People

Mona Al Khaja is a visual artist whose work is known for its Islamic patterns, Arabic calligraphy and natural elements. She explores social issues and the struggles present in modern society through painting and multimedia. 

Encompassing painting, video, installation, sculpture and photography, Jawad Al Malhi’s practice explores communities and their relationship to their environments.

Sophia Al Maria is an artist, writer and filmmaker. Known for coining the term 'Gulf futurism', she is primarily interested in issues related to consumerism, technology and the loss of traditional culture in the Arabian Gulf.

Encompassing photography, video and digital media, Abdullah Al Mutairi’s work reflects his interests in identity, gender, religion and technology in the Arabian Gulf as well as the effects of globalisation and corporate or national branding.

Mishari Al Najjar is an architect and artist. In his research practice, he adopts a multidisciplinary approach where the realms of architecture, textile and storytelling intersect.

In her collages constructed from a variety of consumer materials, Al Anood Al Obaidly studies the visual experience of everyday objects as they shift from two- to three-dimensionality.

The abstract paintings of Jaffar Al Oraibi depict his exploration of the role of the individual in society, with a particular focus on gender identity and the expression of human emotion.

Mohammed Al Qassab’s work engages both the historical and contemporary material culture of the United Arab Emirates.

Abdul Qader Al Rais is known for both his abstract oil paintings, which draw on Arabic script and geometric forms, and his more recent landscape watercolours, which reflect his longtime interest in traditional Emirati architecture and nature.

He has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Abdullah Al Saadi’s work ranges from painting, drawing and the creation of lengthy artists’ notebooks to the collection and systematic categorisation of found objects and the invention of new alphabets.

The work of painter Tamara Al Samerraei is often based on photographs from both her personal archive and the public domain.

A student of Syrian master calligrapher Badawi Al Dirany, Mouneer Alshaarani has worked as a calligrapher and book designer since 1968 and has developed several Arabic typefaces.

Working between cinema, photography and installation, Basma al-Sharif de-territorialises a singular perspective through a more subjective, fallible vision of history in the present.