This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest
The quote Every day you live, you make a difference. You matter. You’re here for a reason. Find the reason. And do your bit. Then, we can save the world Jane Goodall
Critical choice Sharjah Art Foundation has named the five recipients of its PARA fellowship programme for contemporary art criticism for emerging and mid-career art writers in Asia and Africa – Adwait Singh (India); Le Huu Hoang Anh (Vietnam and Taiwan); Samantha Del Castillo (Philippines); Wabwire Ian Joseph (Uganda); and Youyou Wang (China). They’ll be mentored to produce original works of art criticism which will be included in an anthology. There will also be a week of visits, workshops and “peer-led gatherings” in Sharjah …
Content with Yas Atheer is a new hybrid communication and production platform for digital content creation and professional development from the Yas Island developer Miral, “harnessing advanced AI technologies and data analytics to ensure captivating and impactful storytelling that resonates with diverse audiences”. It seems to be an AI-laden facility that emphasises strategic collaborations and monetisation opportunities, plus “the creation of high-quality content that highlights Abu Dhabi’s unique appeal”. Exactly how it will do this is a bit unclear, but check out the website and you may learn more …
Op 1 Applications are now open for the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2026, for a piece of public art “in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work” to be displayed in Abu Dhabi late next year. The winner gets $10,000 to produce the work; applications close 30 January …
Op 2 Karama Arts Club members (local designers, artists, and small creative businesses: you’re welcome to join) are invited to pitch for a spot to show their work at the club’s stall in the Dubai Design Week Marketplace (evenings 8-9 Nov in d3). They’re looking for prints (inc screenprints and linocuts), small-format artworks “that are affordable and collectable”, and design pieces, objects and “out there designs”. Pitch here …
Op 3 The open call for the seventh edition of Riyadh Arts’ Tuwaiq Sculpture invites sculptors from around the world to submit proposals. This is probably the best-funded and now the most successful sculpture event in the world; scheduled for January and February 2026, it will have 25 artists sculpting in public around Riyadh, culminating in a public exhibition with original works that will be permanently installed across the capital …
Ops update number of open calls and other artistic opportunities for art, design and curatorial proposals are closing in the next few days, incidentally. Check out magpie’s Opportunities page for the details …
Instagrammar The latest digital Jameel Library Commission is Angelheaded Towers, a straight-to-Instagram film in six episodes by Ruba Al-Sweel. There’ll be one every two months starting 14 October. And now the explainer: “Sitting in the ternary plot of critical theory, networked technologies and generative AI, it draws on the platform physics, visual language, and the ‘user’ as one node in an ouroboric relationship with the media they consume. Each chapter lingers in the blindspots of this pinoptic apparatus, exploring the projections of ego and desire shaped by what she calls ‘algorithmic eugenics’”. Mark your diaries …
Showtime Looks like Dubai likes musicals, or at least the voters for the first ever DXB Theatre Awards do: Music Theatre DXB swept last Sunday’s awards night, with 13 including Best Theatre Company. Its production of Guys and Dolls was the big winner, accounting for nine of those awards. The other much-nominated musical, Romeo + Juliet featuring the Music of Queen, picked up only one award – Best Musical Director. The People’s Choice Award went to This Is Us by The Hive …
Eat art Gerbou, the on-site restaurant at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba, has unveiled the latest in its Tashkeel Artist Special Dessert programme, developed in collaboration with artists whose works are currently on view at Tashkeel’s gallery. This one takes inspiration from the current Ranim AlHalaky exhibition Of Liminal Threads, which explores identity, heritage and memory through textile-inspired forms; so the dessert “seamlessly blends textures and flavours to reflect transitions, shifting borders of identity and the delicate balance of belonging.” It’s a buttery mahlab-spiced oat biscuit topped with orange blossom nougat parfait and served with blackcurrant jam. You’ll pay AED 65 for that, but it’s only available until 16 October …
Light up The seven artists commissioned for the second Dhai Dubai light art exhibition in Expo City’s Al Wasl Plaza (12-18 November) are Fatma Lootah; Mohammed Kazem; Alia Bin Omair; Khalid Al Banna; AlZaina Lootah; Ahmad Saeed AlAreef Al Dhaheri; and Hessa Alghandi. Some interesting names there – Alia Bin Omair is basically a jewellery designer, for instance – and they cover three generations of Emirati artists. We’re expecting good things, though the website here is currently a bit noncommittal on the subject …
Who’s your friend? British psychologist Robin Dunbar reckons our brains are good for about 150 friends, based on extrapolation from the relationship between the size of the neocortexes of more than 30 primate species and the size of their respective social groups. More than 60% of our social attention goes to just 15 of them, though …
Three shows to see Opening today: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim at the Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi, and Banafsheh Hemmati at the Satellite Gallery, DIFC. Plus on Saturday, a group show at Efie Gallery with an impressive collection of artists …
Useful app of the week AnonymSMS is a totally free disposable phone number service – gives you a real phone number (US, UK) that can receive SMS messages so you can keep your real number private …
Something for the weekend Cineline invites you to arrange movies in chronological order based only on clues like director, stars and length of the title … Try it here.
Things we didn’t know no.94 Aday on Venus is longer than a year on Venus: Venus takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis but only about 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. The same applies to Mercury, which takes about 59 Earth days to rotate once and 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun …
Earworm of the week Silver Gore : Celestial Intervention
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