Mona Hatoum’s first solo show in Lebanon, ‘Witness,’ at the Beirut Arts Center from June 10 – September 9, features the products of a recent five-week residency in the country: ‘Witness’ itself is a porcelain biscuit, rendered in miniature, of the Centre Ville’s Place des Martyres. ‘Worry Beads,’ scaled-up prayer beads, calls to mind the artist’s ‘The Entire World as a Foreign Land.’
Beirut Arts Center; Witness; Mona Hatoum; 10 June — 09 September, http://www.beirutartcenter.org

The town of Dinard, Bretagne, follows up the spectacle of last year’s Pinault Foundation-reliant ‘Qui a peur des artistes?’ with ‘From Giacometti to Murakami,’ a major exhibition of 50 works from leading figures including Ruscha, Serra, Boetti, Fontana, and Polke paired with works from Houshiary, Haerizadeh, Hatoum, and Moshiri. In the Palais des Arts convention centre, from 12 June – 12 September.
Palais des Arts, Dinard; From Giacometti to Murakami; various; 12 June – 12 September, http://www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com

Zoulikha Bouabdellah’s ‘Set Me Free from my Chains’ opens at Dubai gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, marked by large-scale hollow neon work(s), ‘hubb,’ in zoetropic variations. From 14 June – 15 August.
Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai; Set Me Free from my Chains; Zoulikha Bouabdellah; 14 June – 15 August; http://www.ivde.net

The Third Line Dubai stages an exhibition,‘i.u.[heart],’ on the phenomenon of Iran-USA relations, the Iranian diaspora in the Emirates, and work made by and about them. From 23 June – 29 July.
The Third Line gallery, Dubai; i.u.[heart]; various; 23 June – 29 July; http://www.thethirdline.com

Mediamatic, Amsterdam, invites Cairene artists—including Osama Dawod & Ayman Ramadan—to relocate from Mother Egypt to the so-called Bint al-Dunya, aka Amsterdam Noord, an impoverished yet spacious neighborhood, to make work in response to radically different urban conditions. Coordinated by Nat Muller, from September 5 – December 5.
Amsterdam Noord; Bint al-Dunya; various; 05 September – 05 December; http://www.mediamatic.nl

Beirut’s The Running Horse celebrates its tenth show—'emBODYment'—with an exhibition by Rasha Shammas, of black & white nudes focused in on tattoos. A book of works will result. From 9 June – 24 July.
The Running Horse, Beirut; emBODYment; Rasha Shammas; 09 June – 24 July; http://www.therunninghorseart.com

2009 Abraaj Capital Art Prize winner Nazgol Ansarinia shows at Aun Gallery, Tehran, 28 May – 18 June.
Aun Gallery; Patterns; Nazgol Ansarinia; 28 May — 18 June, 2010; http://www.aungallery.com/

A symposium surrounding the exhibition ‘Where Three Dreams Cross - 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh’ featuring talks and discussions with Dayanita Singh, Sunil Gupta, Bani Abidi and more.
Fotomuseum Winterthur; Where Three Dreams Cross - 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesch; various; 12 June — 13 June, 2010; http://www.fotomuseum.ch

‘Al Qahira: Images of Cairo’, photos by Cairene artists Youssef Nabil, Susan Hefuna, Nabil Boutros, and Sabah Naim, at Rose Issa Projects, London, April 20 – May 22.
Rose Issa Projects; Al Qahira: Images of Cairo; Youssef Nabil, Susan Hefuna, Nabil Boutros and Sabah Naim; 20 April — 22 May, 2010; http://www.roseissa.com

Emre Hüner’s first European solo show looks to build on the acclaim of his Panoptikon project with ‘The New Horizon,’ at Stroom Den Haag. Curated by Övül Durmusoglu.
Stroom Den Haag; The New Horizon; Emre Hüner; 18 April — 6 June, 2010; http://www.stroom.nl

Sfeir-Semler gallery exhibiting both the delicate watercolors of Arab-American author Etel Adnan —she of Sitt Marie Rose, In the Heart of the Heart of Another Country, and Paris, When it’s Naked fame—and Tangiers-based photographer Yto Barrada’s ‘Play’ (sculpture, installation, photographs, and projections) to coincide with Homeworks V.
Galerie Sfeir-Semler; Etel Adnan and Yto Barrada; 22 April — 10 July, 2010; http://www.sfeir-semler.com

Rodeo Gallery Istanbul present an intriguing pair: Can Altay and Iman Issa. The former’s interstitial post-architectural photos, slides, and occasional texts are sure to create a fine counterpoint to Issa’s politically upfront blandishments in installation, video, and photo-still.
Rodeo Gallery; Can Altay & Iman Issa; 22 April — 26 June, 2010; http://www.rodeo-gallery.com

Noa Lidor’s ‘This dark ceiling without a star’ opens at Green Cardamom, London, marked by various site specific installations, including ‘Field (Perseus),’ flutes embedded in concrete in the shape of the Perseus constellation.
Green Cardamom; This dark ceiling without a star’; Noa Lidor; 23 April — 11 June, 2010; http://www.greencardamom.net

Hrair Sarkissian exhibits his 2009 series ‘Underground’ at Athens venue Kalfayan Gallery.
Kalfayan Gallery; Underground; 25 April — 28 June, 2010; Hrair Sarkissian; http://www.kalfayangalleries.com

LA-based Amir Zaki’s first solo show since 2007, ‘Relics,’ opens at Perry Rubenstein.
Perry Rubenstein gallery; Relics; Amir Zaki; 6 May — 25 June, 2010; http://www.perryrubenstein.com

For his first solo show at The Third Line, Abbas Akhavan presents his selective aerial and experiential mappings of Dubai in faux-gold leaf.

The Third Line; Islands; Abbas Akhavan; 5 May — 17 June, 2010; http://www.thethirdline.com

Saturday May 8th, 5:30pm
Bidoun Library & Project Space @ 98 Weeks
Jisr el Hadid, facing spoiler center, Chalhoub building, Ground floor, Beirut

Publisher (Al Furat Publishing) and collector Abboudi Abou Jaoude will present his collection of Lebanese and regional historical art and cultural magazines from the 30s to today. Examples of the discussed magazines will be available for consultation at 98weeks project space.
This event is part of 98weeks’ research, On publications, and coincides with the Bidoun Library on display at 98weeks until May 15.

*Bidoun Library & Project Space @ 98 Weeks
On display until May 15, 2010!
98 Weeks Project Space, Ground Floor, Chalhoub Building, Off Nahr Street, Facing Spoiler Center, Before Jisr Hadid, Mar Mikhael
*

The 98 Weeks Project Space is open daily from 3pm to 7pm, except on Sundays.