“Why do we have gaps in our memories?”
“How are you making a difference in the world?”
These are questions posed by artists to their audiences in WAW, short for “we are wondering”, a debut group exhibition of six artists living in the UAE.
As the title suggests, wondering is a theme throughout the show, most noticeably with the labels next to each work that spell out the artists’ questions. But there’s also wondering as a “collective exercise”, as curator Daniel H Rey puts it. It s an activity shared by us all, he says, not just for amusement, but as a gateway to critical thinking.
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This year’s Desert X in Coachella Valley, California, has been postponed as the US state tightens lockdown restrictions amid rising Covid-19 cases.
Now in its third iteration, the biennial desert festival focuses on presenting site-specific contemporary art that responds to the natural environment. Meant to run from Saturday, February 6 to Sunday, April 11, the 2021 event has been put on hold, with no new opening dates announced.
In a statement, Desert X organisers wrote about the postponement: “In light of the urgent health crisis and surge in cases of Covid-19, the only responsible way forward to protect our community, health
In the frame: The 20 Arab artists, musicians and designers who triumphed in 2020
From design to music production, we take a look at artists from the region who created remarkable work throughout the year
Bahjat Alturjman is bringing the Libyan dialect to the fore. Bahjat
Emirati photographic artist Farah Al Qasimi. Antonie Robertson / The National
Egyptian soprano Fatma Said has recently released her debut album El Nour . Josef Fischnaller / Warner Bros
Somali rapper Freek is at the forefront of the Arabic trap music scene. Elia Mssawir
Photographer Hassan Hajjaj in London, photographed by Sueraya Shaheen for a portraits project of Middle Eastern artists. Sueraya Shaheen