Dynamic Islamic Art Scene Takes Wing in Dubai

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Sarah Hamdan

DUBAI — In the center of a large room, the skeletal shape of a bird — an installation of steel and light-emitting diodes — hovers near the ceiling. "Al Warqaa 2013" by Abdel Abidin is a suspended light-based sculpture that pays homage to students stoned to death by religious extremists in Baghdad last year. About four times human size, its strong, light presence dominates the otherwise empty space. Mr. Abidin is one of many artists and gallery owners who have been drawn to Dubai to escape political turbulence in countries like Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia. The same dynamic is at work in the annual Art Dubai fair, running here this week. [link]