Kader Attia in Dubai
Dubai is a place that provides constant amazement these days. In the past decade, it has really come into its own, carving out its identity in its landscape, architecture, and culture in a way that’s captivated world travelers from all over. It has so many gorgeous things to offer, including fantastic shopping malls, a rich nightlife, and magnificent luxury hotels. Duba, UAE is continually amazing the world with its offerings, and still holding back many secrets. One of the secrets that has gotten out of the bag, of course, is its ability to provide visitors with a sumptuous serving of hospitality. It’s an unusually high level of luxury here, where the hospitality comes from old-world traditions and a new-world sensibility for convenience.
Dubai does everything with flair. And taking care of the guests is absolutely no exception. You’ll find yourself falling asleep and waking up in exuberantly decorated rooms, prepared with a magical touch to make you feel right at home, but still in the middle of an exotic adventure. There are reasons why so many celebrities are drawn to Dubai, and this is your chance to discover some of them for yourself. Some of the best hidden secrets in Dubai are found in the art. It has a gloriously thriving art scene, thanks to special initiatives to make it a creative city. One of its great draws, attracting popular attention as well as the eyes of the elites in the upper echelons of the international art scene. Here you can see all kinds of work, by artists from all over the world, and it does come to encompass the city in a rather splendid way.
In 2010, watch for the new installation by Algerian artist Kader Attia. Now being represented by the Saatchi Gallery in London, and working all over the world, Attia won the Abraaj Capital Art Prize, and this will help him to create and bring the next big thing from his evolving canon to Dubai’s galleries. His work is exceptionally challenging, and always visually stunning. Whether the subjects are made of tinfoil, praying in an eerie series of sculptures that are all stupendously brilliant, or statues that get eaten by pigeons, or video installations, the work of Attia is getting enormous attention, and it would be a big thrill to see his work here.
09.14.09Elsewhereness: Cape Town
There can be little doubt that South Africa is an amazing country. With its gorgeous landscapes, lovely beaches, and rich and vibrant cultures, it’s one of the most fascinating places in the world. Cape Town, with its proximity to the water and vibrant urban culture, is the essence of the country. It has excellent attractions that will appeal to visitors of all ages, very exciting night life, and splendid luxury hotels. Cape Town is almost mythic in its appeal to the popular imagination, and a visit here will only heighten its mystery. We’ve selected some of the finest hotels in Cape Town so that you can be assured that you’ll be spending your time here in the center of comfort and style. Cape Town has a long tradition of hospitality, and you can expect to enjoy its most refined pleasures. After a fantastic night’s rest in our sumptuous rooms and a terrific meal prepared by world class chefs, you’ll be ready to enjoy the adventures awaiting you here. The beauty of the place is so amazing that at times it almost surreal. Taking this into consideration, along with the many complicated layers of memory, and there is a feeling of elsewhereness that can strike in the middle of a daydream. This sense has been explored in a film series by Swedish video and sound artists Anders Weberg and Robert Willim. Their Elsewhereness series first took on Tokyo and Yokohama as its subjects, and in 2008 they were commissioned to do a work on Cape Town. The resulting work, ELSEWHERENESS: Cape Town, is a captivating work of video and sound art that is simultaneously beautiful and mysterious. The artists have presented work internationally, and extensively at that, at film festivals and galleries. They have presented this work here at the Cape Art 09 Biennale, and have a keen sense of familiarity with the place. The confines of the project, however, limit the video material to be taken only from web sources, so that the work becomes an unusual excavation into a memory that is deferred to another subject. This makes for an art that is visually moving yet simultaneously, well, elsewhere. Beautiful.
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777x in KL
When searching for the perfect luxury hotels, Kuala Lumpur has a dizzying array of choices, and there are many excellent places to stay. Our hotels take the guesswork out of your selecting, because we’ve chosen the best of the best that Malaysia has to offer, with hotels that meet or exceed our high standards for service, hospitality, and comfort. There is also an enormously gracious sense of style here. It is KL, after all, and we have a reputation to uphold, as one of the regions most forward-thinking centers for fashion and design. There is a splendid blend of the old and the new here, where the old world charms meet new world luxuries, so that nothing is missing. Your perfect vacation awaits you here.
After a lovely meal served by our top chefs studied in all the latest trends in the culinary arts, and a delicious sleep that will leave you rejuvenated, you will be ready to explore the city. Kuala Lumpur is a gorgeous place, and offers enormous variety in attractions to suit every taste. There are sight-seeing tours, museums, and excellent nightlife. Even a brief look around will reveal that KL is a city on the cutting edges of culture and technology, serving in many ways as a hub of ideas for the region. There are spectacular events that can offer glimpses into the innovations taking place locally as well as internationally. One of the city’s most forward-thinking art galleries is Galleriiizu, and its commitment to new forms was demonstrated by an event called 777x.
777x happened here on July 7th, 2007, and the fortuitous combination of numbers unlocked the beginning of a new cultural moment in KL. This saw the inauguration of Galleriiizu’s digital art gallery, literally as well as metaphorically marking its entrance into a new age for art making. While there might be nothing new about digital art, where computer-generated or enhanced images make up the bulk of the art content, declaring an entrance into a new wave is always a bold move, and nature rewards courage. Acknowledging that we live in a time where technology is so connected to the construction of art that we might even notice any longer is a fascinating move, and it bodes well for the future of art in Kuala Lumpur.
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