A look at the Recent Acquisitions of Barjeel Art Foundation

The last time I went there, the Barjeel Art Foundation showcased exemplary modern Arab World art with RE: Orient. About a year later, hearing of an upcoming few weeks' exhibition of some of its recent acquisitions -- appropriately entitled Recent Acquisitions -- I drove down to Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah to catch opening night, betting on a show as good as before.

The exhibition included a selection of paintings and drawings from among the foundation's art vault newcomers, ranging from modern to contemporary, and by artists from several countries around the Arab World. I recognized some of them, such as Guirguis Lotfi (bottom left), and discovered many more I liked, like Yaser Dwaik (right).

Overall, I liked the quality of the artworks, as well as the broad and interesting range of styles, ages and origins represented in the curator's choice. If you want to see some great diverse art from the region, I once again recommend a visit to the Foundation, before the gallery's contents are archived after the first week of November.

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100417101655/RTA%20opens%207%20metro%20stations%20on%2030%20April%2C%203%20others%20on%2015%20May
Huzzah! In a suprising (but very welcome) move, the RTA has moved the opening date for my neighborhood metro station, Dubai Internet City/Tecom, from undefined-but-much-later to April 30th, which means massive savings of both time and money for yours truly.

Dubai gets a Metro

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10347416.html

There is a metro stop very close to my home, close to where my relatives live, and not too far from where my university is located. Not to mention the stops near major malls and hubs. The launch also coincides with the rollout of a new unified proximity fare card system called "Nol" for bus, metro and waterbus transport. As a nod towards market segmentation and/or social stratification, there is going to be a "Gold Class" of coaches. Definitely as a nod to the segregation options available to women and families in this part of the world, there is going to be a coach for women and children too (wonder what happens if you are a father with your children). While the traffic congestion and taxi availability problem that ostensibly motivated its development have mostly disappeared due to the recession, it is still a relatively cheap*fast means of long-distance transport, and will be especially useful once the economy recovers (and may even contribute to said recovery). Looking forward to a ride on the weekend, and the remaining stations opening in the near future.