Hassan Sharif with Anna Seaman. Satish Kumar / The National
Hassan Sharif with Anna Seaman. Satish Kumar / The National

A privilege to meet Hassan Sharif, a true pioneer



I interviewed Hassan Sharif in his Al Barsha studio in February last year as he was preparing for his solo show, Images, at Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde.

I was greeted by his nephew at the gates of the villa, and as soon I as stepped into his garden, I knew I was in the presence of a lifelong artist.

The space was full of giant installations – some finished, some under construction – and overflowing with artworks. They hung from the ceiling, and were sitting in corners – and seemed to fill every available space. It was a struggle to find a chair.

The villa was sparsely furnished, which begged the question of whether Sharif actually lived there. He just shrugged and described it as his workspace. Throughout our conversation his hands were always busy. He smoked, he fiddled with paper and he sketched.

At that time, Sharif’s work focused on the growing tide of global consumerism.

For Images, he cut pictures from glossy magazines and leaflets, and tore pages from dictionaries, photo-copied and shredded them, creating repetitive sculptures hanging from the ceiling or along walls. There was also cut-outs from iron sheets reflecting images of icons from an old dictionary.

“We are surrounded by images – they are everywhere we look and they are even above us in the sky, coming and going like ghosts that we receive through the computer, TV and radio,” he explained.

A life in constant motion, he seemed to rarely look back and was uncomfortable with the accolades thrown at him – particularly the label of the father of UAE’s contemporary art scene.

“I hate it,” he said. “I don’t want to be a father or a grandfather – I just want to keep working. I am an artist, I found my way and this is me. I am happy that it happened like this.”

We chatted as we walked around the garden. I took photographs and asked if we could have a picture together. He was kind, eccentric and bold.

I feel privileged to have been lucky enough to meet him and report on the effect that his art had on his immediate contemporaries. A true pioneer, Hassan Sharif’s legacy will live on.

aseaman@thenational.ae

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Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Brief scoreline:

Wolves 3

Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2

Arsenal 1

Papastathopoulos 80'

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UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV

Power: 360bhp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh282,870

On sale: now

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.

Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.

Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.

Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.

Napoleon
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● Started: 2024

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● Based: Dubai, UAE

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● Funding size: Bootstrapped

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Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

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Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47

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Company name: SimpliFi

Started: August 2021

Founder: Ali Sattar

Based: UAE

Industry: Finance, technology

Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals

Match info:

Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')

Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870

Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed PDK

Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km