What We Are Reading Today: The Third Pillar by Raghuram G. Rajan

Author:  Fri, 2019-03-01 02:43 The Third Pillar is a brilliant and far-seeing analysis of the current populist backlash against globalization. Author Raghuram Govind Rajan is a world-class Indian economist who has also served as the 23rd governor of the Reserve Bank of India. “Rajan offers a way to rethink the relationship between the market and civil society and argues for a return to strengthening and empowering local communities...

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What We Are Buying Today: Rawan Stationery, making desks more colorful

Thu, 2019-02-28 23:05 Rawan Stationery provides a unique twist on what many might perceive as a dull sector. Everything here is done right, and everyone, from school students to office employees, will find something to make their desks, and lives, more colorful. Located in Al-Naeem district, Jeddah, Rawan Stationery gives a personalized Arabic touch to their products, from delicately colored notebooks and pens to beautifully designed water...

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HIGHLIGHTS from ‘Artist’s Rooms: Seher Shah with Randhir Singh’

Thu, 2019-02-28 15:25 Dubai: ‘Artist’s Rooms: Seher Shah with Randhir Singh’ will be at Jameel Arts Center in Dubai from March 7. “Brownfield Estate” New Delhi-based artists Seher Shah and Randhir Singh have collaborated on a series of works entitled “Studies in Form.” Shah is a graphic artist and Singh a photographer who trained as an architect. The series “draws on overlapping tropes in architecture, photography, drawing and printmaking.” “Dentsu...

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Miss Universe 2018 spotted wearing Dubai-based fashion label

Thu, 2019-02-28 14:28 DUBAI: Reigning Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray was spotted wearing Dubai based fashion brand, Curador by SKB, in the Philippines this week. Gray wore a nude-colored blouse detailed with ruffled bell sleeves and a leaf design as she visited the children of Smile Train, a non-profit organization. Curador by SKB was founded by Suhina Kohli Bahl who launched their e-commerce site in November last year.   Main...

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Celebrating books through art at ‘Sharing Worlds’

Thu, 2019-02-28 11:42 DUBAI: “I love responding to things that I love,” says the Saudi artist Manal Al-Dowayan. “It challenges you, because it takes you out of your own everyday world and you have to respond to something, but within your own context as an artist.” We are at La Mer in Dubai, touring the fifth edition of the Nobel Exhibition, which celebrates the work of a selection of Nobel Laureates under the banner “The Nobel Prize in Literature...

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So, the diet starts tomorrow?

Thu, 2019-02-28 11:24 DUBAI: Just when we thought we could get back to being healthy, along comes another hard-to-resist food event. So, the diet goes on hold (again) and we give you the lowdown on the 2019 edition of the Dubai Food Festival (DFF), which debuted last Thursday. From foodie experiences to discounted three-course meals at some of the emirate’s swankiest restaurants, there’s a lot on this year. We’ve narrowed it down to a few...

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Highlights from ArtBAB 2019

Thu, 2019-02-28 10:58 DUBAI: The fourth edition of Art Bahrain Across Borders opens on March 6 at the Bahrain Exhibitions & Convention Center. The four-day art fair is, this year, presented under the theme of “Legacies,” and will explore five decades of the Bahraini contemporary art scene. This year’s ArtBAB includes, for the first time, a ‘Virtual Reality Corner’ alongside the more traditional media, where visitors will be able to “literally...

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Jazz artist Samvel Gasparyan drops new album

Thu, 2019-02-28 10:44 DUBAI: Dubai-based Armenian musician Samvel Gasparyan has released a new EP, “Morning in Yerevan.” The jazz pianist combines his contemporary influences with Armenian folk music on the five-track record. The title track, for example, is supposed to mimic the vibrant atmosphere of the ancient Armenian capital (the EP release coincides with the city’s 2,800th anniversary, apparently), and uses some traditional sounds to...

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Nadine Kanso’s language of love

Thu, 2019-02-28 10:35 DUBAI: Can a piece of jewelry express a love of one’s language? “Of course,” says Lebanese photographer, jewelry designer and entrepreneur Nadine Kanso. “That is the main inspiration behind my jewelry line.” Kanso is talking about her Bil Arabi (‘In Arabic’) brand. “It is all based on the beauty of Arabic calligraphy, language, and letters,” she explains. “The Arabic language represents my identity, my pride, and, obviously,...

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What We Are Reading Today: The Power of Cute by Simon May

Author:  Wed, 2019-02-27 21:12 Cuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokemon, the works of artists Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum and E.T. — all reflect its gathering power. But what does “cute” mean, as a sensibility and style? Why is it so pervasive?  Is it all infantile fluff, or is there something more uncanny and even menacing going on — in a lighthearted...

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‘Being Arab has influenced me to be open,’ Gigi Hadid tells Vogue Arabia

Wed, 2019-02-27 14:59 DUBAI: US-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid has been unveiled as the cover star of Vogue Arabia’s second anniversary issue. The magazine features a photoshoot and exclusive interview with the 23-year-old, who opens up about her upbringing. “A lot of people make assumptions about my family, but our childhood wasn’t ‘Hollywood.’ My parents never made their success an excuse for me, I always knew that after high school I was...

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The Six: Dubai Modest Fashion Week

Wed, 2019-02-27 13:47 DUBAI: Founded by entrepreneurs Franka Soeria and Ozlem Sahin, the event will run from March 7-9 and will feature fashion labels from around the world.   Adrianna Yariqa Adrianna Yariqa is a Singaporean modest fashion brand that offers woman and men stylish and trendy looks with a modest twist.   Emma Melissa Apparel A Singaporean label that focuses on creating designs with linen, most of the looks are...

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Book Review: Exploring the meaning of life in a world of isolation and torture

Author:  Wed, 2019-02-27 13:14 CHICAGO: From Istanbul comes “The Stone Building and Other Places,” a collection of short stories by author and journalist Asli Erdogan. Weaving interconnected tales into weighty accounts of isolation, torture and political asylum, Erdogan’s work centers around women whose lives have abruptly changed course due to circumstances beyond their control. Using “the stone building” as a metaphor for confinement,...

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Lebanese trendsetters dress up for Dior

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Screen Scene: What to watch at home this week

Author:  Wed, 2019-02-27 11:02 DUBAI: If you are planning to stay home this week, here is what to watch. Avengers: Infinity War Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson Where: OSN Movies,Thursday, 19:30 The superhero supergroup — Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America etc... — and their allies face their toughest challenge to date as supervillain Thoros threatens the existence of the universe as we know it. Paris Is Us Starring:...

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