Karen Wazen, Madiyah Al-Sharqi team up on another capsule collection
Updated 15 February 2022
Arab News
DUBAI: Following a highly successful partnership last year, Lebanese influencer Karen Wazen and Emirati womenswear designer Madiyah Al-Sharqi have again joined forces for a second capsule collection.
The 1970s-inspired collection features 16 light and playful ready-to-wear looks in a neutral color palette of soft pinks and pastels.
For the new offering, Wazen dipped into the archives of Al-Sharqi’s previous collections to choose her favorite pieces before building off of them and adding her own personal touch.
Karen Wazen x Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2022 collection. Supplied
The collection, which is available to shop online on Middle Eastern e-tailer Ounass, is punctuated with feminine and asymmetrical silhouettes.
The collection is built off asymmetrical dresses and coordinated sets such as skirts and halter tops, cropped shorts with buttoned short-sleeved shirts, and wide-legged pants with oversized tops. Flowy, flirty, and comfortable seem to be the central themes for the chic capsule collection.
Wazen took to her Instagram to launch the collection that will be available online and at a few select stores throughout the Emirates. Writing on the social networking platform, she said: “We’re so excited to share this with you. We hope you love it as much as you loved our first collection.”
The Dubai-based fashionista is one of the most influential figures in the region, boasting more than 7 million Instagram followers. In addition, the mother-of-three is also an eyewear designer and has an eponymous sunglasses brand that launched in 2018.
Karen Wazen x Madiyah Al Sharqi Spring 2022 collection. Supplied
Al-Sharqi is the daughter of Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi, the ruler of Fujairah, in the UAE, and launched her eponymous label in 2012. Since then, she has boomed in the region and globally.
Wazen and Al-Sharqi last year collaborated on a 28-piece ready-to-wear capsule collection.
LAHORE: Tucked away in a quiet lane in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore, Hashim Ali’s studio feels less like a workspace and more like a time capsule from the Mughal era.
Large Persian rugs are spread out on the floors and ornate jharokhas overlook walls painted in beige and maroon and covered in wood panels and miniature paintings, creating a world suffused with nostalgia and opulence. Every corner of the studio reflects the vision of an art director who doesn’t just design sets but builds atmosphere. The space is both sanctuary and stage, where centuries-old aesthetics come vividly to life in the service of modern, visual storytelling.
One of Pakistan’s most renowned Pakistani visual artists and art directors, Ali is a Visual Communication Design graduate from the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) institute in Lahore. Over the years, he has come to be known for his work in fashion, film, and music and is celebrated for his creative vision and attention to detail, particularly in creating visually stunning and intricate sets. His ability to blend historic grandeur with modern maximalism has won him several accolades over the years, including the Fashion Art Director award at the 2024 Hum Style Awards and the Pride of Performance Award in 2021.
In an interview with Arab News at his studio in Lahore’s posh Gulberg neighborhood, Ali, 34, said his passion for visual storytelling came from a history of childhood bullying.
This photo shows a generic view of Pakistani art director Hashim Ali’s studio in a quiet lane in Lahore. (AN Photo)
“When you are bullied, you have to make [up] stories, you have to read stories, so I would get lost in fairytales,” he said.
“I would just start imagining what this world is, what these people are, what is this fantasy that exists out of this world? It started from there.”
The stories he read, full of mythology and folklore, led him to start thinking about his identity as a Pakistani and a South Asian.
“Then I was like, ‘Why can’t we rebuild these memories and these spaces and these places?’”
Pakistani art director Hashim Ali speaks during an interview with Arab News at his studio in Lahore on May 27, 2025. (AN Photo)
Ali’s own studio is a recreation of spaces of the past, a Mughal court in miniature — crafted not from marble and sandstone, but from cardboard, fabric, and imagination. With hand-painted arches, makeshift jalis, and richly colored drapes, the space evokes the grandeur of a bygone empire while laying bare its theatrical artifice. The illusion is deliberate: a paper palace blurring the line between history and performance and reflecting South Asia’s enduring nostalgia for lost splendor and the way identity in the region is often reconstructed through fragments — of memory, of myth, of art.
What one then sees is not just a recreation of the past but a reinterpretation, inviting a dialogue between heritage and reinvention:
“If Hollywood can create all of this [set design] and we think as Pakistanis that we can’t do any of this, then we’re at fault. Because we did create the Taj Mahal. We did create the Lahore Fort … If we could do it then, we can do it now.”
“COMBINED MEMORY”
One of Ali’s most cherished creations was the set for the song “Pasoori,” the first Coke Studio number to hit one billion views on YouTube Music and the most searched song globally on Google in 2022, the year of its release.
Ali, the production designer and art director of the set, crafted it as a communal space, with the bohemian aesthetic of the set, characterized by vibrant colors and eclectic elements, complementing the song’s fusion of reggaeton beats with classical South Asian instruments like the rubab.
This photo shows a generic view of Pakistani art director Hashim Ali’s studio in Lahore. (AN Photo)
Ali describes the aesthetic as “the Pakistani vibe,” exemplified by a new generation that had grown up in the era of globalization and social media and was reclaiming public spaces and dressing up and conducting themselves in ways that merged their cultural heritage with contemporary elements.
“It’s so interesting that now when I’m sitting and I’m scrolling on Instagram or TikTok and I see these reels of girls wearing either ‘saris’ and ‘ghagras’ and they’re dancing in Lahore, in old Lahore,” Ali said.
But the project closest to Ali’s heart is hidden away in the winding, narrow streets of Lahore’s historic Gali Surjan Singh near Delhi Gate. It is a concept store, Iqbal Begum, imagined as a tribute to his late dadi or grandmother, a mathematics teacher who passed away in 2014.
The store has been built in a centuries-old home that Ali rented from a woman who has lived there before the partition of India in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan. The walls are adorned with framed pictures of Iqbal Begum and the shop strewn with things that belonged to her, including old table clocks and dial phones and a tub of Nivea cream, a bottle of Oil of Olay lotion, and a coin purse framed together.
Photo frames of Pakistani art director Hashim Ali’s grandmother hang on one of the walls of his studio in Lahore. (AN Photo)
Ali remembered growing up surrounded by the stories his grandmother told him, including about the violence of the partition.
“She told me a story about how she lost her favorite pen and our house was burned down in front of her eyes and the sense of belonging started happening,” Ali said.
“From that story, this thing of holding on to objects, holding on to people, holding on to stories became very important.”
The concept store is thus not only a way to tell the story of Iqbal Begum but also to create shared memories.
“So, for me, every time I tell a story, I’m passing on my memory to someone else, and when they go and tell someone, in a way, it’s almost like my dadi is still alive,” Ali added.
Pakistani art director Hashim Ali gestures during an interview with Arab News at his studio in Lahore on May 27, 2025. (AN Photo)
And the process is two-way, because people show up with their stories also and can connect with the items they see in the store: “Then it becomes like a combined memory.”
Ultimately, it all connects back to the idea of Pakistan for Ali and to preserving its national, personal and collective histories into tangible, emotionally resonant experience.
“I kind of equated it to the bigger grandparent or the larger mother, which is Pakistan, that slowly, slowly all these amazing things that Pakistanis and Pakistan has done, we’re slowly letting them fade away,” he said.
“The idea from this dadi telling stories to a child has become about this child telling those stories or trying to tell those stories to the world and saying, ‘Hey, we’re Pakistan and we’re a beautiful country and we do all these things apart from what you’re used to hearing about.’.”
Princess Rajwa shows support in sporty style at World Cup qualifier
Updated 06 June 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein of Jordan attended the AFC World Cup qualifier match between Jordan and Oman on Thursday, opting for a look that blended national pride with contemporary style.
The princess, who is of Saudi origin, wore the official home shirt of the Jordan national football team, featuring a white base with red collar and sleeve accents. She paired the jersey with Victoria Beckham’s structured pocket trousers in the “Sandstorm” shade, featuring a high-waisted silhouette with fine pinstripes and curved front pockets.
To accessorize, Princess Rajwa chose pieces from Bilarabiya Jewellery. She wore the brand’s “Abjad Hawaz” single earring and a custom necklace bearing the name of her daughter, Princess Iman, written in Arabic.
Princess Rajwa sat alongside Princess Iman and Princess Salma, the sisters of the crown prince, who were also dressed in the national team’s shirt.
The Jordanian national team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history, following a decisive 3-0 victory over Oman.
Jordan secured its spot on the penultimate day of Asian qualifying for the tournament, which will be held in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Saudi artist Abdullah Al-Othman discusses work exploring linguistic architectural landscapes
Updated 1 min 36 sec ago
Rebecca Anne Proctor
DUBAI: In the Bawwaba section of the most recent edition of Art Dubai, Saudi artist Abdullah Al-Othman’s installation “Manifesto: Language & the City II” presented photographs and numerous illuminated signs and symbols in Arabic against two black walls, reflecting the urban signage one may find in Riyadh.
The installation was an evolution of a series that includes 2021’s “Manifesto: the Language and the City,” a multimedia installation exploring the linguistic and architectural landscape of Riyadh for the inaugural Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which went on to be included in the Lyon Biennale in 2022, and “Fantasy Land,” which Al-Othman created for the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival in 2021 — a neon wall installation exploring themes of human experience and the shifts between reality and illusion.
Abdullah Al-Othman’s installation “Manifesto: Language & the City II” presented photographs and numerous illuminated signs and symbols in Arabic. (Supplied)
“Language & the City II” pulsed with light and color and the expressive characters of the Arabic language made the viewer feel as if they were indeed on a bustling street in the Saudi capital. “Language is akin to history — it’s very deep,” Al-Othman tells Arab News. “Through my research I realized how language is like a brand for a culture — it references history and people. I study the language that we find in cities. The documentation of language affects the architectural style in an urban environment and the relationship between people and their environment.”
“Language & the City II” was made from a variety of materials, predominantly neon signage, lightboxes and wooden advertising signs that were once hung in the streets of Riyadh. Al-Othman’s installation brought them together to create a portrait of the city through its typographic, visual and architectural styles.
Riyadh’s identity, explains Al-Othman, is revealed through the language, style and vibrant colors of these lit symbols, offering a collective memory of a city in the throes of change.
Abdullah Al Othman at Art Dubai Manifesto Language and the City II for Bawwaba. (Courtesy Artist and Iris Projects. Credit Ismail Noor for Seeing Things)
As an artist and a poet, language has always played an important role in Al-Othman’s life. While he began as a writer, he arrived at a point where he could no longer fully express himself with words and turned to art, creating works that incorporate sound, found objects, sculpture, film and performance.
In 2017’s “Suspended Al-Balad,” for the 21,39, contemporary art festival, Al-Othman wrapped an entire building in Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district, originally used as a shelter for widows and divorced women, with tin foil.
Al Othman’s intuitive approach to art creation leads him to organically move between and incorporate different mediums. Light is a significant element in his work, whether bouncing off tin foil or shining in neon to reflect the everyday urban environment of Riyadh.
Pieces from Al-Othman's latest project, 'Engineering the Unknown.' (Supplied)
“I want to create journeys for people to discover the importance of language,” says Al-Othman. “Language is a deeply important part of being human.”
Today Al-Othman continues to expand his research and art creation. He has recently published a book on his research supported by The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Saudi Cultural Development Fund.
Presently he is creating sculptures out of various Arabic words from made from different materials for his latest project, “Engineering the Incomplete.”
“In my artistic practice, I engage with language as an open field for analysis and reconstruction,” he writes in his statement for the new project. “I begin from moments of absence — from missing letters and fractured words — treating them as signals of the fragility inherent in the symbolic systems we rely on to make sense of the world.
Al-Othman's 'Manifesto - The Language & The City' at the 2022 Lyon Biennale. (Supplied)
“Failure to achieve perfection becomes an essential part of creation, not a flaw to be corrected,” he continues. “Incompleteness is not simply a void, but an active component that generates new, open-ended meanings. Each missing letter, each visual gap, forms an alternative path of reading and invites the viewer to reshape their relationship with language and the urban environment.”
“Engineering the Incomplete” uses the structure of the letter as an entity capable of both disintegration and destruction and therefore the resulting text as something that is unstable and constantly changing.
“My practice transforms language from a tool of communication into a material and temporal organism caught in the tension between structure and collapse,” Al-Othman adds. “Through material techniques that draw from urban elements and the reconfiguration of textual spaces, my work seeks to highlight the continuous tension between the desire for expression and the inherent limits of linguistic possibilities.”
Al-Othman says that “Engineering the Incomplete” is not an attempt to restore what is lost, but an invitation to read absence, or lacking, as another form of presence and a new beginning.
Incompleteness, he emphasizes, offers “a way to produce new meaning and vision.”
Recipes for success: Chef Vincenzo Palermo offers advice and a spaghetti al pomodoro recipe
Updated 06 June 2025
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: Vincenzo Palermo, head pizza chef at TOTO Dubai, has built his career on one belief: “Pizza isn’t just comfort food, it’s a craft.”
Originally from Apulia in southern Italy, Palermo has spent years refining his skills. His journey began early, watching the baking process in his family kitchen as a child. He went on to study at Rome’s API Pizza Academy.
Over the past 14 years, his career has taken him from Italy to Russia, France, the US and now the UAE, with his pizzas earning international recognition and awards along the way — including a historic win as the youngest-ever World Champion of Neapolitan Pizza in 2018.
Vincenzo Palermo is the head pizza chef at TOTO Dubai. (Supplied)
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
I believed that cooking was just about combining ingredients correctly and adhering strictly to techniques. My focus was on the mechanical aspects of executing everything “correctly,” but I didn’t always bring myself into the dish; that was my biggest mistake.
Coming from a family where food was never just food — it was tradition, emotion, and memory — I learned discipline and focus. Over time, I realized that every dish must tell a story. It could be a childhood memory, a moment of celebration, or simply a feeling you want to share, but if you do not put your heart into it, then no matter how perfect the dish appears, it lacks soul.
The kitchen is not just about skill and technique, it’s a place for passion. Food is a language, and love is the message. That is what I try to pass on now, both to my team and on every plate that leaves the kitchen.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
My journey began in a very humble way. I was just a child when I first stepped into the kitchen, helping my mother, making my first pizzas and simple pastas with curiosity and joy. That passion never left me. So, my top tip is this: Do not underestimate yourself just because you are cooking at home. Get into the flow, cook with heart and love, and do not place limits on what you think is possible. Everything we create in a professional kitchen, even the most refined dishes, can absolutely be recreated at home with the right mindset. Cooking is mostly about emotion, not technique, and that emotion can be felt whether you’re in a Michelin-level kitchen or your own. Believe in your hands, trust your ingredients, and enjoy the process.
Margherita pizza. (Supplied)
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
I’d say flour. The right flour for the right dish is absolutely essential. In Italy, we don’t just say “flour,” we talk about “tipo 00,” “semola rimacinata,” “integrale”… Each type of flour has a specific purpose, and choosing the right one shows respect for the dish and the tradition behind it. Using the right flour is like choosing the right language to express yourself. It’s the base of everything, the foundation. Even for home cooks, this choice can make the difference between something good and something truly authentic.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
As a chef, it is natural to notice the details, but I try to approach it with an open mind.
What’s the most common mistake or issue you find in other restaurants?
A lack of authenticity and a disconnect between the dish and its cultural roots. Authenticity and consistency are key, and when they’re missing, it affects the overall experience.
When you go out to eat, what’s your favorite cuisine or dish to order?
Honestly, I love to try everything. For me, eating out is about enjoying food and learning. Every culture has its own traditions, techniques and flavors, and I want to understand the story behind each dish.
I’m always curious. I taste something new, study it, and then think about how that ingredient or idea could inspire something in my own kitchen. That is how we grow as chefs — by keeping our minds open and constantly learning from others.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
Without a doubt, it’s spaghetti al pomodoro. What could be more Italian than that? It is full of soul. I love it because it represents everything I believe in: simplicity, quality and passion. When I cook it at home, even if I’m short on time, I give it my full attention, from choosing the best tomatoes and olive oil to making sure the Gragnano pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, which is non-negotiable.
TODO Dubai. (Supplied)
What customer request most annoys you?
Requests that compromise the integrity of a traditional dish can be challenging. While I fully respect dietary restrictions and personal preferences, altering a classic recipe beyond recognition takes away from its authenticity. I believe in educating diners about the origins and significance of each dish to foster greater appreciation and respect.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Pizza. It’s more than just my profession, it’s a piece of my heart. I have a vivid memory from my childhood: my mother and sister in our home kitchen, cooking pizza in a pan. Of course, it was not the “right” way by traditional standards — she was not a trained chef, she was a home cook — but, like many Italian mothers, she found her own way to make something special with what she had.
Even if the technique was not perfect, the love and passion she put into it made it unforgettable. Sometimes my sister would join her, and for me, that pan pizza became a symbol of family, comfort and creativity. Pizza means everything to me because of what it represents: love, family and the joy of making something beautiful from the heart.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
For me, it’s fish. It may seem simple, but it’s not easy to cook perfectly. Fish is delicate. You must respect the texture, the temperature and the timing. One second too much, and it’s dry. One second too little, and it’s raw. I always need to stay focused and keep learning. That challenge is part of what makes it so rewarding when you get it just right.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laidback?
Honestly, I can’t stand chefs who shout. We’ve seen it too many times in movies and on TV: the angry chef screaming, throwing pans, creating fear in the kitchen. Unfortunately, this happens in a lot of kitchens. But this is not leadership. This is not how great food is made. The kitchen is not a battlefield, and the people around me are not soldiers or slaves — they are humans, artists, professionals. As any of my team will tell you, I’m calm; I like to joke, and I create a relaxed environment. That doesn’t mean we’re not serious. When it’s time to push, I push. But we push together — fast, sharp, focused — as a team. Respect is the true foundation of a great kitchen. When people feel valued and inspired, not afraid, they cook with love. And that love is what reaches the plate.
Chef Vincenzo Palermo’s spaghetti al pomodoro recipe
Ingredients:
200 gr spaghetti from gragnano
300 gr San Marzano peeled tomato
Fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
In a pan, gently sauté crushed garlic in olive oil.
Add the tomatoes and let cook for about 10–15 minutes and add salt and pepper.
In a pot, put water and salt and make it boil.
Boil spaghetti until al dente, then transfer it to the sauce with a bit of cooking water.
Toss everything together and finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve it with a gentle parmesan cheese on the top.
Highlights from Bashir Makhoul’s ‘The Promise’ at Zawyeh Gallery
Highlights from Bashir Makhoul’s ‘The Promise,’ on show at Zawyeh Gallery, Dubai until June 30
Updated 06 June 2025
Arab News
‘Drift’
The Galilee-born British-Palestinian artist’s solo show’s title, according to the gallery, “encapsulates a poetic and ambiguous statement of intent — an assertion that is both an event and a transformation. A promise is made and, inevitably, can be broken.” That is the duality at the heart of Makhoul’s practice, as is the recurring motif of the house.
‘Deep Wounds’
This work is part of a series of painted wooden sculptures, each of which bears a carved hollow scar, disrupting its ‘wholeness.’ “These wounds are marks not just of trauma but also spaces of beginnings, resonating with Edward Said’s notion of origins as an act of cutting open, a rupture that invites multiple directions.”
‘My Olive Tree’
Makhoul has been experimenting with electroplated 3D printing to produce crystalline machine-generated structures that “paradoxically resemble organic formations” such as those seen in this work representing Makhoul’s own tree which stands between two plots of land he does not own.
