- Shopping: Riyadh
A gargantuan design showroom, Gallery Design, opened in Riyadh this week, the likes of which has never been seen before in the Middle East. The imposing 4,500 sq m structure in the residential district of Takhassusi stocks the likes of Moroso, Poltrona Frau, Minotti, bulthaup and Foscarini, aimed at a growing generation of young Saudis, keen to introduce contemporary design into their homes.
Gallery Design, 580 Takhassusi Street, Riyadh. Open Saturday to Thursday, 11.00–23.00.
gallerydesign.com.sa
- Fair: Dubai
Now in its fifth year, Art Dubai has become a major fixture in the art calendar. It is easily the largest and most diverse contemporary art event in the Middle East, with 81 galleries travelling to the Gulf from as far afield as Oslo, Melbourne and Tehran. Don’t miss Saturday’s guided tour of the fair with artist Abhishek Hazra at 16.00.
Madinat Arena, Dubai. Until 19 March, 12.00–17.00.
artdubai.ae
- Festival: Global
Monday is World Poetry Day. Start celebrating early with a wade through a poetry journal or two. UK title Popshot offers a lively exploration of modern living in its fourth issue while the second issue of Canada’s Poetry Is Dead proves the art form is anything but.
popshotpopshot.com, poetryisdead.ca
- Film: GLobal
The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade delivers a character-driven dark comedy about the daily adventures of 15-year-old schoolboy Oliver Tate. Based on Joe Dunthorne’s Salinger-esque novel, Submarine entertains with its well balanced mixture of irony and frankness. It is indeed, as Tate puts it, “irresistible”.
Submarine is on general release in the UK from 18 March. Directed by Richard Ayoade.
warp.net/films/submarine
- Exhibition: Texas
Few places can boast a multicultural heritage as rich as that of New Orleans. Cuban, Haitian, Mexican and, of course, American influences have helped shape a vibrant cultural scene that’s often overlooked by the mainstream. This show, housed in the only non-profit contemporary art space in Marfa, Texas, sets out to change this, with Bruce Davenport Jnr, Skylar Fein (pictured), and Gina Phillips all contributing. This Saturday, curator Dan Cameron gives a guided tour at 15.00.
Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas. Until 14 August, Thursday to Sunday, 12.00 – 18.00.
ballroommarfa.org
