The United Arab Emirates or the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the nation's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.
According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates. The status of women has improved over the years. UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region, and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors. However, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report in 2021 confirming that the UAE needs to put more effort into improving women's status in the UAE and achieving progress on women's rights. It is estimated that in 2020, 3 million of the total UAE population – 9.9 million – is female.
Abdul Qader Al Rais is a multi-award-winning, Emirati painter noted for his abstract art which combines geometric shapes with Arabic calligraphy.
The Sharjah Art Museum is an art museum in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was housed in Bait Al Serkal in Al Shuwaihean Area. It is one of the leading art institutions in the Persian Gulf region.
Hassan 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.
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.
Emirates Fine Arts Society is a non-profit association of art professionals in the United Arab Emirates, established in 1980. The Head Office is located in Sharjah, and there are branches in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan.
The Sharjah Art Foundation is a contemporary art and cultural foundation based in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, founded in 2009 by Hoor Al Qasimi, daughter of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and current ruler of Sharjah, to support artists and artistic practice in the Sharjah communities, the UAE, and the region via different platforms that include Sharjah Biennial, the annual March Meeting, art residencies, production grants, commissions, art exhibitions, artistic research and publications. The foundation include exhibitions featuring the work of Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings, artist talks, and educational for a range or audience from children to adults. The Sharjah Art foundation strives to promote public learning and participating in art practices.
Ebtisam AbdulAziz is a contemporary Emirati artist and writer born and raised in Sharjah. 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.
Mattar Bin Lahej 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.
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 is a Kuwaiti visual artist of Palestinian origin, best known for his work that investigates the margins between landscape photography, self-portraiture and performance art. He moves between abstraction and the explicit conditions found in certain places.
Al Anood Al Obeidli is a Visual Artist in visual arts from Abu Dhabi, UAE. The point of departure for all her work is collage.
Barjeel Art Foundation is a non-profit arts organisation based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The foundation was established in 2010 by Emirati commentator Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi to manage and exhibit his personal art collection. There are over 1,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art in the foundation's art collection. The organisation primarily focuses on artwork produced by Arab artists worldwide and includes paintings, sculptures and installations.
Tourism in the United Arab Emirates is an important component of the Emirati economy, and consists of domestic and international components. In 2018, tourist industry composed over 164.7 billion dirham to country's GDP.
Noor Al Suwaidi is an artist and curator from the United Arab Emirates.
