In a wide-ranging interview, the entrepreneur Faisal Saleh, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Palestine Museum US, explains why the arts are his preferred way of telling the Palestinian story What were you hoping to achieve by setting up the Palestine Museum US?I’d long been aware that Palestinian art and culture had almost...

From childhood memories of dinner guests to the expansive skies of Jerusalem, inspiration comes in many forms for the artist Fares RizkWhile much is made of the way in which Picasso and Matisse have influenced the New York-based Palestinian-Jordanian artist Fares Rizk, ask him to cite the on his art and the response is both telling and...

The Iranian-born artist Malekeh Nayiny reflects on her new, freer, post-Covid approach to artThe Coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on many artists working today, from choice of subject matter to practical issues. Yet unlike most, Malekeh Nayiny, a Paris-based artist of Iranian descent, experienced the rollercoaster ride of...

As the founders of Carré d’Artistes Lebanon and the network’s first franchise in the Middle East, Maria and Maissa Fatte are playing a key role in reaffirming the gallery’s philosophy of democratising artWhat can you tell us about the Carré d’Artistes’ philosophy?When Carré d’Artistes was launched in 2001, its founders had become disillusioned...

Nadya Shanab, manager of Ubuntu, explains how taking risks by giving emerging and lesser-known talent a platform is a key part of the art gallery’s philosophyNadya Shanab with Omar Gabr's doorThe founders of Ubuntu Art Gallery set out to push boundaries when they opened the two-storey space in Cairo to the public in 2014 and the list of artists...

Dr Weaam El Masry, co-founder of the Easel and Camera Gallery, talks to ArtScoops about how the art world has benefited from the pandemic-related trend to breathe new life into both indoor and outdoor living spaces Weaam El MasryWhile Covid-19 has taken its toll on much of the global art industry, the Easel and Camera Gallery has gone from...

Fadi Basbous, director of the Alfred Basbous Foundation, reflects on a year in which he hopes the region’s Modernists have inspired the next wave of artists, providing them with the strength to persevere. As has proved to be true for so many of us in 2020, the slower tempo of lockdown provided Fadi Basbous, Director of the Basbous Foundation,...

Marion Boehm’s current show titled ‘Embrace’ reveals the great affection and admiration she has for Africa – both its people and heritage – and acknowledges the wonderful welcome she received thereComing up with a title for a show is often a challenge for artists, given its significance on so many levels. However, when Marion Boehm chose the...

Fantastic selection of art showcased in fundraising sale for Armenian refugeesMany of us will remember how we celebrated special occasions in 2020, with Covid-19 having curtailed so many of our plans, but Lara Arslanian’s birthday, which fell on October 7, in the second week of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, will stay in her mind for an...