This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote<\/mark><\/strong> There is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss\u00a0Douglas Adams<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Buy the numbers<\/mark><\/strong> The\u00a0global art market<\/strong>\u00a0in 2024 was down 12% on the year before, at\u00a0$57.5bn<\/strong>. So says the fresh-off-the-press\u00a0Art Basel\/UBS Art Market Report<\/strong><\/a>, undoubtedly the deepest and most comprehensive analysis of art market data that’s available; and we\u2019ve read it all. We also consumed the two other recent market reports, from\u00a0Artprice<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Artnet<\/strong><\/a>, and we have all the headlines\u00a0in our report here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 but there were some numbers left over, too, so we collated them for you\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francofilm <\/mark><\/strong>The 15th\u00a0Franco Film Week<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0runs 11-17 April at Cinema Akil, with eight Francophone features including the excellent Monsieur Aznavour and The Marching Band. There\u2019ll be subtitles, natch. A festival pass, good for all eight films, is AED 150 plus VAT. Details are\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gallery daze<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Dubai\u2019s galleries\u00a0organise some of their best shows of the year to coincide with the influx of moneyed visitors for\u00a0Art Dubai<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(open 18-20 April to the public), but this year they\u2019ve outdone themselves \u2013 there are just so many good-looking shows around town\u00a0starting in the next few days. Frankly we\u2019re spoiled for choice \u2013 see the\u00a0Agenda<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for a more comprehensive list\u00a0\u2013 but five we\u2019ll definitely be checking out are\u00a0Hazem Harb<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Tabari,\u00a0Bashir Makhoul<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Zawyeh,\u00a0Michael Sailstorfer\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>at Carbon 12,\u00a0Sama Alshaibi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Ayyam, and of course\u00a0Hassan Sharif<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at Gallery Isabelle …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming soon<\/mark><\/strong><\/strong> Later in the year Alserkal Avenue is getting another gallery, and it should be well worth watching \u2013\u00a0Taymour Grahne Projects<\/strong><\/a> has\u00a0hitherto\u00a0represented its artists from offices in London and New York via pop-ups and art fairs (including Abu Dhabi Art and Art Dubai in the recent past); now it’s opening its first permanent gallery in the Avenue this September. It\u2019s taking a 186m2<\/sup> space and will open with a solo show by American artist\u00a0Gail Spaien<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abu Dhabi Art dates<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The star Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has been named as the Visual Campaign Artist for the 17th\u00a0Abu Dhabi Art<\/strong><\/a>, which will take place\u00a019 to 23 November<\/strong>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling blue<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Today\u2019s your last chance to ogle one of the world\u2019s rarest diamonds, a 10k blue\u00a0from South Africa called\u00a0The Mediterranean Blue<\/strong>. It\u2019s on show at Abu Dhabi\u2019s\u00a0Bassam Freiha Art Foundation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on Saadiyat\u00a0along with seven other stones worth a total of around $100m. Sotheby\u2019s expects it to be sold for a cool\u00a0$20m<\/strong>\u00a0at auction in May …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daily dose<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0PoetiCal<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is “an experimental, collaborative publication only accessible through a calendar app” \u2013 you submit a piece of text (could be virtually anything) and\u00a0a date on which you would like it published; users\u00a0sync their calendar\u00a0with PoetiCal, and it will be updated with new\u00a0works as and when they are published. What a great idea …\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> Save the chickens<\/strong>, three at a time.\u00a0Do it here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong> ‘Dreamt<\/strong>‘ is the only English word that ends in the letters\u00a0mt<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark><\/strong> Abri : Possessions \/ First World Problems<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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