Under the desert sky, a barefoot island soul danced. Oaga Art Resort’s Samaasaa took its first international bow as their very own Raai Badeeu illuminated the closing night of renowned light calligrapher Karim Jabbari’s evocative exhibition, Vertical Horizon / 361 Degrees, at Inloco Gallery, Dubai.
Samaasaa is Oaga’s original theatrical dining concept. Storytelling fuses with seasonal cuisine, performance dances with the plate, and rich folklore is served in edible chapters.
Inloco Gallery, an exciting upcoming boutique space, consistently pushes boundaries in Dubai’s art scene, dedicating its third season to vanishing urban landscapes and their nostalgic echoes. Karim Jabbari is recognized for his powerful and intricate light calligraphy, transforming ancient Arabic script into captivating modern art. The Vertical Horizon / 361 Degrees exhibition explored the theme of “Lost Tradition” through a multi-faceted project. It included an art intervention in Al Satwa, where Karim Jabbari collaborated with artist Khalil Abdulwahid to reflect on the fading historic neighborhood, documenting traces of lost ways of living.This exhibition reclaimed calligraphy’s original purpose: a tool for communication, preservation, and the transmission of knowledge across generations.
The finissage, held in collaboration between Inloco, Karim Jabbari and Oaga through Raai Badeeu, provided a multi-sensory farewell. The precise lines of calligraphy met the fluid dance of choreography, and the physical blended with the ephemeral. Raai’s immersive performance, shaped truly in the Oaga spirit, filled the room with movement and myth. It was a living poem of memory, transformation, and deep ancestral presence.
This special showcase offered a tantalizing sneak peek into Oaga’s next theatrical dining experience: Samaasaa Presents: The First Coconuts. A curated segment from the show was lovingly reimagined and previewed for the Dubai audience. It teased the mythical beginnings of island life through truly evocative performance art.
As they take their art beyond their beloved shores, this moment marks just the beginning. Oaga’s very soul, playful, deeply poetic, and proudly rooted in their island heritage, embarks on a vibrant journey to share their unique island stories with the world.
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