Art in the “New York” of the Arab World

Chilean photographer Jaime Puebla, speaking about his project "TV" which includes photographs of "futuristic" UAE studios, describes “The UAE, and Dubai especially" as "like the New York of the Arab world, where most young Arabs dream of going to make it.” I've heard this kind of description before, and though I think it's exaggerated, it is certainly true …

Loud Art and Nuqat: ‘Executing Culture Shock’

Saudi initiative LOUD Art has partenered with Nuqat, a platform for connecting artists in the the Middle East, to put on an exhibition with the title 'Executing Culture Shock'.  Apparently the initiative is "aimed at challenging and examining the experience of cultural change and its effect on artists and designers." The exhibition will be on …

Boutros Hallaq: The Arabic Novel and the Civil Uprising

During the first year of the so-called Arab Spring Boutros Hallaq spoke at the Arabic Circle at the University of Chicago about The Arabic Novel and the Civil Uprising (which is what he called the Arab Spring), and there's a recording of the talk he gave in Arabic here. Here's a summary/translation of the talk: …