Pan-Arabia Enquirer and the art of satire

If recent events are any indication, peddling satire in the UAE can be risky. So it was with more than a little skepticism that I took the news of a commissioned Pan-Arabia Enquirer exhibition at DUCTAC's Gallery of Light. But it turns out that this was, oddly enough, not just a big joke.

Fans of the publication know that PAE offers as much insight into the inscrutable idiosyncrasies of life in the Middle East as it does oft-missed satirical humor. A couple of prints are claimed to be early versions, from back when it was apparently called the Dubai Enquirer. Given PAE's premise, I really don't know how seriously I should be taking the descriptions of these. Suffice to say, though, that things have clearly improved since then, although there are still too many easy giveaways for my liking.

Highlights include select spoof ads (I love the job postings), and those facepalm-triggering letters that occasionally become as legendary as the articles themselves.

Print is not all there is to see; you can glance enviously at the VIP area while you wait in queue. A few manufactured artifacts, the articles relevant to some of which I recognize, are also displayed in glass cases.

Peace in an Open Space sound art at DUCTAC

Peace in an Open Space, the latest short exhibition at DUCTAC's Gallery of Light, features a mixture of classic and contemporary sound art. The former includes Leopoldo Perez's reconstruction of Arseny Avraamov's revolution-era piece Symphony of Factory Sirens, as well as a very interesting audio documentary about its background and execution (both available on the exhibition's tumblr through the tablet provided by the gallery). There's also a player for Halim El-Dabh's mid 20th century haunting electronic music piece, The Expression of Za’ar. Worth checking out if you're into sound art.

AUD faculty project Year Zero exhibited at DUCTAC

I checked out the five-day Year Zero exhibition in its final hours last week. The collaborative project, on display at the Gallery of Light in DUCTAC, was composed of the works of Prof. Dina Faour, Dr. Sandra Alexander, and Dr. Jerry Legé -- all American University in Dubai faculty, and each representing artistic, philosophical and mathematical dimensions to this visual discussion of remembrance and reconciliation. I especially like the photo series placing words and images in the context of past conflict. The twin chalkboard piece, on which philosophical/mathematical analyses of 0 were jotted, was also very interesting.

Hunger group art exhibition at DUCTAC

Just in time for Halloween, the DUCTAC Gallery of Light's week-long Hunger exhibition features the works of a dozen artists, along themes of the unnerving and the macabre. A significant number of them are videos, with one set of works, by Angie Abbas, using the not-oft-seen medium of bone.

A series I found especially worth checking out are the illustrations of Sasan Saidi, depicting, in red and black, dark visions of a circus grotesque.

Jalal Luqman's haunting portrayals of raw human emotion are also very intriguing to see.

HCT Media Graduation Exhibition "Sullam"

I checked out Sullam at the DUCTAC Gallery of Light in the final hours of its last night (it was only up for 3 nights, though). It was a good insight into emerging Emirati art talent. There were a number of film posters, collages and such. I saw some interesting integration of global art styles, such as Japanese manga and Australian Aboriginal "dot painting". And, oddly enough, a display of anime cosplay costumes. Some pieces were really quite creative.

By Shaima Faraj

By Fatima Alahbabi

By Mohammed Swaidan

By Fatma Ahmad Hatam