Tea with Culture

Interview with Azim Al Ghussein who describes himself as a cartoonist, illustrator and soapmaker. We talk about his start as an illustrator, inspiration from Fairuz, language, Middle Eastern folklore, Nabulsi soap and maps.

You can see and follow Azim's work by clicking on one of the following links:

http://www.azimgh.com

https://twitter.com/azimgh

https://www.instagram.com/azimgh

We had a fun chat with artist Sara Al Haddad who creates sculptures and text pieces with fabric, thread, yarn and textile. We discuss how she started, her process, the development and the meaning of her work.

Al Haddad has participated in several exhibitions in the UAE and is currently one of the artists in Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play exhibition in the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (http://nationalpavilionuae.org/art/2017-2/) which is on until 26 November 2017.

http://wwww.sara-alhaddad.com

We had a fun chat with artist Sara Al Haddad who creates sculptures and text pieces with fabric, thread, yarn and textile. We discuss how she started, her process, the development and the meaning of her work.

Al Haddad has participated in several exhibitions in the UAE and is currently one of the artists in Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play exhibition in the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (http://nationalpavilionuae.org/art/2017-2/) which is on until 26 November 2017.

http://wwww.sara-alhaddad.com

We are joined by Faisal Al Zaabi (https://twitter.com/cinestrong) to discuss the 31st edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato which took place between 24 June and 2 July 2017 in Bologna. A festival organised by the Cineteca di Bologna that is dedicated to the rediscovery of old, rare and little-known films with a particular focus on cinema origins and the silent movie period.

We also discuss the lack of institutions in the Arab world to archive and restore films and the lack of seeing old Arab films on the big screen.

https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/

We are joined by Faisal Al Zaabi (https://twitter.com/cinestrong) to discuss the 31st edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato which took place between 24 June and 2 July 2017 in Bologna. A festival organised by the Cineteca di Bologna that is dedicated to the rediscovery of old, rare and little-known films with a particular focus on cinema origins and the silent movie period.

We also discuss the lack of institutions in the Arab world to archive and restore films and the lack of seeing old Arab films on the big screen.

https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/

Our top picks of things to see and do this summer in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Exhibitions:

Dubai: Art Print III - Meem Gallery http://meemartgallery.com/exhibitions_details.php?id=72

Abu Dhabi: But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 - NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery http://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/exhibitions/but-we-cannot-see-them/

Sharjah:

- Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World - Maraya Art Centre http://maraya.ae/collectivity/

- Vantage Point 5: Architecture and Urban Landscape - Sharjah Art Foundation http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/vantage-point-sharjah-5

Film:

We discussed some of the less mainstream or "studio" films across the cineplexes in the UAE this summer, as well as community created film projects listed below.

Dubai:

- DIFF365 daily screenings with a new film every two weeks at VOX Cinemas (Mall of the Emirates)

- Monthly screenings hosted by The Scene at Roxy Cinemas https://www.thesceneclub.com

- Daily film screenings at Cinema Akil in Warehouse 68 http://cinemaakil.com

Abu Dhabi:

- Screenings on Mon, Wed, Sat at Cinema at the Space https://cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com

- Film screenings at Warehouse 421 Speed Sisters (29 July) and Les Petits Chats (5 August)

Theatre:

- Live Screening: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai (27 and 28 July) http://www.courtyard-uae.com

- Improv Theatre at Rove Hotels in partnership with Courtyard Playhouse (monthly starting 17 August) http://courtyardplayhouse.com/events/impro-rove-impro/

Music:

- Katie Thiroux at Q’s Bar and Lounge at the Palazzo Versace Dubai, from Tuesday to Saturday http://www.palazzoversace.ae/en/restaurants/qs-bar-and-lounge.html

- Flip Side http://www.flipsidedxb.com

Our top picks of things to see and do this summer in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Exhibitions:

Dubai: Art Print III - Meem Gallery http://meemartgallery.com/exhibitions_details.php?id=72

Abu Dhabi: But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 - NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery http://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/exhibitions/but-we-cannot-see-them/

Sharjah:

- Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World - Maraya Art Centre http://maraya.ae/collectivity/

- Vantage Point 5: Architecture and Urban Landscape - Sharjah Art Foundation http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/vantage-point-sharjah-5

Film:

We discussed some of the less mainstream or "studio" films across the cineplexes in the UAE this summer, as well as community created film projects listed below.

Dubai:

- DIFF365 daily screenings with a new film every two weeks at VOX Cinemas (Mall of the Emirates)

- Monthly screenings hosted by The Scene at Roxy Cinemas https://www.thesceneclub.com

- Daily film screenings at Cinema Akil in Warehouse 68 http://cinemaakil.com

Abu Dhabi:

- Screenings on Mon, Wed, Sat at Cinema at the Space https://cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com

- Film screenings at Warehouse 421 Speed Sisters (29 July) and Les Petits Chats (5 August)

Theatre:

- Live Screening: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai (27 and 28 July) http://www.courtyard-uae.com

- Improv Theatre at Rove Hotels in partnership with Courtyard Playhouse (monthly starting 17 August) http://courtyardplayhouse.com/events/impro-rove-impro/

Music:

- Katie Thiroux at Q’s Bar and Lounge at the Palazzo Versace Dubai, from Tuesday to Saturday http://www.palazzoversace.ae/en/restaurants/qs-bar-and-lounge.html

- Flip Side http://www.flipsidedxb.com

In this episode we talk to Laura Metzler, curator at Maraya Art Centre about the exhibition Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World.

The exhibition brings together artworks and objects lent from personal collections across the United Arab Emirates. Rather than being acquired from collectors, institutions, or artists, the traditional faces of the art world, they are from the people who carry out the everyday labor that make the production, circulation, and interpretation of art possible within the county. It’s an inversion of the relationships we generally explore, a focus shift that allows for another way of understanding what ties us together as a community and industry.

We discuss how this exhibition was put together and the response it has been receiving.

Exhibition link and to view the online catalogue: http://maraya.ae/collectivity/

Exhibition dates: 15 June - 17 August 2017

In this episode we talk to Laura Metzler, curator at Maraya Art Centre about the exhibition Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World.

The exhibition brings together artworks and objects lent from personal collections across the United Arab Emirates. Rather than being acquired from collectors, institutions, or artists, the traditional faces of the art world, they are from the people who carry out the everyday labor that make the production, circulation, and interpretation of art possible within the county. It’s an inversion of the relationships we generally explore, a focus shift that allows for another way of understanding what ties us together as a community and industry.

We discuss how this exhibition was put together and the response it has been receiving.

Exhibition link and to view the online catalogue: http://maraya.ae/collectivity/

Exhibition dates: 15 June - 17 August 2017

Hind Mezaina meets Maya Allison, Bana Kattan and Alaa Edris from NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery to talk about the exhibition But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008.

The exhibition looks at the role of one of the most important artistic communities in the history of the UAE that played a key role in developing and influencing artists in the country. A community who turned to one another for support and encouraged radical, formal and conceptual experimentation despite their initial rejection by art and cultural institutions in the UAE.

In tandem with the exhibition there's a a book of interviews with the artists. Together, the exhibition and book begin the process of tracing this pivotal artistic community in the key years of its formation. The exhibition features works by:

Hassan Sharif

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim

Abdullah Al Saadi

Mohammed Kazem

Hussein Sharif

Vivek Vilasini

Jos Clevere

Ebtisam Abdulaziz

Exhibition link: http://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/exhibitions/but-we-cannot-see-them/

Exhibition dates: 2 March - 2 September 2017