Contemporary Middle Eastern Art in the UAE

I am a senior at Fordham University in NYC and have dedicated this past year to traveling throughout the UAE and Oman while studying abroad with CIEE at the American University of Sharjah. I had dedicated my entire year to researching contemporary Middle Eastern art as I met with artists through my painting class and at contemporary art galleries in Dubai. I had the opportunity to represent Leila Heller Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi art fair and Art Dubai and was able to bring some of my friends from classes to these fairs.

My experience studying with my CIEE group has been life changing. It has inspired me to further my interests in the contemporary art field. I just completed a Fulbright application which funds me to live in the UAE for a year to interview Emirati artists as they prepare for the Sharjah Biennial 2017. I aspire to become a curator of contemporary Arab art and want to exhibit these works within the Gulf and NYC regions. I am currently curating a group exhibition in NYC with Iranian and Afghan artists. I will be traveling back to the UAE this January to meet with old professors at AUS and to visit more artist studios.