Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, Project designed by Consortium of 'asp' Architekten Stuttgart, Obermeyer Planen+Beraten Munich and ACG Architecture Consulting Group | Courtesy Mohammed Bin Rashid Library
It’s not just a city for fun, for sport and for tourism. Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum wanted Dubai to have a new space dedicated to culture as well. The project took off in 2016 and will soon be completed - a library in his name, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. Located in Al Jaddaf, the western section of Bur Dubai, overlooking the historic canal of the city, the Creek, the library, taking up an area of 60.000 square metres, is the largest in the Middle East. The shape of the building is that of an open book sitting on a lectern, the Rehl, which, in the Arab World, is particularly used to bear the Koran. The interior of the library is spread out over seven floors and, along with numerous sections dedicated to specific fields of study, there is also a workshop for the conservation and restoration of antique texts, an auditorium, a cinema and numerous exhibition spaces. The avant-garde architectural design is also highly energy efficient, thanks to the use of ecologically-friendly materials and the latest technology. It is a modern space dedicated to the protection and sharing of the heritage of both the past and recent history, but also envisioned to promote reading on a wider scale, creating new generations that are passionate about books and knowledge in general.
This is the first major exhibition of Lala Rukh's work, reflecting on three decades of drawing, printmaking, photography and video, produced against the backdrop of political unrest and feminist movements in Pakistan.
Textile as Echo brings together the work of four contemporary artists that references the rich and diverse history and practice of textile arts in South and West Asia and North Africa. Often made in collaboration with master craftsmen, the works included use a variety of traditional dyeing and weaving techniques and materials.
From Aesop to Ibn al-Muqaffa' the wonderful thousand-year history of animals in fairy tales: a story where metaphors and teachings are handed down through the centuries and different cultures around the world.
The Casablanca Art School: Platforms and Patterns for a Postcolonial Avant-Garde 1962–1987
In the euphoric climate following Morocco's independence in 1956, the staff and students of the Casablanca Art School (CAS) created an artistic revolution that integrated abstract art with African and Amazigh traditions.