Lavender looks: top fashion from the Joy Awards 2026 

Saudi singer and actress Aseel turned to the couture Fall 2024 collection of acclaimed Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad for her outfit. (Supplied)
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Updated 22 January 2026
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Lavender looks: top fashion from the Joy Awards 2026 

  • Some of the best-dressed celebs from the lavender carpet at the Jan. 17 awards in Riyadh 

DUBAI: Some of the best-dressed celebs from the lavender carpet at the Jan. 17 Joy Awards in Riyadh.

 

Abeer Nehme 

The Lebanese singer and actress walked the lavender carpet in a custom-made gown by Rami Kadi Couture, featuring a fitted black bodice in “stretchy satin, complemented by a midnight-blue skire and refined with draped detailing along the bodice,” the fashion label wrote on Instagram. 

 

Noha Nabil 

The Kuwaiti beauty influencer selected a gold-and-copper asymmetric ombré gown created by Lebanese-American designer Rami Kadi for her Joy Awards appearance. The dress, which comes from the label’s “L’Éventail” collection, was “distinguished by sculptural ruffled layers and entirely embellished with shimmering sequins for a radiant, fluid silhouette.” 

 

Carole Samaha 

The famed Lebanese singer and actress — and former “X-Factor” judge — turned heads in this scarlet dress with sheer lace cutouts, created by Lebanese designer Tony Ward, at the awards, which she described in an Instagram post as “a night celebrating talent, creativity, and inspiration.” 

 

Laila Abdallah 

The Lebanese actress walked the Joy Awards lavender carpet in this floor-length, flowing gown that comes from Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika’s fashion house’s couture collection for Fall-Winter 2025. Abdallah told Arab News that the award ceremony is “(a) mix of culture and luxury. It has that Gulf Arab character, the Saudi touch, you know? And that’s what really makes it stand out.” 

 

Aseel Omran 

The Saudi singer and actress turned to the couture Fall 2024 collection of acclaimed Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad for her outfit, selecting what the label describes as “a sculptural gown featuring a strapless black velvet bodice with velvet floral appliques and a fluid blush draped satin skirt paired with long opera gloves.” 

 

Karen Wazen 

The Lebanese entrepreneur and social-media personality Karen Wazen walked the lavender carpet in this classically tailored embroidered gown from Lebanese designer Elie Saab. She told Arab News: “I’m so proud to be at an event like this in our region, in Saudi Arabia. This is probably the most impressive and biggest carpet that I’ve ever seen, and it just feels really, really good.”  

 

Angham 

The Egyptian singer and actress — who picked up the Best Female Singer of the Year award at the event — wore a “custom couture off-the-shoulder white gown embroidered with crystals and soft beading,” created by Zuhair Murad for the lavender carpet. 

 

Nadine Nassib Njeim 

The Tunisian-Lebanese actress and entrepreneur wore an haute couture gown created by Australian designer Tamara Ralph’s eponymous label, which described her outfit as “a fine crystal mesh floral intarsia gown with crystal buckle, paired with a mint duchesse coat.” 

 

Tara Atalla 

The Jordanian actress wore a brown Rami Kadi couture gown from the label’s “L’Éventail” collection, which was, according to the designer’s Instagram page, “exquisitely embroidered with luminous beads and silk threads, reflecting refined craftsmanship and understated elegance.” 


In the light of Andalusia: Luis Olaso’s new body of work

Updated 23 February 2026
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In the light of Andalusia: Luis Olaso’s new body of work

  • Luis Olaso transforms Andalusian landscapes and light into abstract art, creating canvases that reflect culture, nature, and the artist’s inner state
  • Each work in ‘Photosynthesis’ acts as a sensory and meditative portrait — an immersion into the Andalusian experience and the artist’s emotional universe

DUBAI: Spanish artist Luis Olaso is presenting “Photosynthesis,” his new exhibition, until March 9 at the JD Malat Gallery in Downtown Dubai. The series marks a turning point in his career, born from his recent move to Cadiz, in Andalusia, where the sun, light, and Mediterranean landscapes have profoundly transformed his practice.

For Olaso, relocating to southern Spain was not merely a change of scenery but an immersion into a culture and environment that nourishes his art at every moment.

“It’s very important for me because this is the first exhibition I have created in my new studio … I built it in the middle of the garden, surrounded by nature, fruit trees and olive trees, with a fantastic landscape. The influence of Andalusia and the colors of that place are the driving force behind my work,” said Olaso.

Located at the heart of an estate surrounded by olive, almond, and orange trees, his studio is designed to allow nature to enter the creative process both physically and psychologically. Yet, rather than depicting these elements directly, Olaso absorbs them as a sensory catalyst: Each color, texture, and gesture becomes the expression of a lived moment.

“Even when I work with plants or flowers, I’m not aiming for literal representation; they are vehicles to express abstract metaphors of myself and the moment I’m living while creating the work,” he said.

His artistic process is both spontaneous and meditative. Olaso often works on several canvases simultaneously to free himself from the pressure of the “perfect painting,” allowing intuition to guide his brush. Music —  the Spanish band Triana and 1970s psychedelic flamenco — plays a central role in his focus and inner connection.

“Painting, for me, is similar to meditation. I need to be in that precise moment and feel connected with myself,” said Olaso.

“Photosynthesis” also reflects a profound cultural and artistic dialogue. The artist’s work draws from Spanish tradition— with references to Antoni Tapies and Manolo Millares — as well as major international abstract movements, including American gestural abstraction and the San Francisco Bay Area Figurative Movement.

This meeting point between abstraction, culture, and emotion transforms each canvas into a portrait of a lived instant and the artist’s inner state.

After Dubai, Olaso is expected to present a solo exhibition in Madrid in March 2026, followed by another solo exhibition in Helsinki in April. An art fair is scheduled for September, with additional fairs planned throughout the year, notably with the JD Malat Gallery.

These milestones illustrate his universal approach to art, deeply rooted in a specific cultural context: the light, color, and sensory memory of Andalusia. With “Photosynthesis,” the artist offers viewers an experience in which painting becomes a mirror of the self, an emotional journey, and an encounter with a singular place.