RIYADH: The first-ever edition of Art Week Riyadh will be held from April 6-13, hosted by the Saudi Visual Arts Commission.
Set to run under the theme “At The Edge,” the event will gather local and international galleries, cultural institutions, artists, patrons, collectors, and art enthusiasts at a week-long event to take place across the city of Riyadh, headquartered at JAX District in Diriyah.
Alongside exhibitions, Art Week Riyadh will put on a program of talks, workshops, and performances for the public.
According to a released statement, the “inaugural edition will explore thresholds, transitions, and liminal spaces, reflecting Riyadh’s role as a center of global cultural engagement.”
Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, commented: “Art Week Riyadh is about building a robust and inclusive framework—one that supports innovation, creativity and thought leadership, and an unwavering commitment to preserving and advancing culture. By bringing together diverse elements of the Saudi art sector, it aims to empower and nurture practitioners and foster a shared vision of growth, opportunity, and cultural enrichment.”
Kieran Culkin wins supporting actor Oscar on Hollywood’s biggest night
Culkin was honored for playing one of two cousins who travel to Poland to study their family’s history in “A Real Pain”
“Anora,” a story about a sex worker who gets a shot at a Cinderella story, landed the award for original screenplay
Updated 54 sec ago
Reuters
LOS ANGELES: “A Real Pain” star Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday where “Anora,” “The Brutalist” and “Conclave” were competing for the coveted best picture trophy.
Culkin, who started acting as a child, was honored for playing one of two cousins who travel to Poland to study their family’s history.
“I have no idea how I got here,” Culkin said on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. “I’ve been acting all my life. I never felt like this was my trajectory.”
“Anora,” a story about a sex worker who gets a shot at a Cinderella story, landed the award for original screenplay. The adapted screenplay award was given to “Conclave,” a movie that imagines the secret proceedings to select a new pope.
Both are considered candidates to win the top honor of the night, the best picture statuette.
The prize for best animated feature went to independent film “Flow,” the first movie from Latvia to win an Oscar.
Nominees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the show with a “Wizard of Oz“-themed medley including the showstopping hit “Defying Gravity” from their film “Wicked.”
Grande, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and other stars wore shiny and sculptural gowns. Timothee Chalamet chose a canary yellow tuxedo, prompting a jab from host Conan O’Brien.
“You will not get hit on your bike tonight,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien also threatened any winners who spoke too long that he would show their old headshots or cut to a shot of actor John Lithgow “looking slightly disappointed.”
This year’s Oscars race has featured twists and turns, and no movie has dominated the precursor film awards.
Any of three films could score best picture, according to Oscars pundits. They are “Anora,” “Conclave” and “The Brutalist” about a Jewish immigrant and architect chasing the American dream.
Others in the best picture field include blockbuster musical “Wicked,” a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” and “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic starring Chalamet.
Netflix musical “Emilia Perez” headed into the ceremony with the most nominations. But its chances of victory dwindled when offensive social media posts surfaced from star Karla Sofia Gascon. The actress, the first openly transgender person nominated for an acting Oscar, disappeared from the awards circuit but attended Sunday’s ceremony.
Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes are chosen by the roughly 11,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Best actor could go to either Chalamet or “The Brutalist” star Adrien Brody, according to awards experts.
Brody became the youngest best actor winner when he landed the prize at age 29 for “The Pianist” in 2002. Chalamet is nine months younger than Brody was at the time.
Best actress is widely expected to go to Moore for “The Substance,” though one pundit said the category could produce an upset win for Brazil’s Fernanda Torres of “I’m Still Here.” The academy has increased its international membership, which could favor Torres, said Ian Sandwell, movies editor at Digital Spy.
“She could well be a surprise and the only one to take it away from Demi on the night,” Sandwell said.
Jade Thirlwall, UK pop star with Arab heritage, wins first solo BRIT Award
Updated 02 March 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: English pop star Jade Thirlwall, who has Egyptian and Yemeni ancestry on her mother’s side, was named Best Pop Act at the BRIT Awards 2025.
The last member of girl group Little Mix to launch a solo career, Thirlwall was born to an English father and has Egyptian and Yemeni ancestry on her mother's side.
Jade Thirlwall took to the BRIT Awards red carpet in a baby blue Regency-esque gown designed by Glenn Martens for Diesel. (Getty Images)
Accepting her award at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday night, the singer got emotional, saying, "Oh my God, what?! This is my first solo BRIT Award. Oh my God! I can't cry because I've got to sing later but I did do a little piece of paper in case I won. I know it's cringe!’
Thirlwall — who wore a baby blue Regency-esque gown designed by Glenn Martens for Diesel — ended her acceptance speech with a shoutout to her former Little Mix bandmates. "And finally, of course, my Little Mix sisters. I love you so much. I wouldn't have this award without them and they changed my life. I'm so grateful.”
She later took to the stage to perform her debut top 10 single, “Angel Of My Dreams.”
She later took to the stage to perform her debut top 10 single, “Angel Of My Dreams.” (Getty Images)
Of her Arab heritage, Thirlwall had said in a previous interview with BBC, “My granddad was a Muslim from Yemen. He settled in South Shields and married my granny, who was Egyptian – but I never met her because she died when my mam was four.”
“It was interesting for me, growing up in an Arab community,” continued Thirlwall, who was raised in South Shields, a coastal town in England. “My granddad really wanted me to be Muslim, bless him! My mam made me go to church on Sunday, but I went to Muslim school on Saturdays — it was next to the local mosque where my grandfather went.”
In 2022, the singer did a Q&A session on her Instagram Stories, where she further talked about her Arab heritage. “I love cooking Yemeni food, discovering Yemeni artists and creatives, and I will be continuing to learn Arabic on tour,” she said.
In a more recent interview with Bang Showbiz, the 32-year-old singer talked about cancel culture and her support for Palestine.
She said: “Cancel culture is thriving now. When you’re in the public eye, it’s quite scary. I’ve always been quite vocal, and I’m not always going to get it right. But you can’t be a pop artist right now without speaking out about certain things.
“I have been warned there could be consequences for speaking out about things like Palestine, but these are basic human rights.”
Architect Lina Ghotmeh to redesign British Museum’s Western Range Galleries
Updated 02 March 2025
Rebecca Anne Proctor
DUBAI: Lebanese-helmed architecture firm Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture (LG-A) will redesign the British Museum’s Western Range galleries after winning the contract in a competition.
The Paris-based firm, founded by Beirut-born Ghotmeh, will transform the museum’s historic building the houses some of the world’s greatest antiquities.
The competition for the project ran for nine months and attracted more than 60 teams. Five were shortlisted, including Reem Koolhaas and David Chipperfield, and were invited to take part in a two-stage competition, from which LG-A emerged as the winner.
Renderings of the proposed design by LG - A. (Supplied)
Gotmeh’s vision for the redesign for the galleries resonated with the judges due to its archaeological approach to the architectural design in what the museum is calling “one of the biggest cultural renovations undertaken anywhere in the world.”
“In Lina Ghotmeh we have an architect who combines a deep sensitivity to the history of our great collection while being a voice for the future,” said George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum and chair of the judging panel, in a statement. “We had many outstanding entries – and I thank the other practices for all their hard work – but I can say as chair of the judging panel, she was the standout winner.
“Her design ideas excited and enthused the trustees; when they become real buildings and galleries, we know they will excite and enthuse our millions of visitors,” added Osborne.
Lina Ghotmeh and Nicholas Cullinan in the Western Range. (The Trustees of the British Museum)
The judging panel comprised of experts in the field of architecture including Yvonne Farrell, Meneesha Kellay, Mahrukh Tarapor, and Sarah Younger. Alongside Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, were representatives from the British Museum’s Board of Trustees — artist Tracey Emin, Charlie Mayfield and Alejandro Santo Domingo.
Ghotmeh, who grew up in Beirut during the 1980s amid the Lebanese civil war, is known for her sensitivity when designing projects. In 2023, she designed the Serpentine Pavilion London, making her the second female architect to do so after Zaha Hadid. She has also been commissioned to design a contemporary art museum in AlUla, Saudi Arabia’s ancient desert region in the northwestern part of the country. In 2005, she won the international competition for the design of the Estonian National Museum while working in London and collaborating with Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Foster & Partners.
“The beauty of this project lies in how my work process is both confirmed and enriched by a project like the British Museum,” Ghotmeh told Arab News, adding how winning the project gave her “a feeling of sharing, of collective joy, an expression of deep humanity that arises from the connections and emotions these moments evoke.”
Renderings of the proposed design by LG - A. (Supplied)
Ghotmeh’s team also features Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2022, who is known for his art exploring cultural heritage, particularly in Lebanon and the wider Mediterranean, and geopolitics.
While prestigious, the redesign will be challenging. The Western Galleries, which comprise a third of the museum’s overall gallery space, total 15,650 square meters. The complex area includes the original 1850s buildings that were designed by Robert Smirke and later additions — all of which need to be renovated to meet present building standards. Many of the galleries contain important “heritage building fabric” the museum has said.
Ghotmeh also notes the feeling of responsibility in redesigning such an important museum, stating how she feels “the responsibility to bring our visions to life and continue this path of striving for quality and beauty.”
“Each project, for me, is a historical, material, and creative journey — like ‘archaeology of the future.’
“I am thrilled to design with a deep understanding of this museum — its history, the possibilities of what a 21st-century museum could be, the collection, its provenance, and the stories it should tell,” added Ghotmeh. “It’s about finding ways to engage with it, creating dialogue, and turning spaces into vessels. This is an opportunity to create extraordinary places that inspire a deep connection with the world.”
DUBAI: Lebanese Jordanian actress Andria Tayeh this week fronted Armani’s Ramadan campaign, set against the backdrop of a desert landscape.
Draped in a flowing emerald-green abaya, Tayeh was seen in the video applying the Vert Malachite perfume from Armani Prive as the camera captured the details of the fragrance and her attire. The setting featured sand dunes stretching into the horizon.
The campaign integrates elements of regional aesthetics with Armani’s luxury branding, aligning with the themes of Ramadan. Vert Malachite, known for its rich and opulent notes, is presented as part of the brand’s seasonal focus.
“Ramadan is a time of gratitude and blessings,” the star wrote to her 1.1 million followers on Instagram. “Honored to share this journey with Armani Prive and Vert Malachite, and wishing you a month filled with light and peace.”
Tayeh, known for her roles in Austrian filmmaker Kurdwin Ayub’s “Mond” and Netflix’s hit series “Al-Rawabi School for Girls,” has had a busy start to the year, collaborating with multiple brands and fronting their campaigns.
Last month, Giorgio Armani announced her appointment as its new Middle East beauty ambassador.
She took to Instagram to express her excitement, writing: “I am thrilled and honored to embark on this new journey with Armani beauty.
“This marks a real milestone for me, as the brand embodies values I have always cherished: timeless elegance, dramatic simplicity, and women empowerment,” she said. “Armani beauty reveals one’s charismatic personality in the most subtle and natural way. It’s this pure simplicity that creates an impact, and this is exactly what I hope to bring to the Arab cinema world.”
That same month, she was named the first Middle Eastern ambassador for French hair care brand Kerastase.
In a promotional clip, she appeared in an all-white studio, answering questions about why she is the ideal Kerastase ambassador. Tayeh spoke in a mix of English, Arabic and French, playfully flipping her hair for the camera as she discusses her dedication to maintaining healthy hair.
“Growing up, hair was always a big part of my identity, and now, representing a brand that celebrates hair in all its beauty feels surreal. Here’s to confidence, strength and great hair,” Tayeh captioned her post on Instagram at the time.
Health-conscious Ramadan recipes: Easy detox curry by chef Mayssam Abdulkhalek
Updated 01 March 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Executive chef Mayssam Abdulkhalek at Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort shares a clean eating recipe for iftar.
This detox curry is high in vitamins and minerals and low in calories due to the inclusion of beta-carotene-packed pumpkin, fiber-rich kohlrabi and cauliflower.
Billed as the Middle East’s first full immersion wellbeing resort, Zulal Wellness Resort’s offerings are based on the core tenets of traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine.
Detox curry
Ingredients:
30 gr Pumpkin
40 gr Kohlrabi
20 gr Purple Cauliflower
20 gr Cauliflower
10 gr Mushroom
1 gr Sweet Basil
40 gr Coconut Milk
60 ml Vegetable Stock
0.1 gr Salt
2 gr Coconut Sugar
Detox Curry Paste
250 ml Vegetable Stock
50 gr Red Chili
1 gr Kaffir Lime Leaf
75 gr Garlic
50 gr Galangal
Instructions:
Curry Paste
1. Peel all vegetables, cut thinly, and put in the blender.
2. Blend with vegetable stock until smooth in texture.
Curry
1. In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk and curry paste to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the kohlrabi, cauliflower, pumpkin, and mushroom. Bring to a simmer until vegetables are tender.
