AL-Monitor Dubai: Syrian Canadian artist Nour Malas at Carbon 12
This week we showcase exhibitions in Dubai featuring paintings by the Syrian Canadian artist Nour Malas, at Carbon 12, and works by the Nigerian British artist Sola Olulode, at Lawrie Shabibi.
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This week we showcase exhibitions in Dubai featuring paintings by the Syrian Canadian artist Nour Malas, at Carbon 12, and works by the Nigerian British artist Sola Olulode, at Lawrie Shabibi. For foodies, we’ll introduce you to Manāo, a delicious new Thai-inspired restaurant, and show you what Dubai looked like decades ago, captured in images by the Indian photographer Ramesh Shukla.
Leading the week: “Evil Is Banal,” by Nour Malas
In Carbon 12’s first solo exhibition of the year, the alluring canvases of Syrian Canadian Nour Malas, a rising, New York–based painter and sculptor, merge poignant abstract expressionism with figuration in exploring the themes of trauma, geopolitics and the subconscious. In the curatorial essay on “Evil Is Banal,” the New York–based writer Gervais Marsh wrote, “The violent conditions that structure the societies we navigate are both insidious and immense, permeating everyday life and exceeding what is imagined to be possible by human actions. And yet trauma is embedded in the routine of living, often stretching the limits of the body and psyche.”
Malas invites viewers into this realm through her evocative paintings in a way that prompts them to enter their own inner world and come to terms with the fragility and uncertainty of today’s world, which often feels overwhelming.
“Nour Malas’ current practice has the ability to twist your guts while making you fall in love with her incredible brushstrokes — powerful painting at its best,” gallery co-founder Nadine Knotzer told Al-Monitor
The mesmerizing pull of Malas’s brushstrokes reflect the ability to also let herself be guided not just by the emotions and challenges of the world around her, but also by her intuition.
Date: Through April 5
Location: Carbon 12, Alserkal Avenue
Find more information here.
Word on the street: Manāo
Sticky rice roti, a dish on the tasting menu at Manāo (courtesy of Manāo)
This new eatery, nestled away on an unassuming street in Jumeirah, is quickly becoming one of Dubai’s most talked about restaurants. Thai inspired, it features a simple, understated decor, replete with wooden furniture and chalk cushions that will make diners feel like they’re in a cozy restaurant in Asia. The brainchild of two of the biggest figures in Dubai’s gastronomical scene — chef Abhiraj Khatwani and Mohammed Orfali of the Orfali Bros restaurant — the menu features mouthwatering takes on Thai cuisine. The 11-course tasting menu includes five beverage pairings (all with non-alcoholic options). Notable among the dishes are the gillardeau oyster, served with orange chilli nam jim and fried shallots; sticky rice roti, akin to a Thai taco with coconut-smoked short ribs; and for spice lovers, khanom jeen, made with fermented rice noodles with cashew sauce and Alaskan king crab.
Location: Wasl Vita, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
Find more information here.
Dubai diary
Sola Olulode, “1, 2, 3 GO!,” dye, pastel, ink, charcoal and pigment on canvas, 2024 (courtesy of the artist and Lawrie Shabibi)
Sola Olulode, “I’ve Got to Know You Now, We May Never Meet Again”
The poignant and dreamy paintings of the London-based Nigerian British artist Sola Olulode debut this spring in Dubai, at Lawrie Shabibi. Olulode — whose paintings portray dynamic dialogues between myth, memory and the sea — has created a series of works reflecting on memories and experiences and referencing the imaginary realms of the Yemoja/Yemaya, the Yoruba water deity, alongside water spirits and sirens. The result celebrates nature, femininity and the uplifting and transformative power of water.
Date: Through April 9
Location: Lawrie Shabi, Alserkal Avenue, Warehouse 21
Find more information here.
“Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial”
This powerful group show presents works by 21 artists and collectives representing the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The first in a series of exhibitions to be staged every five years, the exhibition presents different perspectives on sociocultural and environmental themes, spanning the visual arts, architecture and design, The exhibition of paintings, videos, installations, photography and sculpture was inspired by the co-curators’ conversations with artists and other curators from across the region. The exhibition’s title, Between the Tides, refers to the idea of time being cyclical and to objects and ideas as artworks leaving a lasting impact.
Date: Through April 20
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Find more information here.
L’ECOLE Festival
This immersive and experiential celebration of jewelry arts, hosted by L’ECOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts, in partnership with d3 (Dubai Design District), presents a unique exploration of art history, gemology and savoir-faire. The perfect event for jewelry lovers and art history buffs, the calendar includes outdoor activities, creative workshops, thought-provoking conversations and much more.
Date: Feb. 14 – 15
Location: Dubai Design District, Building 10
Find more information here.
Book of the week: “Saints and Misfits”
This trailblazing work of fiction by S.K. Ali, recommended by the recently concluded Emirates Literature Festival, charts the misadventures of Janna Yusuf, a young Muslim girl in love. It explores heavy issues including identity, faith and assault in a light-hearted, upbeat manner.
View from Dubai
A camel race in Sharjah, 1970s, photographed by Rameh Shukla, published in the Times of India, July 2021 (courtesy of Ramesh Shukla)
In 1965, when Ramesh Shukla was 26 years old, he boarded a ship in Bombay (now Mumbai) and headed to the Trucial States — today the United Arab Emirates, but then a collection of independent sheikhdoms on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. As Shukla recalls, he arrived at the port of Sharjah with a dollar in his pocket and a few rolls of film. Moving on to Dubai, he first hitched a ride on a donkey cart and then on a motorbike.
Shukla’s photographs tell the story of a very different time, one before Dubai became the glittering, metropolis it is today. Shukla, who moved to the Gulf to start a new life, now has a home in the busy Dubai district of Karama that feels like a museum. Upon entering, one finds photographs of major moments from UAE history that he shot himself over the last few decades.
By the numbers
- As of December 2024, the population of the UAE stood at 12.50 million, according to Global Media Insight (GMI).
- The largest age group is 25–54 years old, some 8.58 million people.
- The total Indian population in the UAE is 4.75 million.
