ISSUE 38 AED 30 OMR 3 BHD 3 KWD 2.5 LBP 20,000 INCLUSIVE OF VAT THE MIDAS TOUCH RO WA I DA H A K I M ’ S DI A M ON D WOR K S What to expect from the new ART DUBAI programme HBA_038_00_CoverOK_11242242.indd 112/03/2020 01:44:07 PMHaute Joaillerie, place Vendôme since 1906 The Dubai Mall - Dubai Opera Plaza - Mall of the Emirates - The Galleria Al Maryah Island 800-VAN-CLEEF (800-826-25333) Etihad Towers +971 2 681 1919 www.vancleefarpels.comZip Antique Ludo necklace transformable into a bracelet, rubies and diamonds. WELCOME TO THE ISSUE Wishing you a spring full of beauty, joy and colour. Immerse yourself in a mélange of the latest art tales told by the most inspiring artists of our times Hussein Salim, Untitled(HS 257). 2019. Courtesy of Eclectica Contemporary and the artist HBA_038_004_Welcome_11235689.indd 412/03/2020 01:53:34 PMGate Village Building 3, Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE | T. + 971 (0)4 323 0909 | dubai@operagallery.com | operagallery.com N e w Yo r k M i a m i B a l H a r b o u r A s p e n L o n d o n P a r i s M o n a c o G e n ev a D u b a i B e i r u t H o n g Ko n g S i n g a p o re S e o u l PABLO ATCHUGARRY BAHK SEON-GHI FERNANDO BOTERO BIA DORIA JOHN HELTON ROBERT INDIANA ANTHONY JAMES ALEX KATZ LEE GIL RAE BENOIT LEMERCIER GIANFRANCO MEGGIATO AMEDEO MODIGLIANI SEO YOUNG-DEOK VALAY SHENDE MARC SIJAN MANOLO VALDÉS YUE MINJUN 18 - 3 1 MAR CH 2 0 2 0 Jo hn H el to n , Superno va , 2 0 18 , b ro nze , 1 9 8 x 8 1. 3 x 8 1. 3 c m - 7 8 x 3 2 x 3 2 in "S C UL P T UR ES "Mahmoud Sabri. A Family of Farmers. 1953. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist HARPER’S BAZAAR ART EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF OLIVIA PHILLIPS DEPUTY EDITOR AYESHA SOHAIL SHEHMIR SHAIKH GUEST EDITOR ARSALAN MOHAMMAD ART DIRECTOR RITA GHANTOUS CONTRIBUTORS TANIA LONGI, ODELIA MATHEWS, AISHA ZAMAN, SHARVARI ALAPE AND MORE EDITORIAL INTERNS ATHWIFA SALEEM AND BEENA PAGARANI GENERAL EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES TEL: +971 (0)4 444 3000 EMAIL: AYESHA.SOHAIL@ITP.COM ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO ALI AKAWI MANAGING DIRECTOR SUE HOLT ITP GROUP CEO ALI AKAWI CFO TOBY JAY SPENCER-DAVIES EDITOR-AT-LARGE MARY SERAFIN ITP PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT IMAGE EDITOR JEMIMA JOY SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS EFRAIM EVIDOR, RICHARD HALL, ETHAN MANN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS LESTER APUNTAR, AASIYAH JAGADEESH, AJITH NARENDRA, RUEL PABLEO, AUSRA OSIPAVICIUTE, GRACE GUINO, FRITZ ASURO ADVERTISING ADVERTISING DIRECTOR FARRAH TAYLOR TEL: +971 4 444 3523 SENIOR ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER RABAB HASAN MARKETING & CIRCULATION RETAIL MANAGER PRAVEEN NAIR PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION GROUP PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR KYLE SMITH PRODUCTION MANAGER DENNY KOLLANNOOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR GIJO THOMAS HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT/CEO DUNCAN EDWARDS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CFO AND GENERAL MANAGER SIMON HORNE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR OF LICENSING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GAUTAM RANJI SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/ INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR JEANNETTE CHANG SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR KIM ST. 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Published and distributed monthly by Licensee ITP Consumer Publishing Ltd by permission of Hearst Communications Inc, New York, United States of America. 6 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 HBA_038_006_Masthead_11235692.indd 612/03/2020 01:49:14 PMThe Art Gallery at New York University Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, United Arab Emirates nyuad.artgallery@nyu.edu | @nyuadartgallery In collaboration with Sudhir Pattanaik/Samadrusti and Sherna Dastur January 22–May 30, 2020 In parallel with this exhibition, Amar Kanwar’s Such a Morning will be on view at Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai from January 20–May 20, 2020.8 HarpersBazaarArabia.com/culture/art Spring 2020 ello and welcome to this month’s edition of Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, an edition that was set to give you a comprehensive overview of this year’s Art Dubai and all its manifold wonders it sparks in its wake, but that was before the extraordinary events that have been unfolding around the world made their impact here in the UAE and caused the post- ponement of the 13-year-old annual event to happier times ahead. Nevertheless, if the show itself can’t go on, there is still plenty to enjoy this month in Dubai. March has become the month in which the city’s galleries and cultural institutions traditionally present their major new spring shows and this year, despite the travel restrictions and related upset, most have carried on with business as usual. We’ve brought you our own highlights of the month’s shows, ranging from the ever-superb Michael Rakowitz at Jameel Art Centre to the amazing retrospective of Moroccan Modernist Mohamed Melehi at Concrete in Alserkal Avenue. Furthermore, Art Dubai Campus and Residents programmes, two offshoots of the fair which foreground learning, creativity and innovation, have been proceeding as planned and have benefi tted a number of young and emerging artists within and around the region. The postponement of the fair naturally is a disap- pointment and major upset for many, but faced with no alternative, it’s a splendid moment to refl ect on the amazing journey Art Dubai has undertaken over the past 13 years. It will be back, bigger and better no doubt in the future but for now, please do savour the best of Dubai’s art scene, from Al Quoz to DIFC, from Jumierah to the Marina and all points in between. Welcome to our new edi- tion and celebrate the art of Arabia! Happy spring to all of you lovely readers. For this issue, we have joined hands with some of the most talented budding and established artists alike from the Middle East and beyond and as you’ll fi nd, there’s a lot to learn – from a humble lesson from our cover star, Dubai-based, self-taught artist Rowaida Hakim who conveys that sometimes, it’s really just the simple things in life which are the most precious (page 46) and an exchange with famed artist Kristel Bechara, who is empowering women all over the globe by portraying them in all their glory, grace and grit (page 54), to an intimate conversation with Christian Louboutin on his upcoming exhibition housed within Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris (page 28). Themed ‘I Love You, Urgently’, we also preview the seventh edition of 21,39 Jeddah Arts (page 104), which is addressing the global climate emergency and raising awareness on sustainable ways our planet can thrive. We explore visual artist Clotilde Jiménez’s evocative, colourful works which unravel the deepest corners of his imagination to physicality, serving to challenge rigid defi nitions which often place limitations on our bodies (page 42), as well as multifaceted Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil’s beautiful technique of painting black-and-white photos by hand (page 72) and Athier Mousawi’s bold and unconventional art forms (page 38) – and so, so much more. We have also teamed up with Art Dubai to bring you a very, very special feature (page 106), in which you’ll fi nd that despite the events unfolding around the world, there is still plenty to enjoy during Dubai Art Week. If there’s one message we hope you take away from this issue, it’s to be inspired and most importantly, unapologetically be the most creative version of you. ON THE COVER Rowaida Hakim. A detail of New Chapter. 2020. Acrylic, gold leaf and diamond stones on canvas. Photo by Efraim Evidor. Courtesy of the artist AYESHA SOHAIL SHEHMIR SHAIKH DEPUTY EDITOR @AYESHASOHAIL_ ARSALAN MOHAMMAD GUEST EDITOR ART DUBAI THE DREAMERS HBA_038_008_Eds LetterOK_11242255.indd 812/03/2020 02:01:00 PM07.03.2020 — 17.05.2020 421 WAREHOUSE421, MINA ZAYED, ABU DHABI 421 WAREHOUSE421 PRESENTS An exhibition that explores the breadth of the notions of unity, separation, and individualism by artist and curator . WAREHOUSE421.AE WAREHOUSE421 the cup and the saucerNext >