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Hussein Sharif, United Arab Emirates
Hussei Sharif (http://www.hassansharif.com/e_main.asp) is an artist of the United Arab Emirates in. I personally enjoy his work a lot, it must be as pleasurable and challenging to do it as well as it is to see it and experience it, I imagine. Born and educated in the UAE, he was born in 1961 and still lives and works there. His work is on display in Hassan Sharif's personal website. The latter, another artist from the UAE, has written extensively about the art process, some of his articles can be found on the above mentioned website. In "A Journey into the Depths", he concludes: "All what an abstract artist wants from a viewer is to stand in front of it meditating it…questioning, puzzled…suggesting some interpretations of his own…dialoguing with the artwork…then with artist himself. Therefore the abstract artwork is an act of challenge and dialogue…and going out into the depths".
The desired dialogue can be forwarded to hassan@hassansharif.com
Having said this, I feel it is my obligation to mention that the United Arab Emirates is a confederate state of 7 emirates, none of which leaded by democratically appointed leaders. Abu Dhabi is the largest one, Dubai the most promissing city of the Emirates and of the Middle East. A thriving financial and tourist city, it offers some astounding buildings and structures such as the impressive Burj Al-Arab Hotel, the future Ski Dubai and the Palm island structure that can be seen from space (Signature and Garden Home Villas at the Palm at sold out already, but you can still get a waterhome!). The World is another similar structure, where you can buy your own property in the shape of a country of your choice... I wanted to buy Belgium but they forgot to include it in the world! (below)
Despite all the hip, the UAE is not a free country, women cannot leave the country with a permission from their husbands (!!!), slavery is a problem (search for camel jockeys and find out why...), censorship is a fact of life, etc. Some links:
The blog of an American family in Qatar (not UAE but they sometimes visit...)
Dubai blog
The UAE page
UAE directory
And the nasty stuff to the end: some excerpts from the US Department of State about Human Rights in the UAE:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates established in 1971. None has any democratically elected institutions or political parties. Traditional rule in the emirates generally has been patriarchal, with political allegiance defined in terms of loyalty to the tribal leaders.
The Government generally respected its citizens' rights in some areas; however, its record was poor in other areas. Citizens do not have the right to change their government. The Government also reportedly at times abused persons in custody, kept persons in incommunicado detention, and kept persons in detention after their release dates. The Government restricts the freedoms of speech and of the press. The press continued to avoid direct criticism of the Government and exercised self-censorship. The Government tightly restricts the freedoms of assembly and association, and imposes some restrictions on freedom of religion. Women play a subordinate role in society
The Government severely restricts worker rights. Working conditions and abuse of foreign domestic servants are serious problems in an economy in which 98 percent of the private sector workforce is foreign. Trafficking in women and children is a problem.
women must inherit property or businesses from a father or husband, or, if unmarried, receive a grant of land from the ruling family in the emirate in which they reside. In the case of women who are married, the land must be granted to the husbands
Custom dictates that a husband may bar his wife, minor male and female children, and adult unmarried daughters from leaving the country and a married woman may not accept employment without her husband's written consent, although such permission usually is granted (...oooh, ain't that great ;-))
The law prohibits cohabitation by unmarried couples
The use of young foreign national boys as camel jockeys, who are subjected to harsh conditions, is a continuing problem
Discrimination based on national origin, while not legally sanctioned, is prevalent, and occurs in most areas of daily life, including employment, housing, and social interaction. Employment, immigration, and security policy, as well as cultural attitudes towards the very substantial number of foreign workers are conditioned by national origin
Oh well, every beauty has her beast.