The Arts Edit: Why the arts world loves the Olympics

Welcome to the latest edition of The Arts Edit, my weekly newsletter from The National News's Abu Dhabi newsroom rounding up this week's most noteworthy arts and culture stories.

IN FOCUS

The Paris Olympics began in spectacular fashion at the weekend, with an opening ceremony that reminded the world that the global event is not only a showcase of sporting excellence but also of culture and heritage.

While Celine Dion’s triumphant return to the stage roughly two years after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome may have been a clear highlight, as Saeed Saeed noted in his review, what made the ceremony stand out was that a chorus of voices carried the night that were, at times, gloriously discordant.

In what has proved to be one of the ceremony’s most memorable – and divisive – moments, heavy metal band Gojira became the first hard rock act to perform at an Olympics opening ceremony.

The performance ruffled the feathers of those who wanted a more traditional affair but made millions around the world who have found solace in the subculture feel represented in a way that felt impossible before.

And in a moment that was an ode to the spirit of the French Revolution, it made sense to do something quite revolutionary.

Find out more about Gojira's remarkable story here.

North African heritage, too, was represented, as Moroccan-French pianist Sofiane Pamart performed the piano accompaniment to John Lennon’s Imagine on the Seine river.

The multidisciplinary artist has said in the past that his nomadic Berber origins inspired him to move between classical and hip-hop.

It is hard not to conclude, then, that the richness of France’s cultural scene, which reverberates across the world, is due to its diversity – of background and thought.

And while the opening event is over and sport is now what takes focus, culture remains intertwined in the proceedings.

That much was clear earlier this week when many stars from the American arts scene came out to support Simone Biles as she made her return after withdrawing from several events during the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, which you can find more on here.

It is also obvious when looking at what each team is wearing, which is a showcase for cultural heritage in its own right. Find more on that here.

And that influence, in turn, reverberates back out, which is also discernible when reflecting on how much of what we wear on our feet has been shaped by the Games. Learn more here.

Why does the world of arts and culture love the Olympic Games? The answer is more complex than it may seem.

To my mind, part of the reason is that more than any other sporting event, the Olympics are cinematic.

It is the same reason that the Western as a genre will never die, a genre that follows people in an undeveloped landscape, who, when faced with a conflict, have no one to rely on but themselves.

The Olympics strips out all that makes professional sports such a headache and boils it all down to its very essence.

Here, we become invested in characters who have worked their entire lives to get to this moment, with everything coming down to what they can accomplish in what feels like the blink of an eye.

Why can we, for a brief stretch of time, find ourselves obsessed with obscure sports we would have never before considered? Because we care about each other. We see the humanity in it – we can see ourselves.

It is an event of continuous, profound empathy, which is also the essence of great art.

Find more of our continuing coverage of the event here.

Palestine's Le Trio Joubran process grief for Gaza on stage

For the Palestinian instrumental group Le Trio Joubran, their concert experiences have grown more visceral in the context of the Israel-Gaza War, writes Saeed Saeed.

With their latest tour beginning at the onset of the war last October, their shows – including a sold-out date at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation – evolved to become charity drives, a rallying point for the Arab diaspora and Palestinian solidarity protests.

For the band itself, the stage was the only place where the trio – including brothers Samir and Wissam – could process the daily bouts of anguish and helplessness.

“Art is a healer for us in that it gives us something that we can do each day. We would start the day listening to the news, watching the daily massacres and cemeteries and buildings being flattened, and then you feel the need to go and do something,” Adnan Joubran says.

“So, on a psychological level, this tour helped us cope during these difficult days. And then there is the other part where, as artists, we have this responsibility to use our platforms to reach out to millions of people. And when some of those platforms are being restricted on social media, what we have left is the stage, where it is our duty to shout for Palestine.”

Find more here.

Emirati artist creates Washington tennis trophy

Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi is the designer behind the trophies for the 2024 Mubadala Citi DC Open tennis tournament, writes Maan Jalal.

One in gold for first place and the other in silver for second, the pieces depict a clean, curved, fluid line frozen in movement. The form has a visual tempo that is delicate and dynamic with an elegant energy. These are elements that have always echoed across Al Qubaisi’s practice.

Over the past two decades, her aesthetic has been a distinctive blend of traditional Emirati heritage and contemporary design principles.

Whether it is a colossal piece, stained sculpture or a small delicate piece of jewellery, Al Qubaisi infuses notions of scale, intricacy and sophistication into her work.

Her trophy for the tennis tournament, which takes place until August 4 in Washington, is no exception.

“To do a very special, unique piece for such an international platform and a tennis tournament specifically for women was such a wonderful opportunity,” Al Qubaisi exclusively tells The National.

Find more here.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

• Aida at Dubai Opera – September 13 to September 15
• Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi – November 7 and November 8
• Soundstorm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – December 12 to December 14