Art Dubai 2015; stay tuned for news and images live from Dubai!

Art Dubai is the leading international art fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The ninth edition of the art fair will be taking place in Dubai- UAE on March 18-21. Over the last eight years, Art Dubai has become a cornerstone of the region's booming contemporary art community. Recognized as one of the most globalized meeting points in the art world today, Art Dubai places an emphasis on maintaining its intimate, human, scale while foregrounding quality and diversity.

As mentioned on GQ online on a review on Art Dubai 2014, the view among the collectors, dealers and hangers-on appeared to be that the fair was strong on regional art. Iranian artists have been the premier-league players from the Middle East for a few years now, perhaps made all the more tantalising because they are "other" ; Persian, not Arab; from a large country with more than two thousand years of cultural heritage but now which right now is largely closed to cultural interchange; Middle Eastern and Islamic but also Caucasian and Silk Route. This year's Art Dubai is expected to have more than 80 galleries showcasing their artists.

Stay tuned as photos and updates will be coming up during and post this amazing event along with some exciting news.

Photo:Getty Images for Art Dubai 2014

Art week at Soho House Chicago

It's no secret that Soho House is the place for arts and artists but this week has been something really special. It's the art week at Soho House which means there is an interesting event on each day. This past Wednesday, January 21st, Damien Hirst's piece was unveiled. The piece spells "Chicago" with real butterflies and it is placed in the Allis Restaurant located on the main floor of the building. Hirst was born in 1965. He emerged as a leading figure in the young British Artists movement in the late 80s. He has shocked and surprised the art world with his unusual works. While not everyone was enthralled with his work, his biggest supporter was Charles Saatchi, advertising titan and art collector. Saatchi funded Damien Hirst's first works and also started collecting Hirst's pieces. But whilst his works, has been praised by many art critics throughout the years, he has been also condemned for killing animals in order to create his art. The Artist was landed in a row with RSPCA while exhibiting his work "In and out of love"  after it was revealed that more than 9,000 butterflies died during the 23 weeks of this exhibit in Tate back in 2012. It's understandable that there might be a bit of mixed feelings about his works and the medium that he uses but this should not stop you to go and see one of his pieces up close at Soho House Chicago.

http://www.damienhirst.com

Interview with VOA (Voice of America) - Sarvin Haghighi

Earlier today I was interviewed by Behnood Mokri who needs no introduction to all my Iranian family and friends. But for those of you who don’t know him, he is an award winning TV journalist and producer who is currently hosting one of my favorite programs on VOA Persia which is a cultural program conducting the most interesting, engaging and in-depth interviews in arts and entertainment.

It was an honor to be invited for this interview to Washington DC and also to meet him in person. The conversation was fun, relaxed and entertaining.

Stay tuned – Will let you all know when it will air.