Ushio Shinohara ‘Doll Festival’, 1966. Ushio and Noriko Shinohara
Ushio Shinohara ‘Doll Festival’, 1966. Ushio and Noriko Shinohara

Our top international art picks this week: the world goes pop and more



Trace the legacy of Sandro Botticelli

Next week, more than 50 works by the great Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli will go on display at Berlin's Gemäldegalerie as part of a major exhibition about the Florentine artist's legacy. Largely forgotten soon after his death in 1510, Botticelli was rediscovered by the English Pre-Raphaelites in the nineteenth century and his reputation restored. Since then the imagery he used, in particular his representation of Venus, has become a currency. The Botticelli Renaissance examines the ways in which his work has been borrowed, cited and transformed by artists as diverse as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edgar Degas, René Magritte, Cindy Sherman and Bill Viola. The Botticelli Renaissance runs from September 25 to January 24 at Gemäldegalerie. • Visit www.smb.museum for details

Experience the scent of Singapore’s past

The permanent galleries of the National Museum of Singapore are reopening today as the city-state marks 50 years since it became an independent nation. The new galleries have 1,700 new artefacts on display to better tell the islands’ history over the past 700 years, including a a fully-operational replica of a Japanese tank used in the Second World War. Known for its use of interactive technology, the museum is using scent for the first time to evoke the past; visitors can enjoy the fragrance of the Tembusu flower and rather less delicate, a combination of fish, diesel oil and sewage meant to simulate the smell of Singapore River before efforts to clean it up began 1977. Singapore National Museum, 93 Stamford Road.

For more information, visit nationalmuseum.sg

Broaden your horizons as pop art goes global

Not simply a celebration and examination of western consumer culture epitomised by the US artist Andy Warhol in the 1960s, a new exhibition at Tate Modern claims to reveal that pop art was a language of protest used by artists worldwide. From Latin America to Asia and from Europe to the Middle East, this major London exhibition of up to 160 artworks also includes work by less well-known female artists such as Kiki Kogelnik, which were produced during the 1960s and 1970s. The show explores the relationship between consumerism and pop, the impact of folk art on pop, and the changes in society triggered by counter-cultural and feminist movements. The World Goes Pop opened this week at Tate Modern, London, and runs until January 17.

For further information, visit www.tate.org.uk

Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km

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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

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Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets