Nahla Ink Online Journal

Goodman Gallery presents QR CODES REVISITED—LONDON, an exhibition by New-York based Egyptian artist Ghada Amer in which the artist uses language to ask what it means to communicate across cultures and to truly understand the Other.

Working for the first time with the traditionally male-dominated Egyptian textile craft, Amer deploys the voices of Eastern and Western feminist activists within a series of new large-scale textile abstract works: transforming powerful statements by Simone de Beauvoir – “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” – and Amina Sboui – “my body belongs to me and it does not represent the honour of anyone” into bold geometric formations that reference the ubiquitous QR code form, a recent visual language that has replaced printed text. The exhibition expands on Amer’s career-long commitment to pushing against the exploitation of women around the world and to inspire all women to reclaim agency.

Since the 1990s, Amer’s Definition paintings have questioned the power of words to capture individual and shared realities. The Arabic dictionary definitions embroidered in the works featured in QR CODES REVISITED—LONDON explore meanings for: “Freedom,” “Love,” “Security” and “Peace” with the intension to challenge audience assumptions around Islamic culture and remind us that these qualities are integral to Arab societies. The work invites viewers to appreciate the overlooked riches of language, highlighting how easily one can become lost in translation.

Ghada Amer (b. Cairo, 1963) has a wide-ranging practice spanning painting, cast sculpture, ceramics, works on paper, and garden and mixed-media installations. Amer’s work is featured in public collections around the world, including: The Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; the Guggenheim Museum, Abu Dhabi; the Israel Museum, Jerusalem; the Samsung Museum, Seoul; among others. Among invitations to prestigious group shows and biennials—such as the Whitney Biennial in 2000 and the Venice Biennales of 1999 (where she won the UNESCO Prize), 2005 and 2007—she was given a mid-career retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York in 2008 and an even wider retrospective by the MUCEM across three venues in the city of Marseille (France) in 2022-2023.

Ghada Amer is celebrated this season with four concurrent gallery exhibitions in the UK, Europe, and North America, marking an unprecedented opportunity to experience new and historical works by the artist across continents. This follows Amer’s 2022-2023 retrospective at MUCEM, highlighting the artist’s work across painting, ceramic and sculpture and iconic garden works.

For more: https://www.goodman-gallery.com/exhibitions/london-gallery-ghada-amer-qr-codes-revisited-london

A new body of work by the renowned artist Sara Shamma.

In Bold Spirits, Sara Shamma responds to the Gallery’s historic Collection with a focus on paintings of women. Shamma’s new works channel the spirits of these female figures while also connecting them to moments from her own life, retelling their stories for contemporary viewers.

Each of Shamma’s paintings presents a powerful and thought-provoking interpretation of works by artists including Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Lely, Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. Shamma explores identity, death, motherhood and unexpected beauty in works that demonstrate her technical expertise as an artist, as well as her long-standing appreciation of the Old Masters.

Bold Spirits is part of Unlocking Paintings, a series of displays that presents new perspectives on the Gallery’s collection, inviting contemporary artists and thinkers to reinterpret historic themes. The display is curated by Helen Hillyard, curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Entry to this display, is included with Gallery admission tickets. Online booking is advised.

About the Artist:

Sara Shamma is a renowned painter whose works can be found in both public and private collections around the globe. Shamma was born in Damascus, Syria (1975) to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus in 1998. She moved to London in 2016 under the auspices of an Exceptional Talent Visa where she currently lives and works. Shamma’s practice focuses on death and humanity expressed mainly through self-portraits and children painted in a life-like visceral way.

For tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/displays/2023/september/sara-shamma-bold-spirits/

Please be aware there is also an Artist Talk on 8 December, 2023, for tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/lectures-talks/2023/december/in-conversation-sara-shamma/

Save the date for ‘Made in Bethlehem’ Christmas concert, online on Sunday 10 December, 2023 at 5pm GMT. 

This Christmas concert will be a moment to come together in peace and hope. The programme will include performances from a breadth of performers including students from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, as well as the opportunity to hear from ESNCM students and a PalMusic scholar about the difference music makes to their lives.

The concert is free, but we ask everyone to consider making a gift this Christmas, to support the tuition of a child who is not be able to study at ESNCM without financial assistance. Now is a vital time. If you are not able to join us for the concert, you can make a gift towards our work.

Friends of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music UK – Donate now
If you would like to keep in touch with us, please sign up to our mailing list.

For tickets: https://www.palmusic.org.uk/christmas-online-fundraising-concert/

Le Trio Joubran, comprised of three brothers hailing from a family with a rich lineage of ‘Oud’ makers and players spanning four generations, have forged an extraordinary path in the world of music. Samir, Wissam, and Adnan have transformed the ‘Oud,’ an ancient stringed instrument, into their life’s passion and a profound skill.

Hailing from Palestine, Le Trio Joubran is a group of musicians whose artistry has garnered international acclaim. They have been commissioned to compose music for various renowned films, including The Last Fly, Karim Dridi 2009, Miral (Julian Schnabel, 2010), Five Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, 2011), and The Messenger of God (Majid Majidi, 2015). Their remarkable talent has earned them numerous nominations and awards, such as the Best Music Award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009 and 2012, and the Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique at Cannes in 2009.

Recognized for their outstanding contributions to the world of music, Le Trio Joubran has received prestigious accolades. In 2013, they were honored with the Artistic Creativity Award by the Arab Thought Foundation in Beirut for their remarkable career. The Palestinian National Authority also acknowledged their exceptional achievements with the Order of Merit and Excellence in 2013. Furthermore, they were bestowed the Zyriab Award of Virtuosity at the International Lute Festival, a UNESCO-affiliated event held in Tetouan in 2016.

All proceeds will go to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

For tickets: https://marsm.co.uk/event/le-trio-joubran/

A new body of work by the renowned artist Sara Shamma.

In Bold Spirits, Sara Shamma responds to the Gallery’s historic Collection with a focus on paintings of women. Shamma’s new works channel the spirits of these female figures while also connecting them to moments from her own life, retelling their stories for contemporary viewers.

Each of Shamma’s paintings presents a powerful and thought-provoking interpretation of works by artists including Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Lely, Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. Shamma explores identity, death, motherhood and unexpected beauty in works that demonstrate her technical expertise as an artist, as well as her long-standing appreciation of the Old Masters.

Bold Spirits is part of Unlocking Paintings, a series of displays that presents new perspectives on the Gallery’s collection, inviting contemporary artists and thinkers to reinterpret historic themes. The display is curated by Helen Hillyard, curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Entry to this display, is included with Gallery admission tickets. Online booking is advised.

About the Artist:

Sara Shamma is a renowned painter whose works can be found in both public and private collections around the globe. Shamma was born in Damascus, Syria (1975) to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus in 1998. She moved to London in 2016 under the auspices of an Exceptional Talent Visa where she currently lives and works. Shamma’s practice focuses on death and humanity expressed mainly through self-portraits and children painted in a life-like visceral way.

For tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/displays/2023/september/sara-shamma-bold-spirits/

Please be aware there is also an Artist Talk on 8 December, 2023, for tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/lectures-talks/2023/december/in-conversation-sara-shamma/

Experience the atmosphere of Christmas in the Arab world as St Mary Magdalene’s – Grand Junction resounds with Syriac, Coptic and Byzantine chants, harking back to the time of Queen Zanubia’s Palmyra in the second century CE.

Line up:

Najib Coutya: The Lebanese singer and ‘oud player, Najib Coutya, learned the chants from his father, who was a renowned choirmaster and singer of Byzantine and Arabic Church music. The music which Najib practises is an oral tradition, consisting of a system of about 20 complex modes, full of quarter-tones, drawing from the Arabic maqam and Greek Byzantine conventions. He leads a choir, based at the Antiochian Greek Orthodox church, St George Cathedral, in St Pancras.

Najib places equal importance on continuing these traditions and innovating within them; by playing them correctly and authentically, but using new improvisations to make them vibrant and fresh.

Joseph Tawadros: A 4-times ARIA award winning master of the Oud, Joseph has recorded 14 original albums. Born in Cairo, and a resident of Sydney and London, a virtuoso of diversity and sensitivity, he is a leading presence in the world’s top concert platforms. In 2018, Joseph performed in Australia and Japan with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He made his debut at the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms Dubai and a solo oud recital with original music for the BBC Proms at London’s Cadogan Hall.

Jon Banks: Jon Banks on qanun and santur. Banks has toured, broadcast and recorded with groups including The Dufay Collective, The Burning Bush, Joglaresa, the Jocelyn Pook Ensemble and Iranian ensembles with Fariborz Kiani and Davod Azad. He lectures on Middle Eastern music at Anglia Ruskin University.

Samar El Murr: A Lebanese singer specialising in Arabic vocal music with a special interest in early Arab Christian chant where she performed at several festivals and music concerts in London and beyond.

USTAVI (Bassel Hariri): A Syrian violinist from Aleppo who has dedicated his music career to exploring different avenues of expressing the sound of the Arab violin. His work spans across a wide array of experimental projects in different genres (Jazz, blues, folk & electronic). founder of “JamArabia” an international reach providing an open space for musical creativity that aims at exploring cultural diversity by bringing together professional and amateur artists to share their music and stories with music and art lovers across the globe.

Through these jam sessions, he facilitates a space for creating fresh, authentic, and human-focused music while inducing dialogue that challenges all political and social norms and assumptions surrounding music making, especially in the Arab world, with a special interest in maqam, looping to engage more deeply with Arab maqam in a global context.

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arab-christmas-tickets-767715276057

Enjoy a relaxed evening of music from the Arabic-speaking world at the 8th edition of ‘Open Mic Night – A Night of Arabic Music.

After seven sold-out Open Mic Nights which hosted a range of performances by talented singers and musicians and drew in large audiences from across London and beyond, we’re back for the eighth time and, for this edition, we’ll be making our first appearance at the renowned Kings Place.

Join us for a night immersed in the beautiful sounds of the region. Bring your friends, order drinks at the bar, and get ready for another incredible line-up of live performers bringing you everything from covers of the likes of Umm Kulthum, Fairuz and Mashrou’ Leila, to original songs and exclusive mashups.

Depending on time following the scheduled performances, we’ll then be opening up the stage to the audience for anyone who would like to perform, so start getting those voices warmed up!

See you in January.

– This is a seated show, first come first serve

– Kings Place is fully accessible

– All ages welcome

This event is presented by Marsm and Kings Place.

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/open-mic-night-a-night-of-arabic-music-tickets-754633809037

A new body of work by the renowned artist Sara Shamma.

In Bold Spirits, Sara Shamma responds to the Gallery’s historic Collection with a focus on paintings of women. Shamma’s new works channel the spirits of these female figures while also connecting them to moments from her own life, retelling their stories for contemporary viewers.

Each of Shamma’s paintings presents a powerful and thought-provoking interpretation of works by artists including Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Lely, Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. Shamma explores identity, death, motherhood and unexpected beauty in works that demonstrate her technical expertise as an artist, as well as her long-standing appreciation of the Old Masters.

Bold Spirits is part of Unlocking Paintings, a series of displays that presents new perspectives on the Gallery’s collection, inviting contemporary artists and thinkers to reinterpret historic themes. The display is curated by Helen Hillyard, curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Entry to this display, is included with Gallery admission tickets. Online booking is advised.

About the Artist:

Sara Shamma is a renowned painter whose works can be found in both public and private collections around the globe. Shamma was born in Damascus, Syria (1975) to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. She graduated from the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Damascus in 1998. She moved to London in 2016 under the auspices of an Exceptional Talent Visa where she currently lives and works. Shamma’s practice focuses on death and humanity expressed mainly through self-portraits and children painted in a life-like visceral way.

For tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/displays/2023/september/sara-shamma-bold-spirits/

Please be aware there is also an Artist Talk on 8 December, 2023, for tickets: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/lectures-talks/2023/december/in-conversation-sara-shamma/

Considered as one of the biggest voices of her generation, and the first woman to ever perform publicly in Saudi Arabia, the multilingual Lebanese artist, actress, and director Hiba Tawaji makes her London debut.