Marking Centuries of Creativity and Connections ‘Islam and Florence, Collecting Art, from the Medici to the 20th Century’ reveals a rich relationship of trade and cultural activity that goes deeper and much further back than many realise, as Giovanni Curatola, the exhibition’s curator and professor of archaeology and history of Islamic art at...

A Relationship worth Celebrating  An exciting exhibition, titled ‘Islam and Florence, Collecting Art, from the Medici to the 20th Century’, signals that change is under way at the renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence, as William Ward, its global media consultant, explains Given that the Uffizi Gallery in Florence houses the best...

A Fresh Take on Beirut In ‘The Shape of a City’, the British artist Nathaniel Rackowe takes urban exploration of the Lebanese capital to a whole new level An exhibition currently taking place in Beirut, titled ‘The Shape of a City’, is satisfying for the British artist Nathaniel Rackowe on many levels, not least because it brings his...

Going the Extra Mile While London might dominate the UK’s art scene, a show titled ‘Contemporary Art of the Middle East’, currently taking place at Wetpaint Gallery in Stroud, approximately 144 km from the capital, is proving to be a win-win for both artists and audiences    A new exhibition of contemporary Middle Eastern art in the...

Doreen Toutikian, founding director of Beirut Design Week, shares her hopes and goals for the 2018 edition of this key annual event with Artscoops   What was behind the decision to choose ‘Design and the City’ as the theme for the seventh edition of Beirut Design Week (BDW2018)? This year we created a new board for MENA Design Research...

Championing a Cross-Cultural Language Natalya Andakulova, founder of the Andakulova Gallery in Dubai, believes that Central Asia’s art is the ideal medium for relaying the region’s rich culture and fascinating history to an increasingly wider audience   What prompted you to open the Andakulova Gallery?  I was born in the most...

Holding true to its founding principles, the Beirut Art Salon is set to provide visitors to its 2018 edition an exhibition of exciting works by emerging artists and much more  The task of selecting participants for the 2018 Beirut Art Salon exhibition in June/July was never going to be easy for its organisers, given their passion for the...

The Journey of a Lifetime In a wide-ranging interview, Rev. Canon Paul-Gordon Chandler, founding president of the non-profit CARAVAN organisation, tells Artscoops why he believes art is the ideal catalyst for changing negative perceptions and dissolving differences in the universal quest for harmony and peace  CARAVAN was created with...

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 first...