Sitting at the western tip of one of Abu Dhabi's many coastal islands, Saadiyat Cultural District's transformation from an expanse of featureless sand into the home of one of the world's most ambitious cultural projects has taken almost two decades. But, after years of construction shrouded in clouds of windblown dust, the much-anticipated cultural quarter has come into its own almost overnight, earning itself a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's list of The Best Places to Go in 2026.
Shell House is a residential project that reimagines the traditional courtyard home through the language of softness, light, and spatial layering. Located on a corner plot in Kuwait, the design draws inspiration from the organic morphology of a shellprotective on the outside, open and nurturing on the inside. At its heart lies a lush, intimate courtyard with a pool, visible from the home's primary living spaces and home gym, establishing the courtyard as both a literal and conceptual anchor.
Five bronze towers soar 400 feet above Saadiyat Island, the ever-expanding cultural district just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The structures-which recall the wings of a falcon, a highly prized symbol in the United Arab Emirates-are the architectural signature of the Zayed National Museum, which opened in December. Two weeks before, another vastinstitution, the Natural History Museum, debuted. They will be followed later this year by the most ambitious of all-the late Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Goliath and the curator Ingrid Masondo were to present a new iteration of the three-part, video-based project Elegy -a project begun in 2015 that has centred on femicide and the murder of LGBTQI+ people in South Africa. The version planned for the Biennale also addressed violence against women in Namibia and Gaza, and it was the new Gaza-related section that caused the controversy.
Peacock Ha'il is a project by Movs Studio located in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia, within an evolving urban context shaped by new construction and prominent geological formations. The site originally consisted of an unfinished structure positioned directly beside a tall formation, which became a defining condition for the project and a central design constraint. Rather than treating the rock as a backdrop or decorative feature, the design integrates it into the architectural logic of the café.
Titled "في الحِلّ والترحال" / In Interludes and Transitions, the exhibition is led by Co-Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, while Milan-based architect Sammy Zarka contributed as the Associate Architect and Exhibition Designer. The exhibition scenography is designed by Formafantasma, and the event brings together more than 65 artists from over 37 countries, including more than 25 newly commissioned works.
Held in late January, Toronto's design week practically dares design-lovers to prove their devotion. At this past edition, they braved not only the below-zero temperatures but also a historic snowstorm; part of the weather pattern that saw the U.S. draped in the white stuff, Toronto was hit with 22 inches of snow. They were rewarded with an inspiring array of furniture, lighting and experimental works both at the Interior Design Show and throughout the city-wide DesignTO festival.
As an artist, having the freedom to create without boundaries is incredibly rare. That's why I reference the Sistine Chapel-not to compare myself to Michelangelo, but to evoke that moment in history when an artist was entrusted with complete creative freedom to interpret humanity as it was understood at the time,
After a decade of big spending, Saudi Arabia is scaling back some massive Vision 2030 "gigaprojects" due to falling oil prices and budget constraints. What does this mean for the nation's big cultural projects and investments? Plus, all eyes are on the Gulf this week as the first edition of Art Basel Qatar gets underway. Plus, the NFT platform Nifty will shut down this month.
Qatar Museums was founded in 2005 by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the daughter of the former emir of the country. As Qataris like to point out, Doha's engagement with international contemporary art began before that of the UAE and well before that of Saudi Arabia; its I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art opened in 2008 and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in 2010, while museums elsewhere were still in the planning stages.
The Doha debut of the venerable Swiss fair offers a stress test for the Art Basel brand, art fairs writ large, and the Gulf's collector base. One looming question: Can a market-oriented model take root within a state-led, institutionally focused cultural ecosystem? Sales on day one were limited, but sales are perhaps not the focus of this debut, which was aided by ample state support.
The quadrennial exhibition introduces a new type of transnational, transdisciplinary program to Doha, rooted in issues that affect both Qatar and the wider region. The artists exhibiting broadly represent the diverse nationalities that live in Qatar, while their work reflects the shared geographical, environmenta
