In Praise of an Extraordinary and Creative Asset Salma Shaheem, head of Middle Eastern markets at The Fine Art Group, talks to Artscoops about the rising popularity of Contemporary art, the challenges that regional unrest has produced and what’s hanging in her apartment What advice do you give an enthusiast who’s looking to buy their...

A Treasure Trove of Texts Nada Shabout, one of the editors of the recently published compendium Modern Art in the Arab World: Primary Documents (2018), talks to Artscoops about the decade-long journey of putting together this landmark opus of writings on Modernism by 20th-century Arab intellectuals and artists, and what she hopes it will...

Coming Home Karim Sultan, director and curator at Barjeel Art Foundation, which manages, preserves and exhibits the personal art collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, talks to Artscoops about the museum and cultural institution’s decision to display 100 or so of its works long term at the Sharjah Art Museum and the immersive experience of...

On Spaces and Places Artscoops talks to Hala Younes about the challenge and satisfaction of organising Lebanon's first-time participation at the Venice Biennale for Architecture Exhibition When Hala Younes discovered that the theme chosen for the 16th edition of the Venice Biennale for Architecture Exhibition was ‘Freespace’, her desire...

On a Level Popular, unpretentious and always remaining true to her beliefs, the artist Yasmina Alaoui appears to have tapped into a desire among many for authenticity with her sculptures and mixed-media paintings.   Yasmina Alaoui is certainly not one for remaining in her comfort zone.  While many artists would be happy to continue...

Behind the Darkness A collaborative exhibition by Afaf Zurayk, Noel Nasr and Rami Saab explores the role that light and art can play in bridging differences   A collaborative show currently on display at Beit Beirut gives an added dimension to a thought-provoking series of paintings by the Lebanese artist Afaf Zurayk. Shifting...

East Meets West   A relatively young gallery located in the heart of Mayfair, Sophia Contemporary is fast making a name for itself as an ideally positioned hub on a mission to promote global dialogue through art. Co-founder Vassili Tsarenkov discusses the hows, whys and what’s next with Artscoops      What factors did you consider...

From Shared Traditions Come Diverse Talents   Syra Arts Gallery’s co-founders, Sylvia Van Vliet Ragheb and Randa Fahmy Aboul-Nasr, are providing welcome platforms in Egypt and Washington DC for artists from the Middle East and Iran to reach new audiences well beyond their shores.     What prompted you to first open Syra Arts...

A Fruitful Project in the Big Apple   Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, founder of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art, talks to Artscoops about filling an artistic and cultural void in New York City                               What inspired you to set up the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (IAIA)?    For me the project was...