Saudi Arabia inaugurates its second “House of Culture”
As part of the “Quality of Life” program, these houses aim to upgrade cultural infrastructure and boost Saudi engagement in...Arts & Culture
Palestinian prisoner in Israel wins top fiction prize
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Palestinian writer Basim Khandaqji, jailed 20 years ago in Israel, won a prestigious prize for...Arts & Culture
Gulf region’s biggest wellness festival begins in Saudi Arabia
The AlUla Festival for Recreation and Relaxation, which is considered the largest festival of relaxation and wellness in the Gulf...The 10-day event began with the opening of “Five Senses Sanctuary” designed among the rocks of the ancient mountains of the Kingdom of Dadan.
The launch included the presence of the spokeswoman for women's rights, Manal Rostom, who shared her experiences with the audience.
Turkey’s Jews see glimpse of past in Netflix series
A groundbreaking Netflix series set among Turkey's Jews has been an unexpected hit there, challenging taboos and enthralling audiences with...The global success of Turkish television series -- often with government-pleasing narratives -- has made the country a small-screen superpower
While minorities once flourished in the cosmopolitan capital of the Ottoman Empire, they suffered persecution as it fell and discrimination ever since
War heaps misery upon Yemen’s heritage
Yemen's Sira Fortress withstood attacks by the Portuguese and the Turks, but years of war have left the 11th century...Sira sits atop a rocky mountain island in the historic district of Crater, a strategic position that once made it a base for British colonial forces
Yemen's brutal war has not just killed hundreds of thousands, but also laid waste to much of its rich architectural heritage
2022 edition of Art Dubai largest to date, achieves strong sales
Art Dubai closed its 15th edition on Sunday, with strong sales reported across all four sections of the fair: Modern,...The five-day event saw a record attendance of more than 30,000 visitors and more than 120 presentations by 104 galleries and platforms from 44 countries.
The gallery program was complemented by newly commissioned works from leading international artists and an oversubscribed, innovative talks program,
Ukraine invasion shows democracy is shaking: Artist
What Ai Weiwei calls the current "crisis of human rights and freedom of speech" is portrayed in a life-size replica...He was speaking at the Albertina Modern gallery where the show, "In Search of Humanity", opens Wednesday.
The new exhibition, which he described as "critical and radical", displays several works that are responses to the experiences of those fleeing war and persecution.
Art sales hit all-time high in 2021, continue rapid growth in Asia
Art auctions saw a record year in 2021 with $17.1 billion (15.6 billion euros) in sales as the market continued...There was also the landmark moment when digital artist Beeple sold a NFT for $69 million, the third-highest figure ever paid for a living artist.
Contemporary art -- counted as anything created after 1945 -- accounts for a growing share of sales, with 20 percent of the market, up from 3 percent in 2000.
Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council focuses on palm fiber at Art Dubai
The 15th edition of Art Dubai which displayed findings of its advanced palm fiber research and palm textile prototype, paving...Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, an affiliate of the UAE-based NAMA Women Advancement, explored UAE’s relationship with date palm.
It discussed how such local, environment-friendly materials could pave the way for the creation of a circular economy centered on palm waste.
Amid NFT boom, artists worry about climate costs
Most NFTs are currently traded on Ethereum, which reportedly uses as much electricity as all of the Netherlands, with a...K-pop fans in South Korea last year staged a brutal campaign against plans for popular groups include BTS and A.C.E. to sell crypto-art.
Selling art as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, uses the same technology as crypto-currencies like Bitcoin. The buyer receives a verified digital token as a mark of genuineness.
Dubai Fitness Challenge keeps residents hooked to daily workout
Dubai Fitness Challenge, a program launched in 2017 to improve the well-being of the residents, has seen 88 percent of...The program has seen the number of participants more than double from 786,000 in its inaugural year to 1,650,000 people in 2021.
The participants’ overall satisfaction was extremely high for the 5th edition with 93 percent extremely happy with their experience.
Druze pop star seeks to bridge Palestinian, Israeli divide
Nicknamed “the Druze prodigy” after winning a TV competition aged 12, Sharif — now in his 40s — rose to...Nicknamed “the Druze prodigy” after winning a TV competition aged 12, Sharif — now in his 40s — rose to fame with his Mizrahi (Eastern) pop songs in the 1990s in Israel
The Druze, an Arabic-speaking minority offshoot of Shiite Islam, number around 140,000 in Israel and the occupied Golan Heights
