On Oct. 25, after a brief visit to the region, a Wall Street Journal writer declared, “The Arabic-speaking part of the Gulf has essentially no indigenous tradition of visual or plastic arts.” It isn’t the first time that the modern art movement in the Gulf was dismissed by those who don’t know better. In fact, modern art as defined in the West stretches back several decades across the Gulf with multiple generations of artists. Read more »
Arts & Culture
محمد كاظم: تجاوز الحدود الجغرافية
An Arabic language interview in which Sultan discuss the UAE’s participation in the Venice Bienalle with Mohammed Kazem, an Emirati pioneering artist. Read more »
The Women Trailblazers of Gulf Arab Art
A mixture of native and expatriate women across the Arab Gulf States have also played a major role in nurturing the arts movement that is now flourishing and valued at over $100 million annually in Dubai alone according to one estimate. These pioneers have also spurred a generation of younger women from all walks of life that have contributed into making the art scene in the Gulf States what it is today. Read more »
Kuwait Art Museum Succeeds Where Others Have Failed
As the art world descends on the Gulf cities of Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Doha, each March visitors would well to keep in mind another Gulf city that was in every sense an art and culture pioneer. Read more »
Treasure troves of history and diversity
Billions of dollars are being spent by the Gulf states on cultural projects and museums, including ones dedicated to photography, cars and calligraphy. However, the most important of these projects are the so-called ‘national’ museums, that ideally would tell the story of the country. Through documentation, study and interpretation, they could encourage critical thinking and a celebration of diversity. Read more »
Drawing Nationalism: Where do artists belong?
In this panel discussion, we explore the relationship between art and national identity, as well as the role of contemporary artists in both perpetuating and destabilizing ideas of nationalism in our globalized world. Read more »