Mattar Bin Lahej (born 1968) is an Emirati painter, photographer and sculptor from Dubai. He founded Marsam Mattar, the first art gallery in the United Arab Emirates to be managed by an artist. [1] [2] Bin Lahej is also the artist and calligrapher behind the facade on the museum of the future, making it one of the most prominent buildings and structures in Dubai and is described as "the only building that speaks Arabic" [3]
Politics of the United Arab Emirates take place in a framework of a federal presidential elective constitutional monarchy. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven constituent monarchies: the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal, elective monarchy composed of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi as its capital. It shares land borders with Oman to the east and northeast, and with Saudi Arabia to the southwest; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran, and with Oman in the Gulf of Oman. As of 2024, the UAE has an estimated population of over 10 million, of which 11% are Emiratis; Dubai is the most populous city and is an international hub. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language, while English is the most spoken language and the language of business.
Najat Makki is an Emirati visual artist. She is a member of the Dubai Cultural Council. and one of the pioneers in Emirati contemporary art scene.
Saadiyat Island is a natural island and a tourism-cultural environmentally friendly project for Emirati heritage and culture that is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The project is located in a large, low-lying island, 500 metres (1,600 ft) off the coast of Abu Dhabi island. A mixed commercial, residential, and leisure project is currently under construction on the island. When completed, Saadiyat Island is expected to become Abu Dhabi's cultural centre, mostly for the Island's Cultural District that is expected to include eight museums.
Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi also known as Fatat Al-Arab, Ousha Al Sha'er was an Emirati poet. She is regarded as among the finest Arabic Nabati poets.
Abdul Qader Al Rais is a multi-award-winning, Emirati painter noted for his abstract art which combines geometric shapes with Arabic calligraphy. He is known for including calligraphy and abstracted objects in his paintings, and regarded as a colour master.
Hassan Al Sharif was an Emirati artist and prolific writer. He lived and worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is widely regarded as a central figure in contemporary and conceptual art in the region, often known as the father of conceptual art in the Gulf. He founded Al Marijah Art Atelier, and through his extensive work and writings, he inspired the next generation of artists in the United Arab Emirates. His work is represented in major public collections, such as the Guggenheim New York, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Centre Pompidou, Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and Sharjah Art Foundation.
Cultural policy in Abu Dhabi, a city within the United Arab Emirates, refers to any initiative undertaken by the Emirate government aimed at achieving goals to contribute to or shape culture. Abu Dhabi's government aims to develop a cultural infrastructure that will allow it to establish itself as a reference point for culture on three levels:
Maisoon Al Saleh is an Emirati visual artist based out of Dubai. Her artistic style is surrealism with commentary on modern and traditional Emirati culture. Her paintings often feature the skeletons of humans and animals.
Abu Dhabi Art is an art fair that takes place every November in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, featuring art gallerias, art and design foundations, as well as additional educational programming and talks.
Ebtisam Abdulaziz is a contemporary Emirati artist and writer born and raised in Sharjah, UAE. She works with geometry and mathematics to address issues of belonging and identity through installations, performance art and other media.
Mohammed Kazem is a contemporary Emirati artist working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He works primarily with video, sound art, photography, found objects and performance art.
Hussain Sharif is an Emirati artist based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Co-founder of Emirates Fine Arts Society and is one of the original "Five" conceptual artist in the UAE including Mohammed Kazem, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Abdullah Al Saadi and his brother Hassan Sharif.
Abdullah Al Saadi is an Emirati artist and one of the Pioneer "Five" original conceptual artists from the United Arab Emirates including Hassan Sharif, Hussain Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim.
Moosa Al Halyan is an Emirati surrealist painter from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and a member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society.
Abdulraheem Salim is an Emirati painter and sculptor born in Dubai and lives in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. He is one of the first contributors to the fine art movements in the UAE alongside Hassan Sharif, Abdul Qader Al Raes and others. Salim completed his Bachelor of Fine arts and sculpture at the University of Cairo in 1981.
Tarek Al-Ghoussein, was a Kuwaiti Palestinian multi-genre artist best known for his work that investigates the margins between landscape photography, self-portraiture, and performance art. His work moved away from subjects of land, belonging, nostalgia and barriers and instead gravitated toward the metaphorical transit to his ancestral homeland - Palestine. He moved between abstraction and the explicit conditions found in certain places.
Ali AlShaali is an Emirati poet, publisher, and cultural activist. He published a number of poetry collections, including "A Bee and a Rababa," "Faces and Weary Others," "Earth Has but One Soul," "Show Me the Way to the Cave," and "The Grass Resembles Us, So Do the Clouds." He also published a novel titled "The Alive Live Being" and a collection of essays titled "Chambers That Have Windows."
