I must confess my mind wasn’t really into art as I walked passed the booths at the MENASART FAIR in Beirut. Just weeks before Ramadan, I was more focused on planning my last sessions of tanning than the bold social commentary made by Ammar Al Beik’s “Oil Leaks” (2005) collection. In addition, the ceaseless bombardment of the same contemporary Saudi artists [...]

A self-proclaimed photoholic and light addict, Marwah AlMugait’s childhood was immersed with art, culture and a love of travel. Finding herself in constant need to capture the perfect shot, made her realize that what started out as a hobby became a fully-fledged obsession. Creating her own studio, Marwah AlMugait Photography, AlMugait sought out to provide c[...]

“Welcome aboard this Qatar Airways bound to Doha International airport. Estimated flight time is 42 minutes...” those were the first few words marking our “Qatar experience”. There we were, Oasis magazine, en route to Doha with an itinerary revolving around the inaugural of MATHAF: the first Arab Museum of Modern Art (covered in Issue 14) – dubbed by the Ec[...]

At first glance I see a pair of siren red lips, eyes blindfolded with black lace and an accusatory audio cassette, regurgitating snakes of tape. This is Rouda Al Shamsi’s “Short Life”, a striking mostly monochromatic photograph. According to the artist, on a deeper level, the work explores the fleeting nature of our lives, the metaphor being the cassette, wh[...]