Dream On by Sheetal Durve

Finding a $100 bill on the road is a windfall we all desire. In her latest book Dream On, Dubai-based artist and author Sheetal Durve weaves in stories centered around the unexpected discovery of $100 through the lives of her central characters. Schoolmates Jeremy and Rushil and a Syrian refugee Mohammad experience a range of […]

Immersive Illusionary Art of Juandres Vera

Guinness World Record Holder, 3D artist from Mexico — Juandres Vera — blends shades of realism with artistic aesthetics to create vivid anamorphic scenes on walls and streets of the world. Through imaginative metaphors, analogies and allegories he depicts facets from life, religion and politics in his work. A recipient of several awards, his work, […]

View from my window: an online photo exhibition

A window reflects many things – a metaphor for illumination from darkness, showcasing a small view of the outside world and at the same time allowing a glimpse into the inside. During the lockdown days the window took on a new meaning as we gazed at the world with new eyes. It also became a […]

A Century in Flux at Sharjah Museums

Over 100 art works are on display for a virtual tour at Sharjah Art Museum. ‘A Century in Flux – Chapter II’ the online exhibition can be accessed through the following link: https://bit.ly/2YVSAEd. Launched in collaboration with Barjeel Art Foundation (BAF)  the exhibition also marks the occasion of the International Museums Day, on May 18. On display […]

Discovering Historic Phad Art with Smita Aloni

Vibrant, ancient and detailed – are some of the synonyms that describe Phad paintings of Rajasthan, India. Made on a long piece of cloth or canvas called Phad, these paintings depict heroic folk tales of local deities – Pabuji and Devnarayan. The stories on these scroll paintings were inspired from mythological books and were used as mobile temples. […]

Worlds from the Imagination at Sharjah Art Musuem

‘Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale’ was coined by the man who gave the world some of the most iconic stories of our times. Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, published 169 fairy tales in his lifetime, and gave us the fascinating tales of The Ugly Duckling, Wild Swans, The Tinder Box, Little Mermaid, […]

Dubai prison inmates stories at Emirates Lit Fest

Tomorrow, I will Fly — a book of essays written by Dubai prison inmates will be launched at the Emirates Literature Festival, to be held from February 4 to 9, 2020. The book, a ground-breaking venture is the culmination of a two-year long collaboration with the Dubai Police and a year-long project with authors Clare […]

Making Gazan Dukka with Mirna Bamieh

Gazans are noted to be resilient but little is known about their rich culinary tradition. Ironically, years of living under occupation has dispossessed the Palestinian kitchen resulting in several ingredients and recipes disappearing from dinner tables. The Palestinian Hosting Society founded in 2017 by Mirna Bamieh, an artist and cook, aims to reconstruct some of […]

From Pietrasanta to Dubai

The historic medieval town of Pietrasanta in Tuscany, Italy, is famous for its marble and bronze workshops. Artists and sculptors have lived and worked across centuries in Pietrasanta since the time of Michelangelo. Some of the well-known sculptures and artworks from this artistic town are now on display at the newly opened OBLONG Contemporary Gallery […]

Learning Palestinian tatreez with Joanna Barakat

A few tomes on Palestinian embroidery are placed strategically across the long table. I open one of them, a page where a pink slip was used as a bookmark, the headline here reads – ‘Embroidery under military occupation’.   It’s mid-afternoon and as I sit leafing through the book, the other chairs in the conference […]