Highlights from ‘The Silence is Still Talking,’ showing at Jeddah’s Athr Gallery

Muhannad Shono's solo exhibition: The Silence Is Still Talking. (Supplied)
Updated 30 August 2019
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Highlights from ‘The Silence is Still Talking,’ showing at Jeddah’s Athr Gallery

Here are some highlights from the Saudi artist Muhannad Shono’s ‘The Silence is Still Talking,’ showing at Jeddah’s Athr Gallery until September 25. 

‘Interpretations 01’

The Riyahd-based artist’s solo exhibition “explores ‘the word’ and its emergence,” according to the gallery’s promotional material. It continues Shono’s practice of pigment on paper: He ground charcoal ‘words’ to dust, then used inaudible sound waves to reform the words on paper.

‘The Silent Press’

The centerpiece of the show is this large installation, which consists of three conjoined pigment-on-paper scrolls, and which the gallery says “refers to the spoken silences of animate and inanimate practitioners of the free word that await patiently to be experienced.”

‘Interpretations 03’

The specks of pigment left by the charcoal after it has been manipulated by sound represent, the gallery suggests, “the nuance, context and depth of meaning that accompany each word as it reemerges” and also “the infinite possibilities of meaning.”


Lolo Zouai takes to Berlin’s Colors platform

Updated 03 March 2026
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Lolo Zouai takes to Berlin’s Colors platform

DUBAI: French Algerian singer Lolo Zouai took to the Berlin-based music platform Colors this week, delivering a live performance of her latest single “Desert Rose PT.II.”

The appearance comes as the track climbed to No. 1 on Algeria’s R&B chart within 24 hours of its release. A sequel to “Desert Rose” from her 2019 debut album “High Highs to Low Lows,” the new single features lyrics in Arabic, French and English, reflecting the cross-cultural influences that shape her sound.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lolo Zouaï (@lolozouai)

Zouai marked the achievement on Instagram, sharing a series of posts including a photo of herself wearing an Algeria football jersey, alongside the single’s cover art and a screenshot showing its chart ranking. 

“Grateful for the love on this one. Can’t wait for you to hear the studio version and the rest of ‘Reverie’,” she wrote.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by COLORS (@colorsxstudios)

She also reposted a collage of fan reactions, including a TikTok video that read: “It’s 2026 and we still haven’t had another song like ‘Desert Rose’ out.” Others said: “Can’t wait for Desert Rose pt. 2” and “wdym desert rose pt. 2?!?!?!”

The single forms part of her upcoming third studio album, “Reveries,” due for release on April 24. She announced the date last month alongside the music video for “Holding On,” another track from the project.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by COLORS (@colorsxstudios)

Blending R&B with dance-pop elements, “Holding On” delves into themes of grief and memory. The video is dedicated to Zouai’s close friend, Hanna Rosa Hotchkiss, who died in 2021.

In a statement on Instagram, Zouai described the album as the product of a transformative period in her life: “This record was made through three years of grief, growth, and reflection. I had to lose myself to find myself again. I couldn’t have done it without my angel, Hanna. Thank you to my collaborators, my friends, and my Lo-riders who held me down through it all. I hope it heals you the way it healed me.”

Known for her blend of R&B, club-pop and hip-hop, Zouai has gained an international fan base for her dynamic stage presence and genre-blending music.

Zouai’s last release was in November, when she dropped a new single titled “3AM in San Francisco.”