Entertainment

LACMA contemporary exhibition features Arab female artists and art from Middle East

One of the latest exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the US features the art of Arab women from the Middle East.

The exhibition, Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East, takes visitors, through a stunning collection of art and artifacts, on a journey that explores the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of women in the Middle East.

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The exhibition curator and department head Linda Komaroff researched the work featured and acquired it to put together the exhibition she described as “special.”

Exhibition curator and department head Linda Komaroff. (Screengrab)

“What curators do in museums is we acquire works, we research works, and we do special exhibitions like the one we’re standing in now,” she told Al Arabiya English.

One of the artists featured in the LACMA exhibition is Iraqi-born Los Angeles-based artist Hayv Kahraman.

She is known for her thought-provoking artwork that uses elongated figures and intricate patterns, where she creates a sense of ambiguity.

Her art challenges stereotypes and highlights the resilience and complexity of marginalized communities, making her a significant voice in contemporary art.

“We have four works by the Iraqi born US based artist Hayv Kahramen,” Komaroff. “She’s an artist whose practice really focuses on women and especially using herself as the prime figure in her painting.”

According to the curator, Kahraman primarily uses paint and sometimes watercolor in her art.

“And if you look at her work, you’ll see that the primary figure of the woman often looks very, very much the same and is kind of a classical Iraqi beauty,” Kmaroff added.

One of the pieces featured by the Iraqi artist is called Indian Poker, a card game.

Indian Poker, artwork by Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman, displayed in the LACMA exhibition. (Screengrab)

“I don’t know how to play,” the curator joked. “But it shows a woman that’s almost like a playing card and that there’s two of her and you could show it upside down and right side up. And she looks the same at the end.”

This exhibition showcases the diverse and dynamic ways in which women have defined themselves and each other throughout the history of the Middle East.

According to the curator, the exhibition is comprised of 75 works of art in a variety of media by 42 artists.

“Some of them were born in the Middle East, and some of them are part of diaspora communities in the US and Europe,” Komaroff said.

One of the latest exhibitions at LACMA features the art of Arab women from the Middle East. (Screengrab)

Visitors of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the exhibition, which is filled with interactive displays, multimedia installations, and engaging programming.

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Entertainment

Accused of rape, British comedian Russell Brand speaks of ‘distressing’ week

British comedian and actor Russell Brand on Friday spoke of an “extraordinary and distressing week” in his first public comments since rape and assault allegations were aired against him, but did not address the claims.
“Obviously it’s been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information you are being presented with,” he said on a video posted to his YouTube channel, which has 6.64 million subscribers.
“I need your support now more than ever, more than I ever imagined I would,” he added.
But he did not comment on the joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 television in which four women made claims of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse against him.
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Then on Thursday, a woman accused Brand of exposing himself to her in 2008.
Brand criticized the British government for asking tech companies to take action against him.
Denouncing what he described as “deep state and corporate collusion” and “media corruption and censorship,” he said he would post a longer video on Monday.
In a video released last week, just before the story broke, Brand, 48, denied the allegations against him, which are said to have taken place between 2006 and 2013.
He said his relationships had always been “consensual,” even during a period when he admitted he was “very, very promiscuous.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman called the allegations “very serious and concerning.”
Sunak “has been clear there should never be any space for harassment, regardless of where it is found,” he added.
Brand’s publisher Bluebird announced that “all future publishing” with the comedian had been put on hold.
Video-sharing platform YouTube has also demonetized his content.

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Talks between striking Hollywood writers, studios fail for second day

Negotiators for Hollywood's major studios and striking film and television writers failed to reach an agreement to end a months-long stalemate after meeting for a second straight day on Thursday, CNN reported.

Representatives of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) talked for more than 10 hours, CNN said. It is unclear when they will convene again.

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Spokespeople for the WGA and the AMPTP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

To help spark a deal, sessions on Wednesday and Thursday were attended by Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Comcast's NBCUniversal Studio Group Chairman Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, according to a source close to the studios.

Roughly 11,500 WGA members walked off the job in May to protest pay and working conditions in the streaming TV era.

The SAG-AFTRA actors union went on strike in July, putting Hollywood in the midst of two simultaneous work stoppages for the first time in 63 years.

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Striking writers, Hollywood studios to meet again to resolve five-month standoff

Negotiators for the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Hollywood studios will meet again on Thursday to try to resolve a nearly five-month standoff that has disrupted film and television production.

The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Walt Disney, Netflix and other media companies, held talks for the first time in about a month on Wednesday.

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Early on Wednesday evening, the two sides issued a joint statement saying simply: “The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining today and will meet again tomorrow.”

To help spark a deal, Wednesday’s meeting was attended by Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Comcast’s NBCUniversal Studio Group Chairman Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, according to a source close to the studios.

People in the room described the session as “encouraging,” the source said, and the four executives are expected to return to the talks on Thursday.

CNBC, citing people close to the negotiations, said writers and producers were near an agreement and hoped to reach a deal on Thursday. But if a deal is not reached the strike could last through the end of the year, CNBC reported.

The WGA went on strike in May after negotiations reached an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers’ rooms and the role of artificial intelligence (AI), among other issues.

The SAG-AFTRA actors union called a work stoppage in July, putting Hollywood in the midst of two simultaneous strikes for the first time in 63 years. No talks are currently scheduled between the actors and the studios.

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