Nawar Al Qassimi’s favorite things to do and see
I think it is fair to say that 2020 took a very strange turn. I was looking forward to this year, I had plans and energy for what I imagined would be an exciting year given the major events in the UAE and around the world. In January I travelled to Lahore and Jeddah, and in March to London. It was there that things began to shut down, news of a virus half way around the world became an odd reality.
I flew home and spent the next three months in isolation. While it was stressful at times, I was grateful for the time I spent at home and the opportunity to slow down and rethink. I spent time reading, playing Animal Crossing, painting and baking. As restrictions eased in June, we opened our exhibition Art in the Age of Anxiety which has been hugely successful! I’m happy to be back at the office, I’m spending free time on the beach or with friends at home.
1. #HeartyNotes I took this in London just as Covid-19 began making the headlines. 2. Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Sheikha Hoor took us on a walking tour of the city in a break during the Biennale. We spent a few hours there, it was a beautiful moment. 3. Hoor and I found this dragonfly at Fen Café at the beginning of the year, we hadn’t seen dragonflies in Sharjah since we were young. I hoped it was a sign of good luck. 4. I set up tiny canvases on my vanity during quarantine and would paint late at night. 5. Baking I’m a terrible cook, but I made delicious gluten-free tahini brownies using a recipe taken from @chezmeerah’s Instagram. 6. I joined a reading challenge. This is one of 14 books I read on my Kindle during lockdown! 7. Art in the Age of Anxiety curated by Omar Kholeif. This was my first outing after lockdown. I was so excited to finally see the exhibition come to life. 8. Dinner in Dubai at the newly opened The MAINE Land Brasserie in The Opus. I was so happy to be able to go out and discover new restaurants. 9. Anonymous, Is Your Center Inside an Email Chain? Taken at Sharjah Art Foundation.
