Art and entertainment

WALL: Ipek Duben's works at Galerist (Photo, courtesy of Gallerist).

Culture

Turkish artist Ipek Duben’s early years return to the wall

In solo exhibition “'70-,” Istanbul-born artist Ipek Duben opens the files she once kept to herself, tracing the foundations of a five-decade career shaped by identity, power, gender and belonging.

Traditional Emirati dancers and musicians for the opening night of Abu Dhabi Art.

Culture

A confident farewell: Abu Dhabi Art’s last edition hits new peak before Frieze

In its final 17th edition before it becomes Frieze Abu Dhabi in 2026, the fair staged its largest showing and attracted local and international collectors alike.

Amal Alhasan/Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Culture

Middle Eastern works to take center stage at Saudi Red Sea Film Festival

The festival’s main competition features 10 directors from the Middle East and North Africa.

Arash Sobhani performing in Amsterdam on Oct. 25. 2025.

Culture

Musician Arash Sobhani brings protest-infused Iranian rock to New York

The founder of the famed Tehran band Kiosk says the album addresses the failures of uprisings in Iran while incorporating influences from the wide range of musical styles in his new home.

Latest News

Culture

New York Public Library showcases history of MENA immigration to city

mena exhibit nypl

Meet Rama Duwaji, Mamdani's wife and New York’s first lady of Syrian descent

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Culture

Christie's London auction shines global light on Middle Eastern art

Mahmoud Said, La fille aux yeux verts

Culture

'Shark Tank Lebanon' debuts, offering entrepreneurs hope amid economic turmoil

Shark Tank Lebanon

Bijan Khajehpour

Analysis

The Takeaway: Iran hoped to close nuclear deal before economic reforms, says expert

Israeli exodus from Turkey over Iranian threat; Turkey takes aim at Syrian towns; Manbij residents brace for Turkish attack; desperation in Yemen’s displacement camps; Egyptian dance music livens up "Moon Knight."

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

Women's art exhitbit

Culture

Istanbul art exhibit celebrates Turkey’s groundbreaking female artists

“I-You-They: A Century of Artist Women,” at Istanbul’s Mesher gallery, explores early artists who have largely been neglected in the canon, inviting today’s artists to re-examine their roots.

An artefact is seen at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum on Saadiyat island during the French prime minister's visit as he launched the French-Emirati "Year of Cultural Dialogue," Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 10, 2018.

Culture

Abu Dhabi gears up for first natural history museum in Gulf region

The Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, which is being built and is due to open in 2025, organized an exhibition as a preview of the rare natural specimens the museum will house.

Hila Feldman and Renana Raz appear in a screen capture from the 2012 film "Fill the Void"

Culture

Ultra-Orthodox women produce films, inspire Israeli girls

A few courageous ultra-Orthodox women film producers are creating movies for their own audience, completely changing the perception of entertainment in the ultra-Orthodox society.

Amateur musicians play in the Istanbul metro during the performance ban due to COVID-19 in Istanbul on June 9, 2021.

Silenced Turkish singers decry continued music ban

Turkish government persistence on not removing the live music ban draws outcry from the entertainment and music industry.

Rapper and producer Al Darwish.

Syrian rapper embraces NFTs to shake up Middle East music industry

Nonfungible tokens are charting a new course for artists, and one Syrian musician hopes they will help more Arab artists gain independence.

An illustration picture taken in London on Dec. 30, 2021, shows an NFT.

Lebanese artists explore NFTs

The adoption of NFT art in Lebanon seems to be a milestone for artists.

Corridor of Power

Culture

Reverse-Orientalism, feminism inform work of Omani artist Eman Ali

Sexuality, the performance of gender, and religious and socio-political ideologies are at the forefront of Omani artist Eman Ali's art, and her hybrid of artistic expression ranges from photography to installation.

Courtesy of Dia Mrad and Zawyeh Gallery

Culture

Photographer captures surrealist post-explosion Beirut at Dubai art show

Surreal silos and ruins of ancient buildings are the subjects of the new series of works by Dia Mrad, recently presented at the biggest art fair in the Middle East.

Palestinian men smoke waterpipes as they watch the Syrian drama series "Bab al-Hara" ("The Door to the Neighborhood") in a cafe, Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Oct. 8, 2007.

Culture

Hamas, Islamic Jihad finance 'resistance' dramas for Ramadan

Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip argue that films should reflect the realities of the Israeli occupation.

(L-R) Mohamed Diab, director, and May Calamawy attend the "Moon Knight" Los Angeles Special Launch.

Culture

Director reveals Egypt missed out on 'Moon Knight' because of permits

Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, the first Arab to direct a Marvel production, has criticized his country’s bureaucracy and intervention by multiple authorities in obtaining licenses to film international productions on Egyptian soil.

Encanto

Culture

Disney to dub new film Encanto in Egyptian Arabic after 10-year hiatus

The company began dubbing its films in standard Arabic a decade ago, in a decision that was widely interpreted in political terms and which sparked strong controversy among Arabic-speaking fans.