This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest
The quote: “In the dark times / Will there also be singing? / Yes, there will be singing / About the dark times” | Bertolt Brecht, Motto …
Art sells We have had a happy couple of days digesting the latest Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report – read our full assessment here, but here are our takeaways:
◾ A 4% gain in total sales is a decent result – big enough to mean something but not so big that it might presage a bumpy drop next year-on-year
◾ Public auctions lead the way with the biggest increases, with buyers returning and big-ticket items selling
◾ Most dealers are doing ok … but the proportion of dealers saying they increased sales in 2025 is still less than half, and that also applies to the number anticipating a good year
◾ Big worries are cost pressures (like the cost of doing art fairs) and the political situation (wars, tariffs, etc). Mind you, both could apply to most of us
◾ Online sales continue to fall back – they boomed during Covid (predictably), but nothing beats seeing the goods with your own eyes
◾ The boom in art fairs continues, with 370 on the calendar in 2025 – a net gain of nine. Dealers get more than a third of their sales though fairs, an increase on the year before that matches the overall 4% gain
◾ Galleries are representing more artists – 32 each on average, up from 28 the year before, with the biggest jump coming from the smaller galleries …
Short+Sweet shortfall The Short+Sweet Dubai people are looking for directors to direct plays, and independent theatre companies with ready-to-go productions. Everything but actors, in fact. Directors and companies interested in participating in the 10-minute play festival are invited to contact the Consulting Producer Alex Broun on +971 52 837 0405 …
X Fest dates Meanwhile The Junction has published dates and prices for X Fest DXB, its own short-play festival (after several years of hosting Short+Sweet, the two organisations are going their own ways this year – which means competing 10-minute-play festivals). We’re told all its entry slots have been filled. The festival runs on weekends from 4-5 April to the Finals on 8–10 May; tickets are AED 120, except for the finals at AED 150 …
Fast work And the winners of The Junction’s Stage Write 2026 playwriting competition – write a play in 48 hours from prompt cards – have just been named: Deferral by Yerkezhan Khussainova, Interview with the Crowned Clown by Ryan D’Sa, The Water Came Anyway by Frederico Beja …
Online education The relevant Ministries have confirmed that schools, universities and colleges will continue distance learning for two weeks following spring break (so starting Monday 23 March) …
Commentary Follow standup Salman Qureshi on Instagram if you don’t already. He skewers fearful Karens and influencers …
Ramène-les The clamour in France over the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s loans seems a little confected – most of the noise seems to be coming from Didier Selles, the now-freelance cultural manager who negotiated the original 2006-7 agreements: “The works must be kept safe”, he told Télérama magazine. La Tribune de l’Art picked up the concerns, but there doesn’t seem to be too much stress elsewhere. France’s Culture Ministry told AFP that the French and UAE authorities were “in close and regular contact … to ensure the protection of the works on loan from France to the Louvre Abu Dhabi”; and AFP quoted a source “close to the matter” saying there was no imminent danger and stressing that the museum is designed to protect its collections from security threats and natural disasters. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, which remains open, has stated that “the safety of our visitors, our staff, and our collections (both in-house and on loan) remains our top priority”. It’s not exactly clear what M Selles and his fellow worriers want: there are obvious risks in getting the 250 or so loans back to France safely, for instance …
Safe place The Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, organised by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine, is moving to Europe after 35 years in the States. The ten prizes will be awarded in Zurich this September. Marc Abrahams, emcee of the ceremony and the magazine’s editor, said: “We cannot in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who cover the event, to travel to the USA this year” …
Postponements The only new postponement we’ve heard of is Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference – was 26-29 March, new dates soon …
Diary dates Yuja Wang, exciting Chinese-born American pianist, is at Dubai Opera in a week’s time – expect magnetic stage presence, costume changes, and technical proficiency. Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting, the annual symposium on issues in contemporary art, runs 27-29 March. The Chinese National Opera brings Turandot to Dubai 3-5 April …
Useful app of the week Text Behind Image is a web app that does exactly what it says – upload an image, add text, format and position it. Really useful for social media, promotional graphics or copyrighting. Free to use, download results as hi-res PNGs with no watermarks. Try it here …
Something for the weekend With Enclose Horse you build a pen around a horse by placing walls on the grid to give the horse the maximum area possible with a limited number of walls. Try it here …
Things we didn’t know no.94 The world’s longest snake (or at least the longest ever measured) is a female reticulated python discovered in Indonesia late last year – 7.22m from head to tail. She now lives on a snake sanctuary …
Earworm of the week School Disco : Messiah of Evil
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