Tea With Culture

A discussion with Nora Razian (Head of Exhibitions at Art Jameel) about recent exhibition trends in museums and galleries, specifically how 'research based art' is presented and translated into a final piece of artwork.  The discussion includes questions about the proposition of the work and what are curators and artists demanding from an audience, works made for biennials compared to museum/gallery exhibitions, how best to present durational work like film and video and how can the layout invite and engage viewers to watch them in their entirety. We also discuss labelling, how to accommodate multi-lingual viewers, and how artists present works that challenge and contest dominant art narratives and histories. Links to some of the works mentioned in the discussion: Nepal Picture Library at the 17th Istanbul Biennial https://www.nepalpicturelibrary.org/update/feminist-memory-project-at-istanbul-biennial/ https://bienal.iksv.org/en/17b-artists/feminist-memory-project-nepal-picture-library Lamia Joreige at

An interview with Ana Lily Amirpour about her latest film Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a fantasy adventure about a girl with unusual and dangerous powers who escapes from a mental asylum and tries to make it on her own in New Orleans. We discuss the film, how it relates to current politics, freedom, kindness, sleep, dreams, and dance music. This interview was recorded via Zoom at Cinema Akil on October 1.

Part two of a catch up conversation between Hind Mezaina and Wael Hattar, this one is about the state of cinema in the UAE and beyond. Topics include: - Changed habits of watching films since the pandemic - Cinema vs streaming debate - UAE cinemas and the inconsistent subtitling of non-English language films, lack of efforts by the multiplexes to attract new and diverse audiences to cinemas, high end cinema experience vs affordable cinema - Lack of financial support for filmmakers in the UAE and new generation of new short films made by independent filmmakers in the - Streaming companies funding regional films and TV shows - Omar El Zohairy and his latest film Feathers Relevant links: https://grasshopperfilm.com/film/feathers/ https://www.theculturist.com/home/2022/5/19/cinemas-2022-the-alternative-film-festival-at-manarat-al-saadiyat https://imagenationabudhabi.com/afs/ https://www.netflix.com/ae-en/title/81312532 (Cooking with Paris) https://www.hbo.com/irma-vep Image: Still from Feathers

Hind Mezaina and Wael Hattar sit together after a podcast hiatus, to catch up on the state of art and culture across the UAE and beyond. They talk about life during (and post?) pandemic, art fairs, the accessibility of art, grassroots collectives that are co-opted by art fairs/commercial galleries, how the art scene in the UAE has not matured enough, the obsession with young artists, finding joy in art and more. Links to some of the things mentioned in the discussion: https://www.akaretler.com.tr/Artweeks https://www.theculturist.com/home/exhibition-wael-hattar-sold-out-at-rotanda-gallery.html https://tashkeel.org/exhibitions/wonder-land https://maraya.ae/exhibitions/view/towards-time/121 https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/dubai-cultural-visa https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/admissions/graduate/mfa-art-and-media.html Image from Towards Time. Works by Zara Mahmood at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah

Architect and writer Todd Reisz joins Hind Mezaina for a discussion about his book Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai and his exhibition Off Centre / On Stage that is accompanied by a book with the same title at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. You can find Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai on https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29960 and most other online bookshops. Information about Off Centre / On Stage exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre can be found on https://jameelartscentre.org/whats-on/off-centre-on-stage/. The exhibition is on until March 21, 2022. The book Off Centre / On Stage was designed and published by Khatt Books and available to order online on https://www.khattbooks.com/shop/off-center-on-stage/ If you are in Dubai, you can find both books at Jameel Arts Centre and also online at https://shop.artjameel.org, plus Kinokinuya and Gulf Photo Plus. Todd Reisz is an architect and writer living in Amsterdam. His work examines the global practice of architecture, specifically how

Film critic A.S. Harmah joins Hind Mezaina for a conversation about his book The Earth Dies Streaming. A.S. Hamrah is a writer living in Brooklyn. He contributed a column on film to n+1 from 2008 to 2019, and his essays and reviews have appeared in Harper’s, Bookforum, Cineaste, and other publications. His first book, The Earth Dies Streaming: Film Writing, 2002–2018, was published by n+1 Books in 2018. Episode Notes: The first half of the discussion is about the state of film criticism, the current the debate about streaming, their impact on movie theatres, and film studios as hyper capitalist entities. From the 42nd minute onwards the discussion is focused on the book, including the following chapters and filmmakers: - Alien Land - The Grapes of Wrath - Jessica Biel's Hand - Chantal Akerman - Stanley Kubrick Other films/filmmakers/topics mentioned / discussed in this episode include: Outbreak, Contagion, Nomadland (Chloe Zhao), Hillbilly Elegy (Ron Howard), The Irishman (Martin Scorsese), Il Cinema Ri

In this episode Wael Hattar interviews Alia Fattouh from Athr Gallery, one of the leading galleries in Saudi Arabia, where they discuss the 11 years since it's establishment, covering the beginnings of Athr gallery in parallel with the development of the art scene in the region. With the recent cultural expansion in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, Athr had to shift and develop with that, and the conversation went into the interaction with a young generation, how Athr are growing their new artists and the scene, and getting into new projects now that the Saudi Art Council has been set up, and starting up their own residency program and micro grants. You can find out more through their links as mentioned in the interview https://www.athrart.com/ www.maaneditions.com/ www.thesaudiartcouncil.org/ instagram.com/athrart/ twitter.com/athrart facebook.com/AthrArtGallery

Hind Mezaina invited Maryam Wissam Dabbagh for a conversation about her project currently on exhibit at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, part of its ongoing Library Circles series. The commissioned project reflects on the conversations around belonging and revisiting relationships with our cities, topics  many of us around the world have been thinking about since the pandemic started and apt themes themes to discuss for our 100th episode. About the Library Circles commissioned project: Library Circles feature research, talks and experimental interventions by UAE practitioners in the Jameel Library and Jameel Arts Centre. The programme explores alternative research methodologies and representations with a focus on ‘thinking in public’. For the fall iteration of Library Circles, Jameel Library presents an audio piece by writer and researcher Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh. The commissioned work reflects on the conversations around belonging; revisiting relationships with our cities through bureaucracy, administra

This episode was recorded on 22nd March 2020, a few weeks into the significant changes felt all around the world caused by the Coronavirus. Tea with Culture's Hind Mezaina was invited by Warehouse 421, an arts and design centre based in Abu Dhabi that hosts exhibitions and public programmes, to moderate a discussion for their new podcast "Warehouse 421 Conversations". You can listen to the discussion here, and thank you to Warehouse 421 for letting us share this episode with you, our listeners. Since March 14th, museums and cultural spaces across the UAE closed their doors for health and safety reasons due to the Coronavirus. It’s been a tough few weeks for all since that announcement and Warehouse 421 invited Tea with Culture to moderate a discussion about the impact of the current interruptions in the local art ecosystem and the various ways that livelihood in the arts can continue during times of disruption. Hind Mezaina was joined by artist and educator Zahra Jewanjee, Umer Butt, director of Grey Nois

Hind Mezaina sits with Faisal Salah, social media journalist at The National (https://twitter.com/EyesWOutAFais) and comic book artist Mohamed "Momo" Sheibani (https://twitter.com/momoarchive) to discuss Ali F Mostafa's film City of Life ten years after its premier at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009. The discussion includes their thoughts about the film, the representation of Dubai in the film, the films and commercials made by Ali F Mostafa after City of Life and a look at other UAE films released during the past decade, the impact of the cancellation of Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Dubai International Film Festival, and the challenges of developing and maintaining a film industry in the UAE. Other UAE films discussed in this episode: From A to B (Ali F Mostafa, 2014) The Worthy (Ali F Mostafa, 2016) Sea Shadow (Nawaf Janahi, 2011) A Fallible Girl (Conrad Clark, 2013) Djinn (Tobe Hooper, 2013) Zinzana (Majid Al Ansari, 2015) Hajwala: The Missing Engine (Ali Bin Matar, Ibrahim Bin Mohamed

A spoiler filled discussion about James Mangold's latest film Le Mans '66 (Ford v Ferrari) between Hind Mezaina and a returning guest, motoring journalist Imtishan Giado(www.instagram.com/imthishan). The discussion moves on to car culture in the United Arab Emirates, including the one time Dubai Grand Prix from 1981, Dubai Rally, Dubai Police car fleet, and if motor racing in the United Arab Emirates is culturally accepted or relevant.

In this episode Wael Hattar and Hind Mezaina sit with author and journalist Samya Ayish to discuss the state of Arab Cinema, specifically in the UAE and the Gulf region. The discussion includes film education; the role film festivals, especially the importance of Dubai International Film Festival (ended in 2018 after 14 years) for filmmakers, film enthusiasts and cinephiles; the calibre of film critique, film journalism and film discussions on social media in the region; lack of film marketing, short lived film screening initiatives. You can follow Samya Ayish on Twitter https://twitter.com/sayish. Films mentioned in this episode: Musk (dir. Humaid Alsuwaidi) Rashid and Rajab (dir. Mohammed Saeed Harib) Shabab Shayeb (dir. Yasir Al-Yasiri) Sea Shadow (dir. Nawaf Al Janahi) Al Mamar / The Passage (dir. Sherif Arafah) Fan of Amoory (dir. Salmeen AlMurry Amer) Leil Kharji / EXT. Night (dir. Ahmad Abdalla) Key venues to watch films in the UAE: - Multiplexes found across the UAE: Cine Royal Cinemas Ci

This episode is a recording of a talk titled Art Critique in the UAE which took place in Dubai on September 10th at Tashkeel. Thanks to Tashkeel for letting us share the talk with our listeners. About the talk: Can a Culture of Critique Exist in the UAE? Why has the UAE seemingly resisted the culture of critique? Who is contributing to changing the dynamic? Do we even need to think critically about contemporary art?  Can a Culture of Critique Exist in the UAE? Why has the UAE seemingly resisted the culture of critique? Who is contributing to changing the dynamic? Do we even need to think critically about contemporary art?  Moderated by Kevin Jones, arts writer, UAE Desk Editor for ArtAsiaPacific and founder of Juniper Mind, with a panel that included artists Afra Al Dhaheri and Rania Jishi, Umer Butt from Grey Noise Gallery, and Tea with Culture's Hind Mezaina. The discussion addressed the presumed barriers to critique in the UAE arts ecosystem, the blossoming opportunities to cultivate critique

Wael Hattar met with Rami Zeidan, the VP of Anghami and talked about the digital audio landscape in the Middle East and Anghami’s role in the region with its changing consumption habits. They also discussed Anghami's new direction on working with Podcasts and their insight on the types of shows that work, how consumption happens and how they support and push the content curators. We also talked about Rami's own experience with his Hip Hop podcast 7awwil. facebook.com/anghami.ae/ twitter.com/anghami instagram.com/anghami/ www.anghami.com https://play.anghami.com/album/5730967 www.7awwil.me

In this episode, Hind Mezaina sits with Kourosh Nouri, founding director of Carbon 12 gallery. Launched in Dubai with his business partner and wife Nadine Knotzer in November 2008, the gallery represents regional and international artists with an active calendar of exhibitions and attendance in art fairs around the world. To discuss its milestone 10 years in Dubai, Kouroush Nouri shares with us the opportunities and challenges of running a contemporary art gallery, how he and Nadine work with artists and collectors and what they expect from them, plus the overall development of the art scene in the UAE over the past decade. Warning: some strong language in this episode. https://www.carbon12dubai.com facebook.com/Carbon12gallery/ instagram.com/carbon12gallery/ twitter.com/carbon12gallery

Wael Hattar sits with Maya Moumne and Hatem Imam, the Beirut based co-founders and co-directors of Journal Safar, an independent bilingual(Arabic and English)and biannual visual and design culture magazine launched in 2014. Journal Safar provides a window into cultural production in the Middle East, focusing on contemporary design, critical thinking and experimentation in the region by inviting designers, writers, thinkers and other creatives to respond to a specific theme per issue. Maya Moumne and Hatem Imam discuss the reasons behind launching a bilingual magazine, how they choose their themes and collaborating with contributors, how they go about producing the magazine in terms of funding and distribution. www.journalsafar.com/ facebook.com/journalsafar/ twitter.com/JournalSafar instagram.com/journalsafar/ www.studiosafar.com/

Hind Mezaina sits with Nada Raza, Artistic Director of Ishara Art Foundation which opened in March 2019. Established by Smita Prabhakar, an entrepreneur, art collector and long term Dubai resident, the foundation is focused on contemporary art from a South Asian context, supporting cultural exchange and building on the shared histories, continued presence and cultural contribution of South Asian voices in the Gulf. www.ishara.org twitter.com/Ishara_Art instagram.com/isharaartfoundation/ facebook.com/isharaartfoundation/

Hind Mezaina invited cinephile and motoring journalist Imtishan Giado (https://www.instagram.com/imthishan) to discuss the new Aladdin film, what they liked and didn't like about it, the representation of Arabs, how does it compare it to the original animated version Aladdin from 1992, and thoughts on whether we need remakes like this.

Hind Mezaina sits with Antonia Carver (Director, Art Jameel) to talk about Jameel Arts Centre which opened in Dubai in November 2018. Jameel Arts Centre, located by the creek in Al Jaddaf Waterfront, is an independent and privately owned art institution which is both an exhibition and education space dedicated to contemporary art presented through art projects, commissions, and curated solo and group exhibitions, drawn both from the Art Jameel Collection and through regional and international collaborations. By nurturing artists and practitioners to produce work from and about the region, the centre aims to to create dialogue and exchange of ideas through exhibitions, education and research, to encourage broad audiences young and old to engage actively with the artworks and ideas generated. https://jameelartscentre.org twitter.com/JameelArtsCtr instagram.com/jameelartscentre/ facebook.com/JameelArtsCentre/

In this episode, Hind Mezaina sits with Michelle Facey from Kennington Bioscope (http://www.kenningtonbioscope.com) who programmes regular screenings of silent films at The Cinema Museum in London (http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk). Links to some of the references in the discussion: Kevin Brownlow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Brownlow Napoleon by Abel Gance https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/abel-gance-s-napoleon-monumental-restoration Silent Film Accompanists http://www.kenningtonbioscope.com/accompanists/4579544071 Dawson City: Frozen Time directed by Bill Morrison - https://www.kinolorber.com/film/view/id/2630 Michelle Facey on Twitter https://twitter.com/best2vilmabanky Kennington Bioscope on Twitter https://twitter.com/kenbioscope and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kenbioscope/ The Cinema Museum on Twitter https://twitter.com/CinemaMuseum and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_cinema_museum Petition to save The Cinema Museum http://www.cinem