This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> If you don\u2019t call it art, you\u2019re likely to get a better result\u00a0Brian Eno<\/em> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Public art direction<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The appointment of\u00a0Elvira Dyangani Ose<\/strong>\u00a0as director of the forthcoming\u00a0Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0looked an ambitious and imaginative move when it was announced in January: she has a good rep as a curator and organiser with strong opinions. She wasn\u2019t due to start full-time until October \u00ad\u2013 no dates (or indeed any other details) have been given for the Public Art Biennial, but we hear it is aiming for a November start \u2013 and she had been looking to balance the Abu Dhabi role with her current position as director of Barcelona’s\u00a0MACBA<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0modern art museum for the next few months.\u00a0ArtNet<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0says she will now step down early in April (rather than late July); apparently her bosses denied her request to juggle both roles until the summer. Dyangani Ose has been at MACBA since 2021, the first woman and the first person of colour to lead the institution …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now read on<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Many galleries produce monographs and\/or printed catalogues for their major shows, but Efie Gallery<\/a> <\/strong>is going a bit further with the launch of an actual online bookstore<\/a><\/strong>. Says Efie: \u201cEach title extends the life of our exhibitions beyond the gallery space, bringing together newly commissioned essays, archival materials, and critical reflections that deepen engagement with the artists\u2019 practices\u201d. Price per book appears to be AED 150, which is pretty decent for a short-run high-quality print publication containing lots of pics and contributions from named notables \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pregnant with possibilities<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Laughter Factory<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is offering\u00a0free tickets\u00a0<\/strong>to its March shows to women in their third trimester (\u201cwith an obvious bump\u201d). The tag is celebration of International Women\u2019s Day, which falls on 8 March, and the argument is that \u201cin the final months of pregnancy babies already respond to their mum\u2019s voice, laughter, and the world around her\u201d. A bit tough maybe if you\u2019re not pregnant, or not pregnant enough, but\u00a0the March tour<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is worth seeing anyhow \u2013\u00a0Andrew Ryan<\/strong>,\u00a0Yash Bhardwaj<\/strong>, and magpie favourite\u00a0Rula Korban<\/strong>: 6-7 and 13-14 March in Dubai, 12 March in Al Hamra: early-bird tickets\u00a0discounted<\/strong>\u00a0to AED 140 until 28 February for the unpregnant …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Job op 1<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Leila Heller<\/strong>\u00a0is looking for a\u00a0Gallery Administrator<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 \u201csomeone with gallery administration experience who thrives in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment\u201d. Specifics include knowledge of UAE financial, legal, and compliance processes and fluent English (\u201cArabic is a plus\u201d). Send resum\u00e9, cover letter and three references to\u00a0info@leilahellergallery.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by 3 March … Job op 2<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> We\u2019ve just noticed that the first university in the MENA region dedicated entirely to arts and culture,\u00a0Riyadh University of Arts<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(opening in Riyadh later this year), is looking for full-time lecturers in composition\/music theory, voice, piano and \u201cperformance\u201d \u2013 but the\u00a0deadline<\/strong>\u00a0for applications is tight \u2013 Sat 28 Feb<\/strong>. More info\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Museum rep<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Salama Nasser Al Shamsi<\/strong>, Director of\u00a0Cultural sites for DCT Abu Dhabi, has been elected President of\u00a0ICOM UAE<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(ICOM is the\u00a0International Council of Museums<\/strong><\/a>, a genuinely important forum for debate and development representing 57,000 members in 129 countries which last November held its\u00a027th General Conference<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Dubai). A 16-year veteran of the culture and museums sector, Al Shamsi should be a great choice at an interesting time for the evolution of museums generally, especially in our region. As she says, \u201cmuseums are not static spaces<\/strong>; they are living environments that reflect who we are as a society and how our identity evolves over time\u201d \u00ad\u2013 and right now the UAE is a leader in both. Upcoming issues might revolve around development of the profession and especially the need to embrace ethical standards and sustainable practice in museums\u00a0…\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADMAF award winner<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Abdulrahman Al Madani<\/strong>\u00a0has been named as the winner of the 2025\u00a0Gulf Capital ADMAF Visual Arts Award<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(lots of kudos plus AED 20,000 cash) for his short film\u00a0Oug<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 winner of Best Narrative Short Film Award at \u202aRAKart. It follows a childless Emirati couple set to buy a gift for their newborn nephew, only to find themselves caught between family expectations and social pressures to have children. The arrival of the husband\u2019s overbearing mother brings up buried tensions\u00a0\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Future’s past<\/mark><\/strong> The Museum of the Future<\/strong><\/a> is approaching five million visitors<\/strong><\/a> since it opened\u00a0in Feb 2022. Its four-year record also includes hosting 620 events<\/strong>, 224 educational programmes<\/strong> and workshops, and Sarah Jessica Parker<\/strong> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n UAENO for WAPA<\/mark><\/strong> The UAE National Orchestra<\/strong><\/a> has joined the World Association for Performing Arts<\/strong><\/a>, a significant move in establishing its presence locally and internationally \u2013 WAPA offers opportunities for collaboration and joint initiatives, touring, and personnel swaps for professional development\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n RAK count<\/mark><\/strong> We thought this year\u2019s Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival<\/strong><\/a> was the best yet \u2013 the best organised and with the best art and film programme (and we have high hopes for the RAK Contemporary Art Biennale which debuted this time). The Festival is reporting 40,000 visitors<\/strong>; it had 164 artists<\/strong> from 49 countries, and the Open Call<\/strong> for submissions for the 2027 edition will be live from 3 Apr\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful app of the week<\/mark><\/strong> tldraw<\/strong><\/a> is a very fast, very minimal\u00a0online whiteboard for drawing, flowcharting and dropping ideas generally. No sign-up needed; runs on the web, export\u00a0as SVG or PNG,\u00a0totally free …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The Color Game<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0shows you five colours and you have to reproduce them.\u00a0Sounds simple but is REALLY hard. Try it here<\/a>\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Not only did Norway<\/strong> top the medals table<\/strong><\/a> at the Winter Olympics<\/strong> (41 in total), it also led in terms of medals per person<\/strong> \u2013 73.6 medals per 10m inhabitants (next best was Switzerland at 25.5) \u2013 and per dollar of\u00a0GDP<\/strong> (84.98 medals per $1tn GDP: next best Slovenia, winner of four medals at an equivalent 54.8 per $1tn GDP) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark> <\/strong>Altin G\u00fcn : Bir Nazar Eyledim<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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