This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
Going public DCT Abu Dhabi has announced some details of the upcoming Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial (which will be alternating with the Manar Abu Dhabi light art festival, inaugurated last year). The Biennial will run 15 November to 30 April 30, with site-specific installations in downtown Abu Dhabi and Al Ain under the theme ‘Public Matter’. For us the exciting bit will be a Zeinab Alhashemi work that pays tribute to one of our favourites sites – the Bus Terminal. More details when we have them …
Residency corner A slew of fellowships, residencies and grants have suddenly appeared in our Opportunities listings. Well, three of them anyhow. Louvre Abu Dhabi has two art history fellowships, and both look quite generously funded (AED 85,000 for the three-month version, AED 245,000 for the nine-month/academic year model) – apply here by 2 December. Dubai Culture has a more modest AED 50,000 grant for research on Emirati history and/or culture based at the Etihad Museum; deadline 20 December, info here. And over in Saudi, the soon-to-be-unveiled Diriyah Art Futures has a fully-funded three-month live-and-work residency for new media artists and/or researchers – no national or geographic restrictions on applicants, though you’ll need a track record. Apply by 20 January on this link, which sounds a bit tight for a residency that starts in February …
Incidentally, DAF claims to be the region’s first new media arts hub – a 6,550m2 facility described as “a state-of-the-art amalgamation of school, laboratory and exhibition space … overlooking the stunning preserved farms and archaeological sites of Diriyah”. Looks promising.
Design for Dubai Another collection of interesting gallery shows in the next few days: we have high hopes for Rand Abdul Jabbar at Lawrie Shabibi, Vian Sora at The Third Line, and Fariba Boroufar at Gallery Isabelle (all opening today). And next week there’s the Jameel’s big over-winter show, Three Tired Tigers – 40+ artists and collectives muse on animals in the urban environment.
Extra Warhol Andy Warhol, The Glam Factory at Foundry Downtown has been extended by an extra weekend “due to huge public interest” and now closes on 3 November. It’s definitely spectacular; tickets are AED 80 weekdays, AED 100 weekends. Book here.
Farewell It’s also your last chance to see Leonardo’s strangely androgynous and undeniably hypnotic Saint John the Baptist at Louvre Abu Dhabi – it’s on show only until 3 November, after which it returns home to the Musée du Louvre.
Screen and stars It’s cool enough now for VOX to reprise its Moonlight open-air cinema on the rooftop of Galleria Mall on Al Wasl Road. There’s fun seating options – cabanas or loungers for two, Couches and Bean Bags for singletons or cheapskates. The usual mainstream movies are screening; tickets are AED 60 for regular seating, a lounger is a bargain AED 70 for you and a friend.
Something for the weekend Play this clever fill-in-the-blanks find-the-quote sort-of-crossword game here.
Things we didn’t know no.94 The real name for a hashtag is an octothorpe. ‘Octo’ refers to the eight points in the symbol, but according to Merriam-Webster the ‘thorpe’ part is a mystery.
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