Tea with Culture

A discussion with Nora Razian (Head of Exhibitions at Art Jameel) about recent exhibition trends in museums and galleries, specifically how 'research based art' is presented and translated into a final piece of artwork.  The discussion includes questions about the proposition of the work and what are curators and artists demanding from an audience, works made for biennials compared to museum/gallery exhibitions, how best to present durational work like film and video and how can the layout invite and engage viewers to watch them in their entirety. We also discuss labelling, how to accommodate multi-lingual viewers, and how artists present works that challenge and contest dominant art narratives and histories. Links to some of the works mentioned in the discussion: Nepal Picture Library at the 17th Istanbul Biennial https://www.nepalpicturelibrary.org/update/feminist-memory-project-at-istanbul-biennial/ https://bienal.iksv.org/en/17b-artists/feminist-memory-project-nepal-picture-library Lamia Joreige at the 17th Istanbul Biennial https://bienal.iksv.org/en/17b-artists/lamia-joreige Christian Marclay - The Clock  https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/marclay-the-clock-t14038  A Word to Curators - about making exhibitions accessible  https://thewhitepube.co.uk/blog/to-curators/   Watch & Chill 2.0: Streaming Senses at Sharjah Art Foundation  https://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/watch-chill-2.0-streaming-senses An Ocean in Every Drop at Jameel Art Centre  https://jameelartscentre.org/whats-on/an-ocean-in-every-drop/ About our guest: Nora Razian manages the exhibitions programme at the Jameel Arts Centre, and contributes to curatorial thinking across the board. Previous roles include heading up programmes at the Sursock Museum, Beirut, and curating public programmes at Tate, London. She has an MA in Anthropology and Cultural Politics from Goldsmiths College, London, where she also designed and taught the MA course ‘Critical Pedagogy in Contested Space' at the Centre for Arts and Learning.

An interview with Ana Lily Amirpour about her latest film Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a fantasy adventure about a girl with unusual and dangerous powers who escapes from a mental asylum and tries to make it on her own in New Orleans. We discuss the film, how it relates to current politics, freedom, kindness, sleep, dreams, and dance music. This interview was recorded via Zoom at Cinema Akil on October 1.

Part two of a catch up conversation between Hind Mezaina and Wael Hattar, this one is about the state of cinema in the UAE and beyond. Topics include: - Changed habits of watching films since the pandemic - Cinema vs streaming debate - UAE cinemas and the inconsistent subtitling of non-English language films, lack of efforts by the multiplexes to attract new and diverse audiences to cinemas, high end cinema experience vs affordable cinema - Lack of financial support for filmmakers in the UAE and new generation of new short films made by independent filmmakers in the - Streaming companies funding regional films and TV shows - Omar El Zohairy and his latest film Feathers Relevant links: https://grasshopperfilm.com/film/feathers/ https://www.theculturist.com/home/2022/5/19/cinemas-2022-the-alternative-film-festival-at-manarat-al-saadiyat https://imagenationabudhabi.com/afs/ https://www.netflix.com/ae-en/title/81312532 (Cooking with Paris) https://www.hbo.com/irma-vep Image: Still from Feathers

Hind Mezaina and Wael Hattar sit together after a podcast hiatus, to catch up on the state of art and culture across the UAE and beyond. They talk about life during (and post?) pandemic, art fairs, the accessibility of art, grassroots collectives that are co-opted by art fairs/commercial galleries, how the art scene in the UAE has not matured enough, the obsession with young artists, finding joy in art and more. Links to some of the things mentioned in the discussion: https://www.akaretler.com.tr/Artweeks https://www.theculturist.com/home/exhibition-wael-hattar-sold-out-at-rotanda-gallery.html https://tashkeel.org/exhibitions/wonder-land https://maraya.ae/exhibitions/view/towards-time/121 https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/dubai-cultural-visa https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/admissions/graduate/mfa-art-and-media.html Image from Towards Time. Works by Zara Mahmood at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah

Architect and writer Todd Reisz joins Hind Mezaina for a discussion about his book Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai and his exhibition Off Centre / On Stage that is accompanied by a book with the same title at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. You can find Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai on https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29960 and most other online bookshops. Information about Off Centre / On Stage exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre can be found on https://jameelartscentre.org/whats-on/off-centre-on-stage/. The exhibition is on until March 21, 2022. The book Off Centre / On Stage was designed and published by Khatt Books and available to order online on https://www.khattbooks.com/shop/off-center-on-stage/ If you are in Dubai, you can find both books at Jameel Arts Centre and also online at https://shop.artjameel.org, plus Kinokinuya and Gulf Photo Plus. Todd Reisz is an architect and writer living in Amsterdam. His work examines the global practice of architecture, specifically how the architect circulates technologies and cultural narratives. In addition to the two books about Dubai, he also co-edited Building Sharjah (https://www.ribabooks.com/building-sharjah_9783035622768#), an archival investigation of Sharjah's vanishing twentieth-century landscape and includes a selection of essays and images from several contributors. You can find more of Todd's writings and subscribe to his newsletter on http://www.toddreisz.com and follow him on https://twitter.com/ToddReisz.

Film critic A.S. Harmah joins Hind Mezaina for a conversation about his book The Earth Dies Streaming. A.S. Hamrah is a writer living in Brooklyn. He contributed a column on film to n+1 from 2008 to 2019, and his essays and reviews have appeared in Harper’s, Bookforum, Cineaste, and other publications. His first book, The Earth Dies Streaming: Film Writing, 2002–2018, was published by n+1 Books in 2018. Episode Notes: The first half of the discussion is about the state of film criticism, the current the debate about streaming, their impact on movie theatres, and film studios as hyper capitalist entities. From the 42nd minute onwards the discussion is focused on the book, including the following chapters and filmmakers: - Alien Land - The Grapes of Wrath - Jessica Biel's Hand - Chantal Akerman - Stanley Kubrick Other films/filmmakers/topics mentioned / discussed in this episode include: Outbreak, Contagion, Nomadland (Chloe Zhao), Hillbilly Elegy (Ron Howard), The Irishman (Martin Scorsese), Il Cinema Ritrovato and the roles of film festivals in general (especially during the pandemic), Links discussed in this episode: 2021 Will Launch the Platinum Age of Piracy www.wired.com/preview/story/5fd2…56e34070c4339bc27c Oedipal Multiplex https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/oedipal-multiplex-1.602016 Links related to the book: Book intro, Remember Me On This Computer nplusonemag.com/online-only/onlin…on-this-computer/ n+1 Bookstore shop.nplusonemag.com/products/the-e…-by-a-s-hamrah Where to find A S Hamrah: thebaffler.com/authors/a-s-hamrah twitter.com/hamrahrama www.instagram.com/hamrahrama

In this episode Wael Hattar interviews Alia Fattouh from Athr Gallery, one of the leading galleries in Saudi Arabia, where they discuss the 11 years since it's establishment, covering the beginnings of Athr gallery in parallel with the development of the art scene in the region. With the recent cultural expansion in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, Athr had to shift and develop with that, and the conversation went into the interaction with a young generation, how Athr are growing their new artists and the scene, and getting into new projects now that the Saudi Art Council has been set up, and starting up their own residency program and micro grants. You can find out more through their links as mentioned in the interview https://www.athrart.com/ www.maaneditions.com/ www.thesaudiartcouncil.org/ instagram.com/athrart/ twitter.com/athrart facebook.com/AthrArtGallery

Hind Mezaina invited Maryam Wissam Dabbagh for a conversation about her project currently on exhibit at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, part of its ongoing Library Circles series. The commissioned project reflects on the conversations around belonging and revisiting relationships with our cities, topics  many of us around the world have been thinking about since the pandemic started and apt themes themes to discuss for our 100th episode. About the Library Circles commissioned project: Library Circles feature research, talks and experimental interventions by UAE practitioners in the Jameel Library and Jameel Arts Centre. The programme explores alternative research methodologies and representations with a focus on ‘thinking in public’. For the fall iteration of Library Circles, Jameel Library presents an audio piece by writer and researcher Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh. The commissioned work reflects on the conversations around belonging; revisiting relationships with our cities through bureaucracy, administration and the long-prophesied age of retirement. Through personal narratives, Al Dabbagh examines complex round histories that continue to reimagine their beginnings and abruptly ending. Accompanying the audio piece is a text installation. Meant for slow reading and chance encounters, the writing starts from the library and grows outwards across various spaces throughout the Jameel Arts Centre. About Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh: Born and raised in the UAE, Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh is an Iraqi writer, researcher, and cultural communications consultant. She received a BA in Journalism, from the American University of Sharjah, and an MA in Global Media and Post-National Communications from SOAS, London. Her research is focused on the Arab Diaspora in the Gulf, and exile, especially through the lens of belonging and return. Library Circles: Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh is on until 31 December 2020. https://jameelartscentre.org/whats-on/library-circles-maryam-al-dabbagh/

This episode was recorded on 22nd March 2020, a few weeks into the significant changes felt all around the world caused by the Coronavirus. Tea with Culture's Hind Mezaina was invited by Warehouse 421, an arts and design centre based in Abu Dhabi that hosts exhibitions and public programmes, to moderate a discussion for their new podcast "Warehouse 421 Conversations". You can listen to the discussion here, and thank you to Warehouse 421 for letting us share this episode with you, our listeners. Since March 14th, museums and cultural spaces across the UAE closed their doors for health and safety reasons due to the Coronavirus. It’s been a tough few weeks for all since that announcement and Warehouse 421 invited Tea with Culture to moderate a discussion about the impact of the current interruptions in the local art ecosystem and the various ways that livelihood in the arts can continue during times of disruption. Hind Mezaina was joined by artist and educator Zahra Jewanjee, Umer Butt, director of Grey Noise Gallery, and Kevin Jones, arts writer and consultant and founder of Juniper Mind to have this conversation. https://www.warehouse421.ae/en/ http://www.zjewanjee.com https://www.greynoise.org http://junipermind.com

Hind Mezaina sits with Faisal Salah, social media journalist at The National (https://twitter.com/EyesWOutAFais) and comic book artist Mohamed "Momo" Sheibani (https://twitter.com/momoarchive) to discuss Ali F Mostafa's film City of Life ten years after its premier at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009. The discussion includes their thoughts about the film, the representation of Dubai in the film, the films and commercials made by Ali F Mostafa after City of Life and a look at other UAE films released during the past decade, the impact of the cancellation of Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Dubai International Film Festival, and the challenges of developing and maintaining a film industry in the UAE. Other UAE films discussed in this episode: From A to B (Ali F Mostafa, 2014) The Worthy (Ali F Mostafa, 2016) Sea Shadow (Nawaf Janahi, 2011) A Fallible Girl (Conrad Clark, 2013) Djinn (Tobe Hooper, 2013) Zinzana (Majid Al Ansari, 2015) Hajwala: The Missing Engine (Ali Bin Matar, Ibrahim Bin Mohamed, 2016) Aerials (S.A. Zaidi, 2016) Only Men Go to the Grave (Abdulla Al Kaabi, 2016) Musk (Humaid Al-Suwaidi, 2018) You can rent/buy City of Life before on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ae/movie/city-of-life/id1093942053 You can read Hind Mezaina's review of City of Life here: https://www.theculturist.com/home/review-city-of-life-by-ali-f-mostafa.html You can read Hind Mezaina's interview with Abdulla Al Kaabi about Only Men Go to the Grave here: https://www.theculturist.com/home/interview-with-abdulla-al-kaabi-director-of-only-men-go-to-t.html

A spoiler filled discussion about James Mangold's latest film Le Mans '66 (Ford v Ferrari) between Hind Mezaina and a returning guest, motoring journalist Imtishan Giado(www.instagram.com/imthishan). The discussion moves on to car culture in the United Arab Emirates, including the one time Dubai Grand Prix from 1981, Dubai Rally, Dubai Police car fleet, and if motor racing in the United Arab Emirates is culturally accepted or relevant.

In this episode Wael Hattar and Hind Mezaina sit with author and journalist Samya Ayish to discuss the state of Arab Cinema, specifically in the UAE and the Gulf region. The discussion includes film education; the role film festivals, especially the importance of Dubai International Film Festival (ended in 2018 after 14 years) for filmmakers, film enthusiasts and cinephiles; the calibre of film critique, film journalism and film discussions on social media in the region; lack of film marketing, short lived film screening initiatives. You can follow Samya Ayish on Twitter https://twitter.com/sayish. Films mentioned in this episode: Musk (dir. Humaid Alsuwaidi) Rashid and Rajab (dir. Mohammed Saeed Harib) Shabab Shayeb (dir. Yasir Al-Yasiri) Sea Shadow (dir. Nawaf Al Janahi) Al Mamar / The Passage (dir. Sherif Arafah) Fan of Amoory (dir. Salmeen AlMurry Amer) Leil Kharji / EXT. Night (dir. Ahmad Abdalla) Key venues to watch films in the UAE: - Multiplexes found across the UAE: Cine Royal Cinemas Cinema City Cinemax Cinemas Novo Cinemas Oscar Cinema Reel Cinemas Roxy Cinemas Star Cinemas Vox Cinema - Independently run cinemas + institutions/cultural spaces that screen films frequently: In Abu Dhabi Cinema Space, Manarat Saadiyat Korean Cultural Center Louvre Abu Dhabi NYUAD Arts Center Sorbonne University Warehouse 421 In Al Ain Al Ain Community Cinema In Dubai: Alliance Francaise Theatre Cinema Akil Dubai Opera Jameel Arts Centre thejamjar Warehouse Four In Sharjah Africa Hall, The Africa Institute, Sharjah Mirage Cinema, Sharjah Art Foundation

This episode is a recording of a talk titled Art Critique in the UAE which took place in Dubai on September 10th at Tashkeel. Thanks to Tashkeel for letting us share the talk with our listeners. About the talk: Can a Culture of Critique Exist in the UAE? Why has the UAE seemingly resisted the culture of critique? Who is contributing to changing the dynamic? Do we even need to think critically about contemporary art?  Can a Culture of Critique Exist in the UAE? Why has the UAE seemingly resisted the culture of critique? Who is contributing to changing the dynamic? Do we even need to think critically about contemporary art?  Moderated by Kevin Jones, arts writer, UAE Desk Editor for ArtAsiaPacific and founder of Juniper Mind, with a panel that included artists Afra Al Dhaheri and Rania Jishi, Umer Butt from Grey Noise Gallery, and Tea with Culture's Hind Mezaina. The discussion addressed the presumed barriers to critique in the UAE arts ecosystem, the blossoming opportunities to cultivate critique, and a speculative leap into the future of local critique. The panelists assessed the current state of “crit”—from burgeoning grassroots artist-run collectives to the complex feedback loop of the artist/gallerist tandem. They decoded the critical landscape today in the UAE—who are the critics, what influence do they wield—before imagining the stakes of a fully matured culture of critique—how would this be different from what exists elsewhere, what would be the uniquely UAE inflection? https://tashkeel.org http://junipermind.com https://www.afraaldhaheri.com https://www.greynoise.org

Wael Hattar met with Rami Zeidan, the VP of Anghami and talked about the digital audio landscape in the Middle East and Anghami’s role in the region with its changing consumption habits. They also discussed Anghami's new direction on working with Podcasts and their insight on the types of shows that work, how consumption happens and how they support and push the content curators. We also talked about Rami's own experience with his Hip Hop podcast 7awwil. facebook.com/anghami.ae/ twitter.com/anghami instagram.com/anghami/ www.anghami.com https://play.anghami.com/album/5730967 www.7awwil.me

In this episode, Hind Mezaina sits with Kourosh Nouri, founding director of Carbon 12 gallery. Launched in Dubai with his business partner and wife Nadine Knotzer in November 2008, the gallery represents regional and international artists with an active calendar of exhibitions and attendance in art fairs around the world. To discuss its milestone 10 years in Dubai, Kouroush Nouri shares with us the opportunities and challenges of running a contemporary art gallery, how he and Nadine work with artists and collectors and what they expect from them, plus the overall development of the art scene in the UAE over the past decade. Warning: some strong language in this episode. https://www.carbon12dubai.com facebook.com/Carbon12gallery/ instagram.com/carbon12gallery/ twitter.com/carbon12gallery

Wael Hattar sits with Maya Moumne and Hatem Imam, the Beirut based co-founders and co-directors of Journal Safar, an independent bilingual(Arabic and English)and biannual visual and design culture magazine launched in 2014. Journal Safar provides a window into cultural production in the Middle East, focusing on contemporary design, critical thinking and experimentation in the region by inviting designers, writers, thinkers and other creatives to respond to a specific theme per issue. Maya Moumne and Hatem Imam discuss the reasons behind launching a bilingual magazine, how they choose their themes and collaborating with contributors, how they go about producing the magazine in terms of funding and distribution. www.journalsafar.com/ facebook.com/journalsafar/ twitter.com/JournalSafar instagram.com/journalsafar/ www.studiosafar.com/

Hind Mezaina sits with Nada Raza, Artistic Director of Ishara Art Foundation which opened in March 2019. Established by Smita Prabhakar, an entrepreneur, art collector and long term Dubai resident, the foundation is focused on contemporary art from a South Asian context, supporting cultural exchange and building on the shared histories, continued presence and cultural contribution of South Asian voices in the Gulf. www.ishara.org twitter.com/Ishara_Art instagram.com/isharaartfoundation/ facebook.com/isharaartfoundation/

Hind Mezaina invited cinephile and motoring journalist Imtishan Giado (https://www.instagram.com/imthishan) to discuss the new Aladdin film, what they liked and didn't like about it, the representation of Arabs, how does it compare it to the original animated version Aladdin from 1992, and thoughts on whether we need remakes like this.

Hind Mezaina sits with Antonia Carver (Director, Art Jameel) to talk about Jameel Arts Centre which opened in Dubai in November 2018. Jameel Arts Centre, located by the creek in Al Jaddaf Waterfront, is an independent and privately owned art institution which is both an exhibition and education space dedicated to contemporary art presented through art projects, commissions, and curated solo and group exhibitions, drawn both from the Art Jameel Collection and through regional and international collaborations. By nurturing artists and practitioners to produce work from and about the region, the centre aims to to create dialogue and exchange of ideas through exhibitions, education and research, to encourage broad audiences young and old to engage actively with the artworks and ideas generated. https://jameelartscentre.org twitter.com/JameelArtsCtr instagram.com/jameelartscentre/ facebook.com/JameelArtsCentre/

In this episode, Hind Mezaina sits with Michelle Facey from Kennington Bioscope (http://www.kenningtonbioscope.com) who programmes regular screenings of silent films at The Cinema Museum in London (http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk). Links to some of the references in the discussion: Kevin Brownlow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Brownlow Napoleon by Abel Gance https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/abel-gance-s-napoleon-monumental-restoration Silent Film Accompanists http://www.kenningtonbioscope.com/accompanists/4579544071 Dawson City: Frozen Time directed by Bill Morrison - https://www.kinolorber.com/film/view/id/2630 Michelle Facey on Twitter https://twitter.com/best2vilmabanky Kennington Bioscope on Twitter https://twitter.com/kenbioscope and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kenbioscope/ The Cinema Museum on Twitter https://twitter.com/CinemaMuseum and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_cinema_museum Petition to save The Cinema Museum http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/2017/petition-to-save-the-cinema-museum/ BFI https://www.bfi.org.uk Silent London https://silentlondon.co.uk

In this episode, Hind Mezaina sits with Faisal Salah (https://twitter.com/EyesWOutAFais) from The National to talk about a film screening organised by the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, in conjunction with the Film and Visual Media in the Gulf conference (https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/events/2018/october/film-and-visual-media-in-the-gulf.html). The film "Bas Ya Bahr / The Cruel Sea" by Khalid Al Siddiq was released in 1972 and is the first feature film made in Kuwait. They talk about the film, why and how it was made, the controversy around it, its reception regionally and globally and its importance to Gulf and Arab film history. Faisal Salah's article about the film in The National https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/the-first-ever-gcc-film-and-the-story-of-how-sheikh-zayed-saw-it-1.785906 The Cruel Sea on IMDB imdb.com/title/tt0121994/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3 The Cruel Sea on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cruel_Sea_(1972_film)

In this episode Wael Hattar interviews the artist Shaikha Al Mazrou. They discuss her art practice, how discomfort drives her, the directional change of her work and the effect of receiving an MFA. As a teacher at University of Sharjah, Al Mazrou also discusses art and higher Education in the UAE, and her role as an educator. We dive into the recent and upcoming projects, from Sharjah Art Foundation's artist residency March Projects, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation(ADMAF) commission, her current solo exhibition at Lawrie Shabibi, and her upcoming piece for Jameel Arts Centre opening in Dubai in November. lawrieshabibi.com/artists/134-shaikha-al-mazrou/overview/ sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/march-project-2018

In this episode Wael Hattar interviews the artist Daniele Genadry. They talk about art, education and the evolution in her work. The discussion includes Daniele's techniques and thoughts behind her work and how she has been able to grow as an artist within the region in the past few years. Daniele Genadry also teaches at the American University of Beirut, and she shares how education impacts artists and how an artist impacts education, and within that how her work has taken the form it did. Daniele Gendary's current exhibition "Slow Light" can be seen at the Beirut Art Centre, until 7th October 2018. More information can be found here http://www.beirutartcenter.org/en/exhibitions/daniel-genadry-slow-light. Other links: www.danielegenadry.com/ www.salehbarakatgallery.com/ instagram.com/dgenadry/

In this episode, Wael Hattar interviews Wafa'a Celine Halawi the Director of the Lebanese Film Festival. This is the 13th edition since it launched 17 years ago. Wafa'a Celine Malawi discusses the idea behind the start of the festival, its current iteration, the festival's audience, the effect on the film industry, plus the theme of this year's festival, "Lebanese Women in Cinema". www.lebanesefilmfestival.org twitter.com/lebfilmfestival instagram.com/lebanesefilmfestival/ facebook.com/lebfilmfest youtube.com/user/LebaneseFilmFestival

In this episode, Wael Hattar sits with Nisrine Wehbe, Programmer at Metropolis Cinema and Nour Ouayda, Co-ordinator of it's new project, Cinematheque Beirut; to talk about how the two organisations promote Lebanese and Arab cinema heritage and documenting the Lebanese movie production. Both Nisrine and Nour discuss with Wael what each does and their role in the film community in Lebanon, from creating a film database for Cinematheque Beirut, to programming film retrospectives, and organising film screenings and education for young viewers and also within the film industry. They also discuss budgeting and censorship challenges and their efforts in audience building. For all their latest news, events and updates: www.metropoliscinema.net metropoliscinema.net/page/theproject/ Social media links: twitter.com/metropolislb instagram.com/metropoliscinema/ facebook.com/MetropolisCinema/ twitter.com/cinemathequebei instagram.com/cinemathequebeirut/ facebook.com/cinemathequebeirut/

Wael Hattar sits with Joy Mardini, director and owner of Joy Mardini Design Gallery, one of the few design galleries in the Arab world, and Jessy Bustros, director of House of Today, an NGO dedicated to the enrichment of Lebanon’s design culture. They discuss product design in Lebanon, covering the general understanding of the market, production, education and its exchange with the world including the Arab and Gulf countries. Both Mardini and Bustros share their thoughts on the design scene in Beirut and across Lebanon, and explain some of the details within the market and the growth of the industry. houseoftoday.com twitter.com/HouseofToday instagram.com/houseoftoday facebook.com/HouseofToday jmdesigngallery.com instagram.com/jmdesigngallery facebook.com/jmdesigngallery

In this episode Wael Hattar interviews artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. We discuss Hamdan's practice in general, and cover his young but powerfully growing career from his first interest in Sound Art and how his work has developed into multiple media. Along with the winning of many prizes regionally and globally, we talk about the way people perceive his work (We have a few audio extracts from the works within the interview,) as well as his own development of what he sees and hears to his his different and current curatorial collaboration. http://sculpture-center.org/exhibitionsExhibition.htm?id=138467 You can read about his most recent prizes here artdubai.ae/abraaj-group-art-prize-2018/ sculpture-center.org/exhibitionsExhibition.htm?id=138467 You can find more of his work in the following links lawrenceabuhamdan.com https://vimeo.com/user7053630 https://iffr.com/en/persons/lawrence-abu-hamdan and find him socially here instagram.com/lawrence_abu_hamdan/ twitter.com/LAbuHamdan

This episode is about Tashkeel, a Dubai based multi-disciplinary studio, work space and gallery. Established in Dubai in 2008 by Lateefa bint Maktoum, Tashkeel enables creative practice, experimentation and dialogue among practitioners and the wider community. Hind Mezaina interviews Lisa Ball-Lechgar (Deputy Director) and Jill Hoyle (Manager)to talk about how it started, its recent milestone of celebrating its 10th anniversary, its role in the art community in the UAE and some of its future plans. http://tashkeel.org https://twitter.com/tashkeel https://www.facebook.com/TashkeelStudio https://www.instagram.com/tashkeelstudio

In this episode Wael Hattar speaks to Alexander Gray from Alexander Gray Associates, a New York based contemporary art gallery that represents Hassan Sharif (1951 - 2016). Alexander Gray shares with us how he was first introduced to Hassan Sharif's work in the United Arab Emirates and his thoughts about the artist and his work. http://www.alexandergray.com/artists/hassan-sharif http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/hassan-sharif-a-retrospective http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/events/hassan-sharif-interexchange-symposium instagram.com/alexandergrayassociates/ facebook.com/alexandergrayassociates/ twitter.com/agrayassociates You can see more images of the work on our Instagram page instagram.com/p/BjR3Qh7Hq0D/?taken-by=teawithculture Images courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates.

In this episode Hind Mezaina interviews Jannis Stürtz, co-founder of Jakarta Records and Habibi Funk record labels (based in Berlin). Habibi Funk focuses on re-releasing old music from the Arab world, with a particular focus on funk, jazz and obscure music from the 1970s and 80s. Music, photos, text and album covers from Habibi Funk are showcased at an exhibition titled "Habibi Funk: A spotlight on Arab Grooves" exhibition at East Wing Gallery in Dubai. Some images can be found on our Instagram page instagram.com/p/BirY2y3H3iZ/?taken-by=teawithculture They discuss how Habibi Funk started, how the music is found and re-released, the role of music conservation and archiving and the exhibition at East Wing Gallery in Dubai. Habibi Funk: A spotlight on Arab Grooves exhibition at East Wing, Dubai is on from March-May 2018 http://east-wing.org/habibi-funk-a-spotlight-on-arab-grooves-ezp-189.html Music from Habibi Funk record label can be found on https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/habibifunk https://twitter.com/Habibi_Funk https://instagram.com/habibifunk https://www.facebook.com/habibifunk https://www.jakartarecords.de

In this episode we have Nawar Al Qasimi, the Development Manager at Sharjah Art Foundation. She shares with us the history and role of the foundation, how it is funded and its different initiatives over the years. Located in Sharjah’s historic Art and Heritage Areas, Sharjah Art Foundation's activities and events take place throughout the year and include exhibitions featuring Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings and artist talks, plus art education programmes for children, adults and families. The Foundation hosts the annual March Meeting and every two years presents the Sharjah Biennial. Latest exhibitions can be found here: http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions Latest events can be found here: http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/events http://sharjahart.org https://twitter.com/SharjahArt https://www.facebook.com/SharjahArt https://www.instagram.com/sharjahart You can find images on our Instagram instagram.com/p/Bh_VTuIHySO/?taken-by=teawithculture

In this episode we discuss the cultural growth and development in Sharjah through its consistently growing and developing Sharjah Museums Authority. Wael Hattar interviews Manal Ataya the Director General of Sharjah Museums Authority and Alya Al Mulla the Curator for Sharjah Art Museum and they discuss the over all idea of managing the museums and collections, and how they have adapted over the years and how they currently navigate world of marketing and the community. We also focus on Sharjah Art Museum's history being the first art museum in the gulf region and its growth over the years. They explain to us how their collection has grown and been shown, their latest long term loan of the collection from the Barjeel Art foundation as well as the shows they are having in 2018. Link to the app: Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sharjah-museums-authority/id1358328320?ls=1&mt=8 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sma.sharjahmuseums www.sharjahmuseums.ae twitter.com/sharjahmuseums www.instagram.com/sharjahmuseums/ www.facebook.com/SharjahMuseumsAuthority/ www.facebook.com/sharjahartmuseum/ You can see photos from and of the museums on our Instagram page www.instagram.com/p/Bhbr8lwHQHB/?taken-by=teawithculture

Overnight Film Festival is a communal cinema experience at the legendary Queens Hotel in the seaside town of Eastbourne in the UK. The festival includes guest curators, a programme of unique screenings (many on 35mm prints), communal eating, immersive discussions and fabulous parties. The festival started in 2016 and for its second edition in February 2018, Hind Mezaina attended it and sat with two of its founding members Chloe Trainer and Isabel Moir to talk about how the festival started and what it hopes to achieve. http://overnightfilmfestival.com https://twitter.com/OvernightFF https://www.facebook.com/overnightFF/ https://www.instagram.com/overnight_film_festival/ You can see photos from the festival on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg0LEq4Bvy0/?taken-by=teawithculture

In this episode our guest Ala Younis has a conversation with Hind Mezaina about her latest exhibition "Plan for Feminist Greater Baghdad" at the Art Jameel Project Space in Dubai, which is on until 14th March 2018. Plan for Feminist Greater Baghdad builds on Younis’s 2015 work, Plan for Greater Baghdad, which looked at monuments, (by) architects, (for) governments, and the short state of empowerment they gained as politics shifted in Iraq. The project anchored itself within the history of a gymnasium in Baghdad that was designed by Le Corbusier and named after Saddam Hussein. Heavily based on archives, found material, and the stories of its male protagonists, the project explored issues relating to the protection of monuments for posterity, and the creation of plans for Baghdad as either an expression of power or as a necessity. Plan for Feminist Greater Baghdad brings to the fore the significant contributions made by female artists, architects and other influential characters to the development of Baghdad and its modern monuments. It re-articulates archival material to bring about new narratives, seeing beyond the male dominance of the city’s architecture and politics, to reveal the female influence on Baghdad’s history. http://www.alayounis.com http://planforgreaterbaghdad.art https://artjameel.org/event/ala-younis-plan-for-feminist-greater-baghdad/ You can view images of the work on our Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/p/BgO3wq0BKQV/?taken-by=teawithculture

An interview about Ana Contemporary Arab Cinema, the annual film series at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville in Westchester County, New York since 2012. We interviewed Lina Matta who is the Curator of Ana contemporary Arab cinema and discussed it’s history and current interaction as well as the state of festivals, series and other film viewing situations. Lina talked about how she goes about finding films, selecting the films and creating a film series, as well as discussing with us the cinema experience in general. You can find more about the film festival on their website: www.anaarabcinema.com as well as additional info on their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANAarabcinema/ twitter: @AnaArabCinema insta: @anaarabcinema pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/anaarabcinema/

Serge Attukwei Clottey talked with Wael Hattar about his art practise, focusing on his more recent works in performance and social interaction, as well as his interest in working on topics of migration and gender. They also discussed the art scene in Ghana with it's community and politics. The show "The Displaced" at LawrieShabibi is on from 20 January until 3 March 2018, and part of a Gallery Takeover by Gallery 1957 from Accra, Ghana. You can find more information on their web page. http://www.lawrieshabibi.com/exhibitions/57/overview/ - You can view more images on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/p/BetHKGWBdB7/?taken-by=teawithculture. All images courtesy Gallery 1957 and the artist - You can find the link to the Video piece discussed "The Displaced" through this link from a review last year in Sleek of his show at Jane Lombard Gallery in NewYork http://www.sleek-mag.com/2017/01/18/serge-attukwei-clottey/

In this episode we talk to Dana Sadek, one of the co-founders of Reel Palestine Film Festival, launched in 2015 and takes place across the UAE. Reel Palestine aims to "allow viewers to cinematically travel to Palestine, sans restrictions" by screening films sharing Palestinian culture and the tenacity of its people, and to learn about stories that slip under the radar, We discuss the origins of the festival and its growth over the past few years. The 2018 edition takes place between 19 and 27 January in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Visit http://www.reelpalestine.org for more details. Follow Reel Palestine on: https://www.facebook.com/reelpalestine https://www.instagram.com/reelpalestine/

We speak to Fadi Baki aka The Fdz about his film Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow which recently screened at Dubai International Film Festival 2017. We discuss what inspired him, the making of the film and sci-fi in the Arab world. Fadi (The Fdz) Baki is a filmmaker, comicbook writer and animator. He is the co-founder of Samandal (http://www.samandalcomics.org), one of the Middle East’s premier comic magazines, and a co-founder of Beirut Animated (https://www.facebook.com/BeirutAnimated/), the Lebanese animation film festival run by Metropolis Cinema (http://www.metropoliscinema.net). About the film Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow: A young filmmaker investigates the legend of ‘Manivelle’, an automaton gifted to Lebanon in 1945 that still haunts an abandoned mansion in Beirut. After being coaxed back into the limelight, the people who knew him come forward to speak out and the myth that ‘Manivelle’ has constructed around himself starts to unravel. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-6q7gigtss You can follow Fadi on Twitter https://twitter.com/thefdz

In our second part about Dubai International Film Festival 2017, we are joined by Faisal Al Jadir, film journalist from Empire Arabia. We discuss the following films (and included at which we minute we start each discussion): Arab films - Wajib - 1:36 - Cactus Flower - 4:33 - Kiss me Not - 6:50 - Beauty and the Dogs - 8:53 - Until the End of Time - 10:52 - Sharp Tools - 12:05 Documentaries - Panoptic - 15:20 - Man Behind the Microphone - 16:45 Short Films and the quality of short films in the Arab region 17:55 - The Remaining Time - The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow - A Drowning Man - Bonboné - Into Reverse Cinema of the World - The Square - 29:41 - A Gentle Creature - 31:59 - The Seen and Unseen 34:17 - The Death of Stalin - 36:12 - You Were Never Really Here - 38:40 - The Disaster Artist - 41:25 - Three billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri - 45:51 - I, Tonya - 49:16 You can follow Faisal Al Jadir on Twiiter https://twitter.com/faisalaljadir and Emipre Arabia on https://twitter.com/empirearabia and on the website https://empire-arabia.com

Dubai International Film Festival 2017 took place between 6-13 December. In our first report, we share our overall impressions, highlights of the festival, favourite films and discuss things that could be improved. We are joined by Christopher Alario, a special collections librarian/archivist and cinephile who lives and works in the region and attended the festival with us. We discuss the following films in this episode: The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow (dir. Fadi Baki) The Square (dir. Ruben Östlund) The Death of Stalin (dir. Armando Iannucci) The Disaster Artist (dir. James Franco) The Seen and Unseen (dir. Kamila Andini) I am Not a Witch (dir. Rungano Nyoni) You Were Never Really Here (dir. Lynne Ramsay) The Message (dir. Moustapha Akkad, 1977)

An interview with Jowe Harfouche, Executive Director of NAAS (Network of Arab Alternative Screens), a network that champions innovation in cinema exhibition in the Arabic-speaking region, aiming to broaden the scope of films available to the Arab public and encourage dialogue around cinema and its history. It is the only initiative of its kind in the region. The members of NAAS include cinemas, cine-clubs, cultural centres, distributors, and initiatives that attempt to support a vibrant and sustainable cinema culture and develop audiences engagement with film. Members and Affiliate Members include: Algeria: - Project'heurts http://projectheurts.com Egypt: - Animation School - Jesuit Cairo (AM) - Cinema Everywhere http://www.cinema-everywhere.com/en (AM) - Cimatheque http://cimatheque.org - Terr.so https://terr.so (AM) - Wekalet Behna https://www.facebook.com/groups/wekaletbehna - Zawya Cinema http://zawyacinema.com - Zawya Distribution http://zawyacinema.com/distribution (AM) Lebanon: - MC Distribution http://www.metropoliscinema.net (MC) - Metropolis Cinema http://www.metropoliscinema.net Iraq - Samawa Cinema http://www.samawacinema.com (AM) Jordan - Al-Balad Theater http://al-balad.org (AM) Morocco: - Cinémathèque de Tanger https://www.cinemathequedetanger.com Palestine: - FilmLab Palestine http://flp.ps - Cinema Al Quds, Yabous Cultural Center http://yabous.org/en/ Sudan: - Sudan Film Factory https://www.facebook.com/SudanFilmFactory/ Tunisia: - CinéMadart https://www.facebook.com/CineMadart - Fédération Tunisienne des Ciné-Clubs https://www.facebook.com/FTCCTunisie/ - Hakka Distribution (AM) United Arab Emirates: - Cinema Akil http://cinemaakil.com If in Beirut on 19th December, you can attend NAAS's fundraising event "Al-Fannan” : A Ciné-Performance of The Artist, all proceeds benefit the activities of NAAS. Book here https://ihjoz.com/events/2840-al-fannan-a-cine-performance-of-the-artist http://www.naasnetwork.org https://www.facebook.com/naasnetwork

An interview about Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival in Beirut, the only festival in the Arab world focusing exclusively on modern genre film, bringing the best horror, thriller, fantasy and action films from around the globe . Wael Hattar meets Maskoon's co-founders Antoine Waked (Creative Director) and Myriam Sassine(Executive Director) to talk about the film festival, its objectives, the role it plays within the local community, plus the challenges and opportunities since its launch in 2016. https://twitter.com/MaskoonFFFest https://www.instagram.com/maskoonfff/ https://www.facebook.com/MASKOONFFF/ https://twitter.com/antoinewaked https://twitter.com/sacinephile

An interview with film critic/programmer Joseph Fahim about film criticism in the Arab world, the role of film festivals in the Arab region, Arab films and filmmakers to look out for. We also discuss the challenges of film funding, film censorship and film education. You can follow Joseph Fahim on Twitter https://twitter.com/joseph_fahim where he shares his writings and projects he is working on. Links to the festivals we talked about: Berlin Critics' Week http://wochederkritik.de/en_US/ Carthage Film Festival http://www.jcctunisie.org/eng/ Dubai International Film Festival https://dubaifilmfest.com El Gouna Film Festival http://www.elgounafilmfestival.com Karlovy Vary Film Festival http://www.kviff.com/en Maskoon Film Festival https://www.facebook.com/MASKOONFFF Qumra http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/qumra

Interview with Azim Al Ghussein who describes himself as a cartoonist, illustrator and soapmaker. We talk about his start as an illustrator, inspiration from Fairuz, language, Middle Eastern folklore, Nabulsi soap and maps. You can see and follow Azim's work by clicking on one of the following links: http://www.azimgh.com https://twitter.com/azimgh https://www.instagram.com/azimgh

We had a fun chat with artist Sara Al Haddad who creates sculptures and text pieces with fabric, thread, yarn and textile. We discuss how she started, her process, the development and the meaning of her work. Al Haddad has participated in several exhibitions in the UAE and is currently one of the artists in Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play exhibition in the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (http://nationalpavilionuae.org/art/2017-2/) which is on until 26 November 2017. http://wwww.sara-alhaddad.com

We are joined by Faisal Al Zaabi (https://twitter.com/cinestrong) to discuss the 31st edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato which took place between 24 June and 2 July 2017 in Bologna. A festival organised by the Cineteca di Bologna that is dedicated to the rediscovery of old, rare and little-known films with a particular focus on cinema origins and the silent movie period. We also discuss the lack of institutions in the Arab world to archive and restore films and the lack of seeing old Arab films on the big screen. https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/

Our top picks of things to see and do this summer in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Exhibitions: Dubai: Art Print III - Meem Gallery http://meemartgallery.com/exhibitions_details.php?id=72 Abu Dhabi: But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 - NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery http://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/exhibitions/but-we-cannot-see-them/ Sharjah: - Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World - Maraya Art Centre http://maraya.ae/collectivity/ - Vantage Point 5: Architecture and Urban Landscape - Sharjah Art Foundation http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/exhibitions/vantage-point-sharjah-5 Film: We discussed some of the less mainstream or "studio" films across the cineplexes in the UAE this summer, as well as community created film projects listed below. Dubai: - DIFF365 daily screenings with a new film every two weeks at VOX Cinemas (Mall of the Emirates) - Monthly screenings hosted by The Scene at Roxy Cinemas https://www.thesceneclub.com - Daily film screenings at Cinema Akil in Warehouse 68 http://cinemaakil.com Abu Dhabi: - Screenings on Mon, Wed, Sat at Cinema at the Space https://cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com - Film screenings at Warehouse 421 Speed Sisters (29 July) and Les Petits Chats (5 August) Theatre: - Live Screening: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai (27 and 28 July) http://www.courtyard-uae.com - Improv Theatre at Rove Hotels in partnership with Courtyard Playhouse (monthly starting 17 August) http://courtyardplayhouse.com/events/impro-rove-impro/ Music: - Katie Thiroux at Q’s Bar and Lounge at the Palazzo Versace Dubai, from Tuesday to Saturday http://www.palazzoversace.ae/en/restaurants/qs-bar-and-lounge.html - Flip Side http://www.flipsidedxb.com

In this episode we talk to Laura Metzler, curator at Maraya Art Centre about the exhibition Collectivity: Objects and Associations in the UAE Art World. The exhibition brings together artworks and objects lent from personal collections across the United Arab Emirates. Rather than being acquired from collectors, institutions, or artists, the traditional faces of the art world, they are from the people who carry out the everyday labor that make the production, circulation, and interpretation of art possible within the county. It’s an inversion of the relationships we generally explore, a focus shift that allows for another way of understanding what ties us together as a community and industry. We discuss how this exhibition was put together and the response it has been receiving. Exhibition link and to view the online catalogue: http://maraya.ae/collectivity/ Exhibition dates: 15 June - 17 August 2017

Hind Mezaina meets Maya Allison, Bana Kattan and Alaa Edris from NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery to talk about the exhibition But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008. The exhibition looks at the role of one of the most important artistic communities in the history of the UAE that played a key role in developing and influencing artists in the country. A community who turned to one another for support and encouraged radical, formal and conceptual experimentation despite their initial rejection by art and cultural institutions in the UAE. In tandem with the exhibition there's a a book of interviews with the artists. Together, the exhibition and book begin the process of tracing this pivotal artistic community in the key years of its formation. The exhibition features works by: Hassan Sharif Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim Abdullah Al Saadi Mohammed Kazem Hussein Sharif Vivek Vilasini Jos Clevere Ebtisam Abdulaziz Exhibition link: http://www.nyuad-artgallery.org/en_US/exhibitions/but-we-cannot-see-them/ Exhibition dates: 2 March - 2 September 2017

In this episode, Hind Mezaina interviews Yasmin Atassi from Green Art Gallery in Dubai about the exhibition Modernist Women of Egypt. The exhibition focuses on the period between the 1950s and early 1970s, it reflects on the role of women artists from that period and addresses issues of nationalism, womanhood, activism, traditions and multiculturalism. Yasmin and Hind discuss the reasons behind the show, the artists featured in it, the representation of women in art and if this is a feminist exhibition. The exhibition features works by Inji Efflatoun, Vessela Farid, Tahia Halim, Zeinab Abdel Hamid, Effat Naghi, Marguerite Nakhla, Gazbia Sirry, and Margo Veillon. Exhibition link: http://www.gagallery.com/exhibitions/modernist-women-of-egypt Exhibition dates: 22 May - 27 July 2017

In this episode, Hind Mezaina is in conversation with curator Munira Al Sayegh's exhibition Bayn: The In-Between at Warehouse 421 in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition features work by the following artists: Asma Al Ahmed Hatem Hatem Maytha Al Shamsi Nasser Alzayani Saif Mhaisen Sara Al Haddad Talal Al Ansari Talin Hazbar Manal Al Dowayan, as special guest artist Exhibition link: http://www.uaeunlimited.org/bayn Exhibition dates: 25 February - 18 June 2017