the artwork gave off a gentle presence as it caught the breeze coming from the nearby mangroves.

One of the most prolific artists in the UAE, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim crafts his work in the mountains of Sharjah’s Khorfakkan and represents his nation at the 2022 Venice Biennale.

Patricia Millns is an artistic institution in the UAE. At Maraya Art Centre, in October 2022, she will have her her first solo exhibition in a decade.

THE ARTIST WHO INSPIRED PICASSO By Anna Seaman This year marks the tenth anniversary of Lasting Impressions, an annual event...

BETWEEN MEMORY AND REALITY Hrair Sarkissian: The Other Side of Silence explores the myriad ways in which contested histories are...

NARRATIVES FROM THE PAST Thirty new acquisitions go on show at Barjeel Art Foundation’s rotating five-year exhibition. By Anna Seaman...

The Sonic Image Lawrence Abu Hamdan is labelled a sound artist, but more fitting would be an aural investigator. He...

Using thread to weave messages In a new exhibition, artist Cristiana de Marchi explores issues related to identity, geographical borders...

Performance art born from lockdown In a new body of work, Ammar Al Attar explores the monotonous labour of daily...

The fifth edition of Sharjah’s Xposure International Photography Festival showed the power of photography to make real and lasting change and the impact of a story well told.

Tarek Atoui is a visual artist and musician interested in the corporal experience of sound and listening. He has collaborated with Sharjah Art Foundation for more than a decade, culminating in Cycles in 11, his first institutional exhibition.

Art In The Age of Anxiety: a timely, tightly curated exhibition of contemporary art, so relevant for our current era and enlightening in its presentation

Just before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down normal life, Shaikha Al Mazrou opened her first institutional show at Maraya Art Centre. It remains closed but there is a new video up on the Maraya site and here is my short review to help you enjoy the show until you can see it in person.

Sacred Spring is a celebration of the new season of creativity that will not be stemmed no matter what the current global situation. These stone sculptures come from some of Zimbabwe’s leading sculptors.

Wolf Tone is a group exhibition that I curated in Dubai’s XVA Gallery. Here is the curatorial essay.

Body Building is a curated exhibition that explores South Asian identities and perspectives in the context of architecture and the built environment and in particular, in relation to the Gulf context.