What was it like curating the biggest exhibition of Arab art happening right now? Why is “Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Art Foundation” such a landmark exhibition? Afikra sat down with the exhibition’s curator and deputy chair of Christie’s MENA, Dr Ridha Moumni, and Barjeel Art Foundation founder Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi to go behind the scenes of the curation process. Read more »
Arts & Culture
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi of the Barjeel Art Foundation: ‘My aim is to have Arab art taught on a par with other art histories’
As Christie’s hosts London’s largest exhibition of modern and contemporary Arab art, we speak to the founder of the UAE-based Barjeel Art Foundation, whose unique collection is finding new audiences for Middle Eastern artists past and present. Read more »
Marwan exhibition in Berlin highlights legacy of late Syrian artist
A new exhibition in Berlin brings Marwan’s work back to the city that was at once his home and the crucible of his ghurba. The exhibition is titled The Jewels of My Career. It is organised by the Barjeel Art Foundation and is running at art auction house Lempertz until June 30, 2023. Read more »
Talking about Modern Middle Eastern Art
The King’s Academy community got a tantalizing taste of the fascinating, but often overlooked, world of contemporary Middle Eastern art during a visit by the authority on the subject, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi. Read more »
Interview with Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi on CNN Connect The World
2023 is shaping up to be a standout year for art in the Middle East with major exhibitions across the region. In this interview, CNN catches up with Emirati art collector Sultan Al Qassemi, who is known for bringing together creatives from the Middle East and beyond to see what’s in store for the region. Read more »
How Emirati ‘nabati’ poetry has kept pace with the changing times
Emirati “nabati” (vernacular) poetry was for many years initially spoken among a close-knit group and disseminated widely by word of mouth across the Arabian Peninsula by scholars and poets alike. However, with the arrival of newspapers in the early 20th century and advent of technology such as the radio and television in the mid-20th century, a wider audience gained access to this ancient art form that relies on a strong command of the Arabic language as well as quick-witted creativity and passion. Read more »