Episode 55: Historic pieces and humble beginnings at Abu Dhabi Art

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal explore the flourishing art scene across the UAE, starting with Abu Dhabi Art which kicked off earlier this week. This year marks the biggest iteration of the event to date, featuring more than 100 galleries. The hosts share their favourite pieces from the fair and highlight some of the most compelling exhibits to experience, including the Arab Presences: Modern Art and Decolonisation exhibition which features works from The Farjam Foundation and Beyond: Emerging Artists which displays the commissioned work of three UAE-based artists from their year-long mentorship programme. Maan speaks to Egyptian artist Adel El Siwi about the launch of his solo exhibition, Yellow Tropics, at Tabari Artspace in Dubai this week. They discuss his use of bold colours, the African influence in his work and the intimate details that build a narrative in his paintings. As microblogging platform BlueSky gains traction, more and more high-profile celebrities are choosing to leave X for what they say is a more transparent and “toxic-free” alternative. The list includes Lizzo, Stephen King and Ben Stiller. The hosts debate whether the move to BlueSky can have any meaningful influence on celebrity followers or if it might end up sowing division.