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  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in Jeddah
  3. Cover Interview: Hayfa Al Gwaiz
  4. A Season in Review: Riyadh 2024
  5. Individual Stories, Common Threads: Hayat Osamah’s Soft Gates at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025

E-09++
Fall 2025





  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in SEL
  3. Pop(Corn): Chan Sook Choi
  4. Rapport: Seoul
  5. When Everything You Touch Bursts into Flames: Olivia Rode Hvass at 00.00 Gallery
  6. Embracing Multiplicities: The 2023 Korea Artist Prize Exhibition
  7. On (Be)Holding Life that Pulsates in Overlooked Places: Jahyun Park at Hapjungjigu
  8. Beauty, Transformation, and the Grotesque: Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg on their Exhibition at SongEun Art Space
  9. Presenting Ecofeminist Imaginaries: Ji Yoon Yang on Alternative Space LOOP

E-08++
Fall 2024

SEL Quick Glances at Frieze Seoul 2024


E-Issue 07 –– AUH
Winter 2023-24

January 29th, 2024



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in Abu Dhabi/Dubai
  3. Cover Interview: Shaikha Al Ketbi on Darawan
  4. Rapport: Public Art in the Gulf and a Case Study of Manar Abu Dhabi
  5. Hashel Al Lamki’s Survey Exhibition Maqam Reflects on a Decade of Practice in Abu Dhabi
  6. “You Can’t Stand on a Movement”: Michelangelo Pistoletto Interviews Benton Interviewing Pistoletto

E-07++
Winter/Spring 2024


Exhibition Review July 16, 2024
PAR See Me With Them Hands: Reviewing Giovanni Bassan’s “Private Rooms” at Sainte Anne Gallery

Curators Interview May 14, 2024
AUH Embracing Change through an Open System: Maya Allison and Duygu Demir on “In Real Time” at NYUAD Art Gallery

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJ
Spring 2023

April 12th, 2023



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in the UAE
  3. Pop(Corn): Jumairy
  4. Rapport: Art Dubai 2023
  5. Highlights from Sharjah Biennial 15
  6. Is Time Just an Illusion? A Review of "Notations on Time" at Ishara Art Foundation
  7. Saif Mhaisen and His Community at Bayt AlMamzar









DXB Christopher Joshua Benton to Debut Mubeen, City as Archive at The Third Line Shop in Collaboration with Global Art Daily


E-Issue 05 –– VCE
Fall 2022

September 5th, 2022



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in VCE
  3. Pop(Corn): UAE National Pavilion
  4. Rapport: Venice
  5. Zeitgeist of our Time: Füsun Onur for the Turkish Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale
  6. GAD’s Top Picks: National Pavilions
  7. Strangers to the Museum Wall: Kehinde Wiley’s Venice Exhibition Speaks of Violence and Portraiture
  8. Questioning Everyday Life: Alluvium by Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian at OGR Torino in Venice

E-05++
Fall/Winter 2022-23


Market Interview June 28th, 2022
HK How Pearl Lam Built Her Gallery Between China and Europe

Exhibition November 11th, 2022
TYO “Atami Blues” Brings Together UAE-Based and Japanese Artists in HOTEL ACAO ANNEX

Exhibition December 2nd, 2022
TYO Wetland Lab Proposes Sustainable Cement Alternative in Tokyo

Artist Interview December 9th, 2022
DXB Navjot Altaf Unpacks Eco-Feminism and Post-Pandemic Reality at Ishara Art Foundation

Artist Interview January 8th, 2023
TYO Shu Yonezawa and the Art of Animation

Artist Interview January 19th, 2023
NYC Reflecting on Her Southwestern Chinese Bai Roots, Peishan Huang Captures Human Traces on Objects and Spaces

Exhibition Review February 9th, 2023
DXB Augustine Paredes Builds His Paradise Home at Gulf Photo Plus

Artist Interview February 22nd, 2023
DXB Persia Beheshti Shares Thoughts on Virtual Worlds and the State of Video Art in Dubai Ahead of Her Screening at Bayt Al Mamzar

E-Issue 04 –– IST
Spring 2022

March 15th, 2022



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in IST
  3. Pop(Corn): Refik Anadol
  4. Rapport: Istanbul
  5. Independent Spaces in Istanbul: Sarp Özer on Operating AVTO

E-04++
Spring/Summer 2022


Curator Interview March 21st, 2022

Market Interview March 28th, 2022
DXB Dubai's Postmodern Architecture: Constructing the Future with 3dr Models

Exhibition April 23rd, 2022
HK Startbahn Presents “Made in Japan 3.0: Defining a New Phy-gital Reality”, an NFT Pop-Up at K11 Art Mall

Exhibition May 6th, 2022
IST Istanbul’s 5533 Presents Nazlı Khoshkhabar’s “Around and Round”

Artist Interview May 13th, 2022
DXB “We Are Witnessing History”: Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian On Their Retrospective Exhibition at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery

Artist Interview June 13th, 2022
DXB “Geometry is Everywhere”: An Interview and Walking Tour of Order of Magnitude, Jitish Kallat’s Solo Exhibition at Dubai’s Ishara Art Foundation

Exhibition June 21st, 2022
DXB Art Jameel Joins The World Weather Network in a Groundbreaking Response to Global Climate Crisis

Exhibition June 27th, 2022
UAE What’s On in the UAE: Our Top Summer Picks

Curator Interview July 9th, 2022
IST Creating an Artist Books Library in Istanbul: Aslı Özdoyuran on BAS

E-Issue 03 ––TYO
Fall 2021

October 1st, 2022



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in TYO
  3. Pop(Corn): Nimyu
  4. Ahmad The Japanese: Bady Dalloul on Japan and Belonging
  5. Rapport: Tokyo
  6. Alexandre Taalba Redefines Virtuality at The 5th Floor
  7. Imagining Distant Ecologies in Hypersonic Tokyo: A Review of “Floating Between the Tropical and Glacial Zones”
  8. Ruba Al-Sweel Curates “Garden of e-arthly Delights” at SUMAC Space
  9. Salwa Mikdadi Reflects on the Opening of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Arab Center for the Study of Art

E-03++
Fall/Winter 2021-22


Market Interview October 6th, 2021
RUH HH Prince Fahad Al Saud Discusses Saudi Arabia’s Artistic Renaissance

Exhibition October 7th, 2021
RUH Misk Art Institute’s Annual Flagship Exhibition Explores the Universality of Identity

Curator Interview October 15th, 2021
IST “Once Upon a Time Inconceivable”: A Review and a Conversation

Exhibition Review October 16th, 2021
AUH Woman as a Noun, and a Practice: “As We Gaze Upon Her” at Warehouse421


Exhibition Review February 11th, 2022

Artist Interview February 26th, 2022
TYO Akira Takayama on McDonald’s Radio University, Heterotopia, and Wagner Project

Artist Interview March 10th, 2022
DXB Prepare The Ingredients and Let The Rest Flow: Miramar and Zaid’s “Pure Data” Premieres at Satellite for Quoz Arts Fest 2022

Exhibition March 11th, 2022
DXB Must-See Exhibitions in Dubai - Art Week Edition 2022

Exhibition Review March 14th, 2022
DXB Art Dubai Digital, An Alternative Art World?

E-Issue 02 –– NYC
Spring 2021

February 21st, 2021



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in NYC
  3. Pop(Corn): Zeid Jaouni
  4. You Can Take The Girl Out Of The City
  5. Rapport: NYC
  6. Kindergarten Records Discuss The Future of Electronic Music
  7. Sole DXB Brings NY Hip-Hop To Abu Dhabi
  8. Wei Han Finds ‘Home’ In New York
  9. Vikram Divecha: Encounters and Negotiations

E-02++
Spring/Summer 2021

Exhibition Review March 3rd, 2021
DXB There’s a Hurricane at the Foundry

Exhibition Review March 7th, 2021
AUH Re-viewing Contrasts: Hyphenated Spaces at Warehouse421

Curator Interview March 21st, 2021
DXB Permeability and Regional Nodes: Sohrab Hura on Curating Growing Like a Tree at Ishara Art Foundation

Exhibition March 28th, 2021
DXB Alserkal Art Week Top Picks

Exhibition Review April 1st, 2021
DXB A ‘Menu Poem’ and All That Follows

Exhibition Review April 5th, 2021
DXB A Riot Towards Landscapes

Exhibition April 16th, 2021
RUH Noor Riyadh Shines Light on Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Art Strategy

Artist Interview April 26th, 2021
CTU/AUH/YYZ Sabrina Zhao: Between Abu Dhabi, Sichuan, and Toronto

Exhibition Review April 27th, 2021
TYO BIEN Opens Two Solo Exhibitions in Island Japan and Parcel

Artist Interview April 28th, 2021
DXB Ana Escobar: Objects Revisited

Exhibition May 9th, 2021
LDN Fulfilment Services Ltd. Questions Techno-Capitalism on Billboards in London

Artist Interview May 11th, 2021
BAH Mihrab: Mysticism, Devotion, and Geo-Identity

Curator Interview May 20th, 2021
DXB There Is A You In The Cloud You Can’t Delete: A Review of “Age of You” at Jameel Arts Centre

Market Interview May 26th, 2021
TYO Startbahn, Japan’s Leading Art Blockchain Company, Builds a New Art Infrastructure for the Digital Age

Exhibition June 11th, 2021
TYO “Mimicry of Hollows” Opens at The 5th Floor

Exhibiton Review June 20th, 2021
AUH “Total Landscaping”at Warehouse 421

Artist Interview June 30th, 2021
OSA Rintaro Fuse Curates “Silent Category” at Creative Center Osaka

Exhibition Review August 9th, 2021
 DXB “After The Beep”: A Review and Some Reflections

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB
Summer 2020

August 1st, 2020



  1. Editor’s Note
  2. What’s On in the UAE
  3. Pop(Corn): Hashel Al Lamki
  4. Tailoring in Abu Dhabi
  5. Rapport: Dubai
  6. Michael Rakowitz From the Diaspora


E-01++
Fall/Winter 2020-21


Artist Interview August 23rd, 2020
LHR/MCT Hanan Sultan Rhymes Frankincense with Minimalism

Artist Interview August 24th, 2020
DXB Augustine Paredes Taking Up Space

Artist Interview August 26th, 2020
AUH Sarah Almehairi Initiates Conversations

Market Interview August 28th, 2020
AUH/DXB 101 Pioneers Ethical and Curious Art Collecting

Exhibition September 1st, 2020
DXB Alserkal Arts Foundation Presents Mohamed Melehi

Market Interview September 4th, 2020
DXB Meet Tamila Kochkarova Behind ‘No Boys Allowed’

Artist Interview September 7th, 2020
 DXB Taaboogah Infuses Comedy Into Khaleeji Menswear

Artist Interview September 10th, 2020
 LHR/CAI Alaa Hindia’s Jewelry Revives Egyptian Nostalgia

Curator Interview September 14th, 2020
UAE Tawahadna Introduces MENA Artists to a Global Community

Exhibition Review September 24th, 2020
MIA a_part Gives Artists 36 Hours to React

Artist Interview September 27th, 2020
AUH BAIT 15 Welcomes New Member Zuhoor Al Sayegh

Market Interview October 14th, 2021
DXB Thaely Kicks Off Sustainable Sneakers

Exhibition Review October 19th, 2020
DXB Do You See Me How I See You?

Exhibition October 22nd, 2020
TYO James Jarvis Presents Latest Collages at 3110NZ

Exhibition Review October 22nd, 2020
AUH Ogamdo: Crossing a Cultural Highway between Korea and the UAE

Book Review October 28th, 2020
DAM Investigating the Catalogues of the National Museum of Damascus

Exhibition Review November 13th, 2020
DXB Kanye Says Listen to the Kids: Youth Takeover at Jameel Arts Centre

Exhibition Review November 16th, 2021
DXB Melehi’s Waves Complicate Waving Goodbye

Exhibition Review November 19th, 2020
DXB Spotlight on Dubai Design Week 2020

Exhibition Review November 21st, 2020
DXB 101 Strikes Again with Second Sale at Alserkal Avenue

Exhibition Review
November 23rd, 2020
AUH SEAF Cohort 7 at Warehouse 421

Exhibition Review December 9th, 2020
SHJ Sharjah Art Foundation Jets Ahead on the Flying Saucer

Curator Interview January 25th, 2021
DXB Sa Tahanan Collective Redefines Home for Filipino Artists

Exhibition Review February 21st, 2021
 GRV MIA Anywhere Hosts First Virtual Exhibition of Female Chechen Artists  

🎙️GAD Talk Series –– Season 1 2020


November 1st, 2020
 1. What is Global Art Daily? 2015 to Now

November 16th, 2020
2. Where is Global Art Daily? An Open Coversation on Migration as Art Practitioners

November 29th, 2020
 3. When the Youth Takes Over: Reflecting on the 2020 Jameel Arts Centre Youth Takeover

December 20th, 2020
 4. Young Curators in Tokyo: The Making of The 5th Floor

January 27th, 2021
5. How To Create Digital Networks in The Art World?

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Artist Interview November 18th, 2016
 AUH Raed Yassin in Abu Dhabi

Exhibition Listing May 22nd, 2018
 DXB Christopher Benton: If We Don't Reclaim Our History, The Sand Will

Artist Interview June 15th, 2018
 TYO An Interview with BIEN, a Rising Japanese Artist

Artist Interview July 17th, 2018
 TYO Rintaro Fuse on Selfies and Cave Painting

Artist Interview August 28th, 2018
 BER Slavs and Tatars: “Pulling a Thread to Undo The Sweater”

Artist Interview September 1st, 2018
 NYC Shirin Neshat In Conversation with Sophie Arni and Ev Zverev

Artist Interview September 1st, 2018
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Making Dreams Come True: Thaer Select and Vertygo Bring Mirage to Reality at Erth Hotel Abu Dhabi


By Global Art Daily’s Editorial Board

Published on November 19, 2025

         A month after a major group show in Paris, Thaer Select is back on home grounds - opening Mirage at Erth Hotel Abu Dhabi.

Curated by Nicolò Venelli, founder of Vertygo, Mirage brings together 17 artists based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the broader MENA region, and beyond. The exhibition is set in a historical venue: the recreational facilities for the UAE Armed Forces, built by the late Sheikh Zayed in 1983.

The exhibition venue: Erth Hotel Abu Dhabi. Courtesy of Erth.

1. Husna Samer, Wistful, 2024. Oil on canvas. 45cm x 31cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

Satellite to the Abu Dhabi Art program, the exhibition opens on No in the premises of one of Abu Dhabi’s modernist architecture masterpieces, fusing brutalism and ornamentation. The grand scale of the spaces matches the grand ambitions of the group show: an exhibition celebrating artists’ hope in the face of adversity.


Inside Erth Hotel Abu Dhabi. Photos: Global Art Daily.

“Mirage is the illusion that guides and deceives, the image that shimmers at the edge of perception. It is the encounter between what is seen and what is imagined, between the world as it is and the world as it could be. It is the hardship and the challenge of life, and the strength it takes to overcome adversity,” writes Venelli as the curatorial foreword. He continues, “Mirage defines deception: an oasis that does not exist, a vision too distant to reach. It is the birth and rebirth of dreams, the tribal dance that captures the mind. It is the setting of absolute desolation, and yet the caravan lines glimmer in the distance, drawn across a horizon that is but sand dunes and heat. It poses a challenge to the viewer: will you traverse the desert?”


Mirage is the illusion that guides and deceives, the image that shimmers at the edge of perception. It poses a challenge to the viewer: will you traverse the desert?



Amongst participating artists, we recognize familiar names of the emerging UAE art scene: Amir Hazim, Roudhah Al Mazrouei, Samo Shalaby, Talal Al Najjar, and Ziad Al Najjar, amongst others. From Saudi Arabia, works from Ahmad Sofi, Latifa Al Bokhari, and Hayfa AlGwaiz will be on view. From Europe, paintings from HazzA and Angel De Leon are back after showing with Thaer Select last year at MamarLab. 


2. Jude Samman, All That is One, 2025. Acrylic on canvas. 100 x 60 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

With such an electric line-up, and Thaer Select’s signature hyper-collaborative style, this exhibition promises to infuse fresh energy into an already-packed art week. Venelli, speaking to GAD, shares, “When I started Vertygo, I wanted to go from concept to actuation. It was all about making and doing.” He continues, “Mirage is the perfect example of this, it’s about making more so than planning.” Thinking back to how he started his residency and exhibition platform, “the idea behind Vertygo was in poetry, you know? To platform and promote a new wave of contemporary art. Since starting, everything has been prose, a non-stop making spree - Mirage exemplifies this exactly.”


Mirage is about making more so than planning. A non-stop making spree.

- Nicolò Venelli

Inside Erth Hotel Abu Dhabi. Photos: Global Art Daily.

3. Left: Mowaffag Elsadig, UntitIed, 2025. Oil and charcoal on canvas. 216 x 154 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select. Right:  Angel de Leon, Sands of time (echo), 2025. Glass, Egyptian sand, resin. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

4. Above: Roudhah Al Mazrouei, Blue Sun, 2025. Oil on canvas. 210 x 80 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select. Below: Samo Shalaby, Genesis, 2025. Acrylic on canvas 240 x 120 x 4 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

Right as he was about to start installing, Moustafa Thaer reflects on this exhibition. “To tell you the truth, this show feels like a real homecoming. We did that first show together last year in Abu Dhabi, it was spectacular, a real collaborative effort. This time we’re back with the same energy, and more. It will be incredible.”


We did that first show together last year in Abu Dhabi, it was spectacular, a real collaborative effort. This time we’re back with the same energy.

- Moustafa Thaer

5. Left: Amir Hazim, Stone Protocol, 2021 UV print on Aluminium. 32.16 x 45 cm (unframed) Edition of 5 + 2AP.  Courtesy of Thaer Select. Right: Amir Hazim, Light Sediment, 2021. UV print on Aluminium 29.7 x 37.1 cm (unframed). Edition of 5 + 2AP. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

6. Amir Hazim, Memory code, 2021. UV print on Aluminium 29.7 x 21 cm (unframed) Edition of 5 + 2AP. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

The theme of the show reflects this idea of the desert as a symbol for adversity. Thaer explains more about the impetus for the exhibition: “the desert is an unforgiving place, it’s a very difficult place to survive in, but people still do. All the artists in this show have dealt with many difficulties in their careers and personal lives, and so have I. I feel that’s one thing that brings us all together, through everything we’ve been through.”

With a pure heart and belief in the vision - which very much mirrors Abu Dhabi’s success story as a hub for global contemporary art - he shares: “This show is all about us overcoming this adversity together. The only way to overcome these challenges is to team up and to face them together.”

7. Talal Al Najjar, Postmordial Detritus, 2023. Jesmonite, stainless steel, polyurethane, polystyrene, acrylic polymer, newspaper, inkjet prints. 188 x 310 x 43 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select.

8. Left: Ahmed Alaqra, 11, 2025. Hahnemühle Photo Rag bright white cotton paper (310g) fine art print in metallic frame. 21 x 29.7 cm. Edition of 5 + 2 AP. Courtesy of Thaer Select. Right: Ahmed Alaqra, 16, 2025. Hahnemühle Photo Rag bright white cotton paper (310g) fine art print in metallic frame. 21 x 29.7 cm. Edition of 5 + 2 AP. Courtesy of Thaer Select.


The desert is an unforgiving place. It’s a very difficult place to survive in, but people still do. This show is all about us overcoming this adversity together.

- Moustafa Thaer

The future is indeed collaboration. “It’s really easy to get overwhelmed by obstacles when you’re alone, but when you’re together they get smaller and smaller. The more people you help, the more people you collaborate with, the smaller the problems get,” explains Thaer. “This Mirage show may feel unreal, but we’re the ones who are making the dream come true. The higher we climb together, the smaller the problems will get down on earth. With a little patience and direction, you can make miracles happen.”

9. Left: Latifa Al Bokhari, Where there is a palm, there is water, 2024. Courtesy of Thaer Select. Right: Hayfa Al Gwaiz, The Road to AlMuzahimiyah, 2022. Acrylic on canvas 100 x 75 cm. Courtesy of Thaer Select.



This Mirage show may feel unreal, but we’re the ones who are making the dream come true.

- Moustafa Thaer




Exhibition Information


Venue
Erth Abu Dhabi Hotel
Khor Al Maqta, Al Khaleej Al Arabi - Road - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Google pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EeYVgaXoWirBoCrW9

Opening Hours
Opening reception: November 20th, 2025 - 5pm-8pm
The exhibition will be on view at the hotel’s historical building main entrance, open 24/7 during hotel hours – please head to the Erth Abu Dhabi’s hotel reception to ask for more information.


Participating Artists 


Ahmad Sofi
Ahmed Alaqra
Ali Mohammadioun
Amir Hazim
Angel De Leon
Farah Soltani
Hayfa Algwaiz
HazzA
Husna Samer
Jude Samman
Latifa Al Bokhari
Mamali Shafahi
Mowffag Elsadig
Roudhah Al Mazrouei
Samo Shalaby
Sara Kamar
Talal Al Najjar
Ziad Al Najjar




About Thaer Select
Founded by Moustafa Thaer in 2024, Thaer Select is an agency building new pathways for collaboration across the global art world. Rooted in connecting the Middle East and Europe, it represents artists and practitioners who have worked with major institutions, brands, and public commissions. Projects include residencies with Vertygo Art in Italy and one of the largest diplomatic events for artists in the UAE’s history, hosted by the French embassy’s Institut Français. Represented artists have also engaged in collaborations with Adidas, BMW, Architectural Digest, the Louvre and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, as well as Zayed Museum. Thaer Select’s approach is collective, experimental, and ambitious, focused on creating spaces for dialogue and expanding opportunities for regional artists on international stages.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaer.select/
Website: https://thaerselect.com/

Nicolò Venelli is an entrepreneur and cultural producer working at the intersection of contemporary art and practice-led research, with a particular focus on artists from the Arab world and the SWANA region. Active as an organiser, producer, and curator, he is committed to supporting emerging voices and cultivating new modes of artistic production. He directs a production-focused residency program in the Italian Alps, where he is currently developing the 2026 programme. In addition to his curatorial and residency work, Venelli organises pop-up exhibitions internationally. He made his Dubai debut in April, followed by a new production presented in January, marking the beginning of a continued engagement with the region.

About Vertygo
Vertygo is an itinerant platform committed to supporting artistic production across regions, with a focus on the SWANA world and its extended diasporas. We create conditions where artists can think, make, and show freely. Our residency program focuses on production and process, while our pop-up exhibitions bring these dialogues into public spaces. Alongside residencies and collaborative projects, Vertygo offers advisory and agency services for artists and organisations. Our aim is to amplify voices and empower the art community
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vertygo.art
Website: https://vertygo.art/

About Hotel Erth Abu Dhabi
Located 15 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and in close proximity to the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Wahat Al Karama memorial, Erth offers guests an evocative gateway into the past, present and future of the UAE.
Website: https://erth.ae/ 

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