Today I spent a marvellous morning catching up on the many art exhibitions currently on show in Sharjah. The emirate and, more particularly the Sharjah Art Foundation and the Sharjah Museums Department, never fail to astound me with the quality of the art they put on. The buildings too are in immaculate shape; with the recently renovated Bait Al Serkal, that houses Farideh Lashai’s simply wonderful retrospective, a case in point.
I was pleased to find several more public visitors than I have seen in previous years, as I wandered the world-class exhibitions in the direct vicinity of the Sharjah Art Foundation’s head office.
There was the aforementioned Lashai show, which is so mammoth you need a good chunk of time to get round and explore every corner of the superbly curated show – all credit goes to SAF’s founder and president Sheikha Hoor al Qasimi for that.
Then, in the courtyard of Beit al Serkal, there is the Do It, exhibition, featuring fun and interactive works from some of the region’s most important artists. Encouraging the public to completely take part in the work, the show features direction such as “whistle your favourite song” (from Raed Yassin) or “draw a sketch” (from Nasir Nasrallah). Abdulnasser Gharem also directs you to make an ink stamp on a large paper and Rayanne Tabet asks you to write numbers on the wall. It is co curated by Sheikha Hoor and Hans Ulrich Obrist from the Serpentine and is a great way to get all generations involved in art.
Finally, I went to the Angela Bulloch and Maria Zerres show in the Sharjah Art Museum. Bulloch is a very well known British/Canadian artist who lives in Germany; her work explores, light, sound, shape, architecture and form. Zerres is a German painter who was picks apart the genre of abstraction.
It is a fabulous collection of both artists’ work curated under the theme of entropy and uniting the artists in terms of their line of questioning. Considering Dynamics & the Forms of Chaos is the first time either artist has shown in the region and is a must see. One of the best things about it is the long and informative wall text, so even if you know nothing about the work, you can come away feeling as if you have learned something.
I spent all morning there and I didn’t even get to the SAF Art Spaces, which also have many stunning shows. Sharjah, I will be back.
aseaman@thenational.ae
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
