BROWNBOOK

One of the most anticipated events on the film calender, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will start tonight. Scheduled to open the eight-day event is Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s 3D adaptation of the 2001 best-selling novel Life of Pi.   Suraj Sharma who plays the lead role of Pi Patel will be walking the red…

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, art from Central Asia has hit a new level of interest and some would say, maturity. Its rise from the ashes, in an international sense began at the debut of the Central Asia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2005. Since then, art in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and…

Ever since Hollywood actor Tom Cruise walked down the red carpet for the world premiere of Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) last year, the region has been waiting to find out how this year’s upcoming ninth edition will be topped.   At a press conference yesterday, Abdul Hamid…

As the year draws to a close, countries in various parts of the region are in the midst of a busy season as glitzy red carpet affairs take centre stage, boasting A-list cinematic talents and world movie premieres. Last Saturday marked the opening of the fourth edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), an…

In the moments before the shutter snaps shut, New Yorker Sheree Hovsepian uses a technique called sleight of hand to shift a card and leaves a series of ghostly imprints on the image. The technique is something of a performance, a series of happenings over multiple exposures. Such abstraction highlights Hovsepian’s method of photography and…

Widely known as the art hub of Dubai and housing over 30 galleries in one quarter, the industrial district of Al Quoz is inviting the public this Saturday, for a full day of cultural education through art, design, music and film.   The initiative, titled QUOZ is the first project of its kind in the…

The fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Art (ADA), the emirate’s contemporary art and design fair is all set to begin tomorrow.   Taking place over a course of four days at the Saadiyat Cultural District, the exhibition will feature 50 galleries from around the world as they showcase sculptures, drawings, photographs and installations by over…

In an effort to beautify the streets of Dubai while promoting Emirati artists, a street art project has been launched as part of a collaborative initiative with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).   The two artists, who were selected by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) for the project are currently producing 11…

While on a trip to Algeria to learn about her native roots in the early nineties, French-born photographer Nadia Benchallal’s curiosity led her to discover a new reality about Muslim women that goes beyond what is often depicted in the media. Her realisation has given rise to a long-term project that sees Benchallal documenting the…

The most anticipated event in the regional arts’ calendar, Art Dubai, is four months away and organisers have already started gearing up for the contemporary fair. This week, six artists out of which three are Emirati, were selected to work alongside an international curator for next year’s Artists-in-Residence Dubai (AiR) programme.   The residency runs…