Manal Dowayan - Landscape of the Mind

‘Maraya Art Centre’ welcomes public to capture remarkable experiences in ‘Regarding Borders’ exhibition

Sharjah, August 28, 2010:  Al Qasba—the premier tourist, cultural and entertainment destination in the emirate of Sharjah—has announced that registration has begun for an exciting new photography exhibition, ‘Regarding Borders’, which aims to reveal and depict the social, cultural and geographical frontiers of the Arabian Peninsula.

Open to the public at large, residents and visitors alike are invited to explore the region’s rich natural environment and examine the interplay between its many contrasting cultures.   All lens-based art including photography, photo-collage, and film & video works will be considered for inclusion in the exhibition as long as they are received ahead of the September 25th deadline.

It is the hope of exhibition curators at ‘Maraya Art Centre’ to collect a “visual record” of this particular time and place in Middle East history, creating a snapshot of the Arabian Peninsula in the modern era while promoting a greater appreciation for the treasures that define the region today. ‘Regarding Borders’ exhibit will be finalized this autumn and appear to the public before the end of 2010, hosted at ‘Maraya Art Centre’ in partnership with ‘The Shelter’.

‘Regarding Borders’ is an open invitation for local artists to express their unique perceptions of life in the Gulf”, says ‘The Shelter’ Curator, Madeline Yale.  “This is an ever-changing region where ancient traditions are kept alive in a modernizing global system, and that balance sets the stage for an incredible insight into the character of Arabia and its people.”

‘Maraya Art Centre’ frequently hosts cutting-edge exhibits from all over the world, including recent shows from countries like Iraq, Italy and UAE.  Most recently, the Centre hosted ‘Life in Ramadan’ photography exhibition showcasing the works of 13 photographers from the region that express their view of the holy month.

For more information about the exhibition, please log on to www.alqasba.ae

Cooperative exhibition features creative works for 13 photographers

Sharjah, August 23, 2010:  Bringing colourful insights into life of UAE residents during the Holy Month of Ramadan, ‘Life in Ramadan’ photography exhibition was inaugurated yesterday (August 22), 10:00 pm at Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba. The exhibition which is held in collaboration with the Emirates Photography Society will run from August 22nd – September 18th showcasing photographic works of UAE’s talented photographers. The exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of H.E. Marwan Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Al Qasba; H.E. Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting General Director at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Mr. Peter Jackson, Architect Advisor, HH The Ruler’s Office along with other distinguished guests.

Featuring the works of 13 photographers, 10 of which hold the UAE nationality, the ‘Life in Ramadan’ exhibit gives visitors the chance to discover a local perspective on the many unique traditions and customs that characterize this very special time of the Islamic year.  With predominantly local photographers, organizers say that they are also working to promote photography within the UAE while strengthening the connection between art foundations and local communities.

Open to the public at large, Life in Ramadan is one of several cutting-edge exhibits from across the globe being featured at Maraya Art Centre. Recent projects have included partnerships with institutions like the Sharjah Art Foundation and award-winning pieces on display from the 2009 Abraaj Capital Art prize.

AROUND 13 photographers from different parts of the UAE have gathered to bring colourful insights into the life of UAE residents during the holy month of Ramadan. The ‘Life in Ramadan’ exhibition started at Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba on Sunday.

The exhibition, which will continue till Sept. 18, is being held in collaboration with the Emirates Photography Society to showcase the photographic work of the country’s talented photographers.

The exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of CEO of Al Qasba Marwan Jassim Al Sarkal, Acting General Director at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority Saeed Al Nabouda, and Architect Advisor- The Ruler’s Office Peter Jackson, along with other distinguished guests.

Local perspective

Featuring the works of 13 photographers, 10 of whom are UAE nationals, the exhibition gives visitors the chance to discover a local perspective on the many unique traditions and customs that characterise this very special time of the Islamic year.  With predominantly local photographers, organisers say that they are also working to promote photography within the UAE while strengthening the connection between art foundations and local communities.

Talking to The Gulf Today, Ammar Al Attar, one of the photographers who has displayed a unique project of photography, said that he had been taking part in various exhibitions and showcased his work throughout the UAE.

At Maraya Art Centre’s exhibition, Al Attar has displayed his work “Untitled” - a combination of 500 still images covering the “Taraweeh” prayers in a series - through a video. “Taraweeh is one of the important prayers during Ramadan and through this project I am showing the importance of this to the world,” said Al Attar. “I had completed this project in  two days to capture 500 pictures. I then combined them to use a timeless technique and am showcasing it in the exhibition to highlight the different aspects of Ramadan in the UAE.”

He noted that it was not an easy task for him, but  he managed to do so with the help of his associates.

Al Attar said that last year the theme of Al Qasba exhibition was mosques and before it was prayers in which various photographers under the banner of Emirates Photography Society took part. “Photography is a way of documentation of various accounts and sharing with other people,” he added.

Young photographer

The exhibition is also showcasing the work of a 16-year-old Emirati photographer, Naser Ali Naser, entitled “Some people in Ramadan,” which drew attention of almost every visitor.

Naser resides in Abu Dhabi and came to Sharjah to take part in the exhibition. He is a student of Grade 12 and is self-taught in terms of photography techniques. This is his third exhibition to showcase his work.

“I have captured every mood of life but love landscape photography very much to help me explore nature,” he said. “I will continue my hobby of photography to capture more and more scenes and will display them in other exhibitions.”

Open to the public at large, Life in Ramadan is one of the several exhibits from across the globe being featured at Maraya Art Centre. Recent projects have included partnerships with institutions like the Sharjah Art Foundation and award-winning pieces on display from the 2009 Abraaj Capital Art prize.

DUBAI — Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, inaugurated the Farjam Collection’s latest exhibition, ‘The Story of Islamic Art
in 99 Objects’.

Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education; Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development; and Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water were also present.

The Farjam Collection launched a captivating exhibition which tells the story of Islamic art from its inception to the dawn of industrialisation. 

The exhibition reflects on the essentials of Islamic art and was organised through collaboration between the Farjam Collection and Zayed University. 

Shaikh Nahyan, who is also the President of Zayed University, praised the organisation for the exhibition which spans the entire history of Islam. The exhibition includes some of the rarest artistic masterpieces of the Islamic world inspired by the principles and spirit of Islam and reveals the milestones of Islam founded on piety, tolerance and peace.

He stressed that disseminating Islamic cachet would require all concerted efforts to present it through various ways to spread cultural and artistic awareness among all segments and groups of the society, especially younger generations.

He praised the cooperation links between Zayed University and the Farjam Collection and emphasised the importance of supporting communication between educational institutions and national as well as international entities for a cross-cultural exchange of experiences to enhance students’ innovation and creativity.  “Being part of this exhibition has made me appreciate Islamic art much more,”
said Alia Al Siri, a student from Zayed University. 

“Seeing and learning about each individual object has magnified the smallest details and the thoughts that have been put into each object by the creator. It has been an amazing experience to be part of this exhibition. I am so proud and excited to finally have the exhibition open for public, and I can’t wait to hear their feedback and reviews.”

Infused with the principles and spirit of Islam, the 99 objects selected by Zayed University’s art students include manuscripts, elaborate textiles and splendid ceramics and glass wares.  The exhibition will run through the end of Ramadan and is supported by the Hafiz Foundation and National Auto Company. —

ABU DHABI — Kalima, the translation project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), published the Arabic translation of the book ‘Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger’ written by Arjun Appadurai.

The book was translated by Mufida Mnakiri Labyadh, a professor of English at the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology at the University of Carthage in Tunisia. She is a researcher in Applied Linguistics and an expert translator at legal and international bodies.

Appadurai is a specialist in social sciences, a professor at the New School University, and Senior Advisor for Global Initiatives. He is one of the founding editors of the journal ‘Public Culture’. He has worked as a consultant for a wide range of public and private organisations, including UNESCO, the World Bank and the National Science Foundation.

The book deals with the theme of violence spreading extensively in our time, explaining the close relationship between violence and terrorism, discourse with the phenomenon of globalisation and its role in the regulation of policies, markets and ideas.

It seeks to understand what makes an era dominated by the free flow of capital, liberal ideas and the vigorous expansion of human rights to produce new forms of hatred, ethnic cleansing and genocide ideology.

The book also highlights new types of political organisations which are not governed by traditional laws of policies and countries, suggesting that globalisation could reveal a dangerous flaw in ideologies. It analyses the close connection between the concept of the state and the idea of belonging to a national ethnicity, and the link the latter has to generate social mistrust. It also shows how globalisation sparks this uncertainty between ‘us’ and ‘the other’ and undermines the borders of the sate-nation and its influence.

Through his studies for the development of Muslim minorities in India and other small groups in the world, the book asks the question over anger toward minorities, whose small number did not save them from being the subject of suspicion, fear and anger. It is normal for the few to fear the many, or for the weak to fear the strong. But it is odd how the most violent, aggressive and far-reaching events are those triggered by the fear of the weak, and fear by the majority of the minority.

What distinguishes this book is the keenness of the author to use sociological and anthropological tools whose concepts are derived from a different discipline, namely the medical field to develop a new theory which explains social phenomena (such as terrorism and mass violence), which until recently seemed difficult to explain. 

DUBAI — The universe does have a Creator, and can never be the masterpiece of a blind coincidence as affirmed in thousands of scientific and logical evidences stipulated in the Holy Quran and Sunnah.

This was said in a lecture delivered on Saturday night at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce as part of the cultural programme of the 14th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award.

The lecture was also attended by Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

In his lecture ‘The cosmos has a God’, Prof Dr Sabri Al Demerdash from Egypt, substantiated the fact with several examples from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.

“Science has recently proved that the heavens are built the same way as on earth, yet with other material. They are even lifted up on real poles.”

It has been lately discovered that four columns have been lifting up the seven heavens — the gravity, electromagnetic, minor and major nuclear powers.

“The real problem is that people are not aware of those facts as stipulated in the Holy Quran,” he said, citing Verse 6/91 which reads, ‘No just estimate of Allah do they (disbelievers) make.’

Prof Demerdash then mentioned some amazing facts about our universe, the only one known to us. “Our cosmos comprises one million galaxies, of which the Milky Way contains 4,000 suns. If the earth gets three metres closer or farther to the sun, it will either evaporate or turn into an ice ball,” he said. The earth ‘runs’ in a very precise orbit at an extremely fixed speed, exactly 1,600km/ph. “Should the earth move slower or faster, the centrifugal force which keeps it safe and stable in its orbit will be imbalanced, and the sun will suck it,” he said.

Prof Demerdash said the word atom was only named in 1674 by a British scientist, though it was mentioned earlier in the Holy Quran. “The Quran has been more accurate and affirmed that there are particulars smaller than the atom. The word atom, which is of Greek origin, means the undivided and that proves incorrect as per the Holy Quran.” An average man’s body contains 100 trillion cells. “A drop of water consists of 10 billion atoms of hydrogen and oxygen; this is more than the whole population on earth,” he said, noting that such sophisticated facts were mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the Holy Quran more than 14 centuries ago.

DUBAI // A collection of ancient and valuable Islamic art never before displayed in the UAE has gone on show in honour of Ramadan.

The Story of Islamic Art in 99 Objects includes an early 19th-century curtain from the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed, which is embroidered with the seal of Sultan Mahmud II from the Ottoman empire.

Another exhibit is an alabaster stone from the mihrab, the wall that indicates the direction of the Kaaba, dating back to 10th-century central Asia. The stone is believed to be the only one in existence.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Abdul Rahman Mohammed al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, opened the exhibition on Sunday night alongside Dr Farhad Farjam, the Iranian collector who owns the items. The show was curated by 11 students from Zayed University who have been tutored by representatives from the Farjam Collection.

Being able to “see and feel” such rare pieces helped the students learn, said Ron Hawker, an associate professor of art history at Zayed University.

Shatha al Mulla, 19, said the experience taught her more about Islam. “It combined both my religion and my major,” she said. “I learned how to cherish both. These works are not just pieces of art and design, they are pieces of history. ”

The free exhibition at the Dubai International Financial Centre is open Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 8pm, and Saturday, noon to 8pm.

AJMAN Culture and Media Department announced on Sunday that the door was now open for talented photographers in the UAE to take part in a photography competition.

The competition is being held  under the patronage of Ajman Executive Council. Held in cooperation with Emirates Fine Arts Society, it comes as part of the 4th Ramadan Ajman annual event, said Faisal Ahmad Al Nuaimi, the department’s deputy general manager.

“Ajman in the Eyes of an Artist” aims to attract talented young men and highlight the image of Ajman, its heritage, nature and civilisation, said Aysha Kajour, head of Ramadan Ajman Competitions Committee.

ABU DHABI Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) and the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) announced recently that a series of exhibitions, public programmes and workshops will take place for the second consecutive year at Abu Dhabi Art 2010.

The Abu Dhabi Art programme will take place from Nov 4 to 7 at Emirates Palace in the capital. It has already attracted a host of international galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as well as younger, innovative galleries featuring emerging artists.

The platform will have at its core the art fair with the main show as well as “Signature,” a section dedicated to innovative and challenging contemporary works.

Dubai Culture inaugurates children’s Art Exhibition

Dubai, August 4, 2010: Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director-General of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) inaugurates the ‘More than Art 2010’ exhibition, held recently at the Marsam Mattar gallery in Dubai.

The exhibition displayed the work of 80 children who are taking part in the ‘Kids Art’ programme this summer.

Established in 2003, Marsam Mattar is a local gallery that aims to highlight and promote Emirati talent.