Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Biennial 16

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
6 Febuary — 15 June 2025

Overview

Showcasing independent bookmakers and publishers from the region and around the world, Focal Point, Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual art book fair, offers a compelling selection of printed material by artist presses, bookmakers, self-publishers and non-commercial cultural producers, as well as artist-made products.

This edition features a curated selection of resources on Palestine and global liberation struggles, a Risograph live print station in partnership with Fikra Design Studio, and graphic novels and manga curated by Kinokuniya, the UAE’s largest book retailer. Also included are workshops on reading, libraries and zine making as well as releases of new books published by the Foundation.

The sixth edition of the fair will be held in Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, a heritage house in Sharjah’s historical arts quarter.

International

Books from art and independent publishers from around the world.

89books (Palermo), Afrikaada (Paris/Dakar), Bad Student (Manila), Bao Books (Tunis), BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY (Bangkok), Binatang Press (Jakarta), Cairo Art Book Fair (Cairo), Cráter Invertido (Mexico City), ElHarf Publications (Amman), MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (São Paulo), Michalis Pichler (Berlin), Miss Read: The Berlin Art Book and Fair (Berlin), Mkuki Na Nyoti (Dar es Salaam), Nepal Picture Library (Kathmandu), Panther's Paw Publications (Nagpur), Primary Information (New York), Recreo: Valencia Art Book Fair (Valencia), Savvy Contemporary (Berlin), shashasha (Tokyo), SOCCOCHICO (London/Geneva), Suburbia Projects (Petaling Jaya), Tara Books (Chennai), Temporary Press (Singapore), Think Tanger (Tangier), Vasl Artists’ Association (Karachi), Waraq (Beirut), Zine Coop (Hong Kong)

Edit

A selection of art journals, magazines, comics and special interest books.

421 Arts Campus (Abu Dhabi), Afterall (London), Al Hayya Magazine (Beirut/Delaware), Artbook / D.A.P. / Distributed Art Publishers (New York), Barjeel Art Foundation (Sharjah), bin atiah studio (Riyadh), Black Dog Press (London), Blaft Publications (Chennai), Can Can Press (Mexico City), Carbon12 (Dubai), Diwan Egypt (Cairo), Emirates Fine Arts Society (Sharjah), Gulf Photo Plus (Dubai), Hanoot Store (Baghdad), Idea Books (Amsterdam), Inga Books (Chicago), Jacana Media (Auckland), Kalimat Foundation (Sharjah), Kaph Books (Beirut), Kawon Bookstore (Madaba), Litmus Press (New York), Locale (Abu Dhabi), Machi Mashy (Cairo/Rabat), Maraya Art Centre / 1971 Design Space (Sharjah), Mauzoun Writing & Publishing (Jeddah), Middle East Archive (Amsterdam), Misk Art Institute / Rizzoli: The Art Library (Riyadh), Mizna (Saint Pauls), Moniker Press (Vancouver), Dr. Noha Farran (Sharjah), NYUAD al Mawrid Arab Centre for the Study of Art (Abu Dhabi), Pangolin Studio (Zagreb), Raking Leaves (Colombo), Saqi Books (London), Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (Sharjah), Sienna Store (Cairo), Sternberg Press (London), Tashkeel (Dubai), te editions (Hong Kong), The Third Line (Dubai), The Chutney Magazine (London), The Funambulist (Paris)

Local

Books made by the local arts community—cultural institutions, publishers and non-profit government cultural entities—as well as printed matter, illustrations, zines, comics, photography, stationery and screenprints produced by independent artists and booths by local retailers.

Cultural Organisations and Book Retailers
Sharjah Art Foundation, Art Jameel, Kinokuniya, Sharjah Architecture Triennial, The Africa Institute

UAE-Based Artists
A Victorian Clown, Alreem Almannaei, Aysha Al Hamrani, Bayan Samman, Darrel Perkins, Eman AlRaeesi, Fatima Alketbi, Fatima Bahya Assalam, Halo, Hari, Hessa Almarzooqi, Hessa Alzarooni, Hyper House Publishing / Ahmad Makia, Lubna Aziz Omar, Maged Abbas, Mahnoor Bari, Mai Ayman Awwad, Maitha Al Omaira, Mariam Abdullah Al Ali, Mathalan, Medyyah Altamimi, Mitali Sampat, Mohammad Assaad Alhussaini, Mohammed Ameer, Morvarid Mohammad, Mouza Al Hamrani, Natalie Najjar, Noor Al Khamiri, Rasha Dakkak, Sana Haroon Abdulmajeed, Sara Al Khayyal, Shahed Shashaa, Shoug Tariq AlHeloo, Sohaib Nasir, Sondos Eatamadi, SWALIF Collective, Tawfik, Thalath x Mouza, The Noor Creative, Waggish

  • Friday, 24 November
    Friday, 24 November

    Visualising Typographic Form with Riso
    With Ibrahim Khamayseh
    Timings: 4:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Develop your own typographic artwork by learning about different calligraphy styles and scripts. Led by calligrapher, graphic designer and artist Ibrahim Khamayseh, you will explore the most effective way to visualise calligraphic script using the Riso machine.

    Reading Session: The Man Who Runs for the World
    Timings: 4:00 pm–5:00 pm
    Language: Arabic

    Listen to an excerpt from Halil Altındere and Süreyyya Evren's The Man Who Runs for the World, recently published by the Foundation. The children’s book traces the journey of ultra-runner Ahmet H. Uysal, who ran seven marathons in seven days across seven continents. After the reading, you can discuss what you have learned and enjoyed in the text.

    Recreate a Book Cover
    Timings: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Make a cover for a book of your choice. Create a design that fits the theme of the book, and choose an appropriate colour palette to make the title stand out. You will be able to print your finished cover using a digital printer.

    Book Launches: Corniche 5 and Bait Al Hurma: Stories of Parallel Worlds and Mysterious Secrets
    Timings: 6:00 pm–8:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Supporting local comic artists, poets and writers, visitors can attend book releases of the Foundation’s latest publications.

    Reimagining Library Practices
    With Seeds Collective
    Timings: 7:00 pm–10:00 pm
    Language: English

    Drawing inspiration from the stages of the water cycle, take part in four creative exercises to explore embodied reading practices and collectively contemplate the historical implications of libraries and texts.

  • Saturday, 25 November
    Saturday, 25 November

    How to Make Stencil Riso Prints
    With Pau Tiu (Bad Student)
    Timings: 4:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Language: English

    Learn how to use stencils to print with a two-colour Riso machine. Pau Tiu, a member of the specialised Riso printing studio and workshop based in the Philippines, will guide you through the process.

    Reading Session and 3D Story Scenes
    Timings: 4:00 pm–5:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Read and listen to a range of interesting stories. After the reading session, make a 3D version of a scenario from a story you read. Use coloured paper, markers and other materials to produce your artwork.

    Experiment with Archival Cooking Zines
    Timings: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Explore hidden treasures in historical cookbooks containing recipes and culinary techniques not commonly used today. Bring your own traditional family recipes, photos and illustrations to share with others as you create cooking zines together.

    Palestine in Print
    With Ahmad Makia
    Timings: 7:00 pm–9:00 pm
    Language: English

    Produce a personal zine about Palestine. As you put together information and images for your work, delve into a compilation of open source files that visualise and narrate the country, including poems, essays, interviews, illustrations, graphics, police files, newsprint and academic articles.

  • Sunday, 26 November
    Sunday, 26 November

    Critical Messaging: Make A Riso Poster
    With Jazael Olgolin Zapata (Cráter Invertido)
    Timings: 4:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Language: English

    Join Jazael Olgolin Zapata from the Mexico City-based artist studio and space Cráter Invertido to find out how to create critical posters and print them using the Riso machine.

    Reading Session: Bait Al Hurma
    Timings: 4:00 pm–5:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Listen to fantasy tales about Sharjah’s historic Bait Al Hurma, and discuss what you have learned and enjoyed in the text.

    Make a Book with Found Objects
    Timings: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    In this hands-on workshop, explore experimental approaches to the art of bookmaking. Learn bookbinding techniques, and incorporate found objects such as seashells, leaves and fabric scraps to turn your books into unique creations.

    Put Together a Pop-Up Book
    Timings: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
    Languages: English and Arabic

    Design an interactive pop-up book using recycled materials. Become familiar with paper engineering techniques, including methods for crafting dynamic pop-up elements.

    YOUR ID Zine
    With Beatrix Pang (ZINE COOP)
    Timings: 7:00 pm–9:00 pm
    Language: English

    Create a zine about yourself and your identities using Shrimpzine, an online open-source platform. Led by Beatrix Pang of the Hong Kong zine publishers' collective ZINE COOP, this session will explore both digital and printed zines and promote accessible tools such as mobile phones with camera and internet access.

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