VELIN ARCHIVES ARTICLES

PRESENTED BY VELIN ARCHIVES

SELF PORTRAIT WITH A CAT I DON’T HAVE: THE ARCHITECTURE OF ABSENCE

VELIN WALKTHROUGHS



Step inside a room that is also a portrait. In Self Portrait with a Cat I Don’t Have, Bady Dalloul transforms absence into presence, staging an apartment where memory, migration, and imagination collide. Matchboxes carry entire histories, fragile books whisper of empires, and nostalgia becomes a living architecture. The cat, forever missing, is more than a detail: it is a metaphor for what cannot be possessed yet still defines us. This exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre invites us to see selfhood not as a likeness on canvas but as a space built from fragments, absences, and the stories we invent around them.

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ART BEYOND BOUNDARIES: INSIDE SARAH FERTIKH’S VAULT

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES


Sarah Fertikh does not confine herself to a single medium. The Vault is her living archive, a place where painting, jewelry, tattoo, and glassware converge as fluid expressions of identity. In this conversation she opens up about moving instinctively between forms, honoring honesty over tradition, and transforming even the most unexpected objects into art. Fertikh embodies freedom as a practice, rejecting limitations in favor of possibility. Her work is alive, constantly shifting, constantly becoming. Step inside The Vault and witness a vision of creativity that is unapologetically personal, fiercely authentic, and always beyond boundaries.

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THE RETURN OF SUBSTANCE AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

FASHION IN CONTEXT



New York Fashion Week Spring 2026 revived the city’s energy with shows that favored substance over spectacle. Established names like Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Carolina Herrera leaned into their brand DNA, while Coach and Calvin Klein struck optimistic and pared-back notes. Designers such as Collina Strada and Thom Browne layered in symbolism without losing sight of the clothes, and newcomers like Luar and Area brought authentic voices to the stage. The week proved that clarity of vision and sincere storytelling resonate louder than empty experiments, leaving New York charged with a renewed sense of purpose and style.

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OBJECTS AS LIVING NARRATIVES: ALEX KOKKOTAS ON DESIGN, MEMORY, AND MEANING

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES


Alex Kokkotas views design as more than function. His furniture carries memory, curiosity, and philosophy in equal measure. In this interview, he reflects on how childhood obsessions, a lifelong passion for drawing, and spontaneous creation shape his approach. “Very often I feel like the objects are fragments of my mind, like a crystallized piece of contemplation,” he shares. For Kokkotas, objects live beyond their immediate use, forming connections through space, memory, and feeling. This feature explores his process, his inspirations, and the idea that objects are not passive, but living narratives that endure because they make us feel.

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THE AFTERTASTE OF BEAUTY

CULTURE

Beauty isn’t always found in what is flawless. Sometimes it lingers in the wine stain, the crumpled napkin, the half-finished plate. At Velin, we see the aftermath of a dinner not as disorder but as evidence: laughter was shared, connections were made, and life spilled freely across the table. The perfection of design matters, yes, but so does the chaos that proves we were present. This article explores the unexpected elegance of mess, and how what remains after the feast can inspire more deeply than any carefully curated setting.

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THE MEDIUM OF DREAMS: INA MICHAELIAN AND THE LANGUAGE OF VISION

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

In a world that rushes toward clarity and control, Ina Michaelian chooses openness. Her art emerges not from rigid plans but from visions that arrive in dreams, meditations, and the fragile space between waking and sleep. She calls herself a medium, a vessel for images and feelings that demand to be expressed. Moving between canvas, digital work, and wearable pieces, her practice invites stillness and shifts perception in subtle but lasting ways. Step into the language of vision, where silence becomes a guide, and experience the atmosphere that defines Michaelian’s art.

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Between Mediums, Between Worlds: Amanda Zheng’s Art of Tension

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

Amanda Zheng isn’t bound by medium or convention. Trained in graphic design, fluent in fine art, and drawn to disruption, her work unfolds in the space between structure and surrender. From steel installations to editorial books, she treats ambiguity like material. Something to shape, stretch, and subvert. In this interview, she opens up about obsession, surrender, and making space for creative tension. Step closer. Her world reveals itself slowly.

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THE MUSE WAS NEVER JUST THE MUSE

They called them muses. History called it genius. But the credit never matched the contribution. From Dora Maar to Camille Claudel, Lee Miller to Jean-Michel Basquiat, this piece unpacks how artists were erased, minimized, or mislabeled while others took the credit.

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ETERNAL RETURN: INSTINCT, EMOTION, AND THE ART THAT FOLLOWS YOU

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

Through quiet instinct and emotional depth, Art by Basel creates not to impress but to release. In this piece, we explore his process, his recent works, and the silent weight of making art that speaks even when no one is listening.

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BALANCE IN MOTION: KAI AMINA ON STRUCTURE, SURRENDER, AND VISUAL RHYTHM

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

Between instinct and precision, Kai Amina shapes a visual language that breathes. In this piece, we explore the quiet force behind her work—where structure gives way to emotion, and design becomes a mirror for movement, memory, and self.

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CURVES AGAINST THE SKY: THE UNTAMED GEOMETRY OF ZAHA HADID

Zaha Hadid didn’t just design buildings, she redefined the very essence of space. From her groundbreaking paintings to her iconic structures, discover how her radical vision reshaped architecture forever.

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HELD LOOSELY, MADE HONESTLY: VICTOR ON LETTING THE WORK LEAD

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

Victor doesn’t begin with meaning. He begins with motion—sound, fragments, impulse. In this feature, we step into a process that doesn’t chase clarity but embraces what unfolds. What happens when you let go of the outcome, and create just because you can?

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NEW YORK IS THE CULTURE: HOW A CITY BECAME THE WORLD’S ARTISTIC PULSE

New York isn’t just where culture happens. It’s where it is born under pressure.
From jazz in basements to oil on brick, from Sinatra’s skyline to Basquiat’s fury, the city doesn’t blend stories. It crashes them into something new. Icons are not made by luck here, but by survival. This is New York. Loud. Layered. Always in motion.

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A FASHION HOUSE AS A GALLERY: JONATHAN ANDERSON AND THE ARTISTIC REINVENTION OF LOEWE

Blurring the lines between fashion and art, Jonathan Anderson turned Loewe into the most artistically literate brand in fashion. This piece explores how his obsession with craft, cinema, and conceptual form reshaped the house and what might come next.

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TO SPEAK WITH EMOTION: SALMA ON PAINTING EMOTION INTO EXISTENCE

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

In this slow, thoughtful exchange, Salma opens up about painting as an emotional language. One that reveals, holds, and transforms. Her work speaks in symbols, shadows, and silences, offering a glimpse into the invisible weight we carry. This is not just an interview. It’s a reflection on what it means to feel deeply, and to let that feeling take form.

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MOHAMMED ALKHOORY: DISTORTED TO BE REMEMBERED

VELIN INTERVIEW SERIES

In a world saturated with noise and clarity, Mohammed Alkhoory’s work invites us to look closer, and then closer still. Through memory, distortion, and emotional stillness, his pieces don’t speak loudly, they echo. In this exclusive interview, Alkhoory unpacks the tension between presence and absence, science and instinct, silence and expression.

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FLUENT IN CONTRAST: OBSESSION AS ORIGIN, OPENNESS AS EVOLUTION


What shapes a distinct eye? What transforms personal preference into signature style? In a world flooded with images, true taste emerges not from noise, but from nuance. This piece explores how obsession carves identity, how openness refines it and how contrast, held fluently, becomes the language of style.

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