During her 18-year stint as a curator and gallery owner in Dubai, Mona Hauser has experienced some surprising encounters. One notable incident involved an exhibition by an Iranian artist, which featured abstract female forms.
“We were wary of hanging nudes on the wall,” explains the elegantly dressed American, as we sip coffee in the courtyard of XVA, her boutique hotel, shop and exhibition space. “So, I decided to install them in a separate area with a caution sign.”
Despite Mona’s best intentions, however, an early visitor arrived before any warnings had been put in place. After taking a swift look at the explicit artwork, the woman, “who was very much covered up” demanded to speak to the artist.
“She walked straight up to her and didn’t say hello or anything,” recalls Mona. “But just demanded: ‘Will you paint my portrait?’”
Freedom of expression isn’t a principle you’d expect to find easily exercised in a country associated with strict Sharia laws. But attitudes in the UAE’s most progressive Emirate are rapidly changing, allowing a dynamic creative arts scene to take shape. At the end of 2020, political reforms declared drinking without a licence and cohabiting outside of marriage were no longer illegal. And recently, it was announced censorship of risqué films would be dropped and replaced with a 21+ certification.
When Mona moved to Dubai from Florida in 1993, there were few galleries and no university art courses. But she sensed an energy in the self-made, showy city and wanted to tap into an arty underground she knew must exist. “There’s an underground everywhere, right?” she laughs.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
HOW I GOT THE SHOT
PHOTOGRAPHER MATT DUTILE ON SNAPPING THE FROZEN CONTINENT'S CHARISMATIC WILDLIFE FOR OUR MAY ISSUE
THE EVOLVING GAP YEAR
FROM ENHANCING A CV TO BENEFITTING A LOCAL COMMUNITY OR TRAVELLING WITH PURPOSE, THE MOTIVES FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE A GAP YEAR ARE INCREASINGLY NUANCED.
VALLETTA
In Malta’s harbour-framed capital, a rich and evolving art scene unfolds among honeyed baroque facades, echoing the global influences that have shaped the city over the centuries
A timeless city
Wander through artistic alleyways and along modern beachfronts in South Korea’s second city — a place where tradition and innovationgo hand in hand.
SANDS OF TIME
COVERING AROUND 800,000 SQUARE MILES, ALGERIA'S SHARE OF THE SAHARA TAKES UP OVER 80% OF THE COUNTRY - THE VOLCANIC PEAKS, CANYONS AND VAST SAND SEAS FORM A STRIKING BACKDROP TO OASIS CITIES AND UNIQUE NORTH AFRICAN CULTURES
Sumitra Acharya
THE HIMALAYAN TREKKING LEADER IS PART OF A NEW GENERATION OF NEPALESE WOMEN CLAIMING THEIR SPACE AMID SOME OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAKS
WHERE TO STAY ADELAIDE
A clutch of new design-led hotels pays tribute to the South Australian capital's landmarks
MUMBAI
Inventive chefs are sharing their stories through food in India's ever-evolving west coast metropolis, but the city's appetite for street food, thalis and Parsi dishes remains a comforting constant
FLINTSHIRE
Visit this North Wales county to sleep on a former prime minister's country estate, hike mountains and go foraging or wild swimming
Scandi cool
EXPLORE THE NORWEGIAN COASTLINE’S NEW OPENINGS AND CULTURAL EVENTS UNDER THIS SUMMER'S MIDNIGHT SUN