Inspired by desert rose crystal forma- tions, Moufida Mohideen designed   a sculptural bookcase, titled Ascension, as a symbol of everlasting growth. Mohideen, a student of interior archi- tecture and design at the University of Sharjah, used contrasting raw materials—damas wood and mother of pearl—for the design, which won the ninth edition of the Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize.

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.

In 2021, Collins Dictionary announced that NFT was word of the year, which was a rather curious situation for a word that isn’t even a word. NFT is an acronym that stands for non-fungible token. Collins defines it as “a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible.” The rise of NFTs in popular discourse over the course of the past 12 months has been meteoric and frankly unprecedented especially given that the vast percentage of people had never heard of one before March 2021. This month two things happened to catapult them into the headlines. First was Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey selling the first ever tweet as an NFT for USD 2.9 million and the second was the sale of an artwork by a previously unknown artist called Beeple whose digital collage sold at Christie’s for USD 69 million. Of course, this was not the birth of NFTs. Actually, the first ever piece of art minted [this is the term for making an NFT] on a blockchain was in 2014 but March 2021 will go down in history as a watershed moment.

In March 2022, when the 14th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature got underway, so did the first year-long edition of First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship. The programme, the first of its kind in the region, is a platform for aspiring writers from the UAE aiming to identify and nurture emerging writing talent, elevating it to an international standard and bringing it to global attention.

After a three-year hiatus, Sharjah Biennial will return next March. It is a landmark moment also for the event, as SB15 will realise the dreams of its curator, who died in 2019. Here, Anna Seaman gives a short preview ahead of the 2023 event.

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.

This story is tinged with sadness as the artist Ismail Khayat is in a coma since having an accident in 2019. Sharjah Art Museum will celebrate his practice with a landmark show.

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.

Featuring the UAE’s contemporary artists, galleries, foundations and educators who have contributed to the development and growth of the national arts sector.

An exploration into this unique form of art using Arabic lettering. Edited by Charbel Dagher, Translated by Samir Mahmoud, Published by Skira.

Managing and editing exhibition catalogue published for the Barjeel Art Foundation.

This narrative style book charts eL Seed’s most ambitious artistic mural that was installed over 50 buildings in the Manshiyat Nasr neighbourhood of Cairo in 2016. Written and published by eL Seed.

The accompanying publication for an exhibition of the same name at L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Published by Dubai Culture

Co-edited by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Todd Reisz and published by Birkhäuser this book charts the architectural and vernacular history of the emirate of Sharjah.

The autobiography of Fatima Daoui, a Moroccan TV anchor at Al Arabiya news station. Published by Dreamworks Collective

50U a book about the United Arab Emirates. It was published on the occasion of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, celebrating December 2, 1971, when the confederation of seven Gulf states was officially declared. Featuring 50 portraits to encapsulate the nation. Published by Archis, designed by Irma Boom. Commissioned by Yasser Bin Khediya
https://www.instagram.com/50u_book/

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