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Diary dates

8 September 2026
For our own benefit we maintain a calendar of key upcoming events in the region. It’s updated regularly with new entries as we hear about them, so bookmark this page and check back regularly. Here are the highlights for the [ … more]
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Joy to the world: The Arts Center’s new season

2 September 2026
Bill Bragin is back from Edinburgh. He saw 45 shows there in two weeks (he says he’s slowing down – a few years ago he was managing 8 or 9 per day). It’s partly pleasure, partly work; on his visit [ … more]
Architecture

SAT03: redefining architecture?

29 July 2026
The theme and participants for the third Sharjah Architectural Triennial (14 November 2026 to 14 April 2027) have been published, and they both look a meaty counterpoint to the more usual design/technology-led architectural get-together. That theme for SAT03 is ‘Architecture [ … more]
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magpie Weekly issue 7.39 / 23 July 2026

23 July 2026
This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest The quote: It’s only words – unless they’re true | David Mamet … Frieze filling out Frieze Abu Dhabi (19-22 Nov at Manarat Al Saadiyat) will have two new curated sections – Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi, [ … more]
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magpie Weekly issue 7.38 / 16 July 2026

16 July 2026
This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest The quote: If you resolve to give up smoking, drinking and loving, you don’t actually live longer; it just seems longer | Clement Freud … More books for Sharjah Pushing ahead with its image-building in [ … more]
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magpie Weekly issue 7.37 / 9 July 2026

9 July 2026
This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest The quote: Art galleries should hang terrible paintings from the same period as their masterpieces so that visitors can realise quite how amazing the good paintings are | James Marriott … Dubai’s cultural sector [ … more]