Authors

The authors are a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners who provide original essays shaping the discourse on modern and contemporary art in the SWANA region. Their essays present distinct ways of understanding the region’s artistic practices and cultural histories. Grounded in academic rigour and deep engagement with the region’s artistic histories and practices, their work ensures that artists are represented with depth, nuance, and intellectual integrity.
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Showing 32 of 32 authors

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Aparna Andhare

Get to know Aparna Andhare, an art historian, curator, and writer, whose ongoing project is committed to interpreting historical art forms.
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Marie Tomb

Learn about Marie Tomb, a Lebanese art historian whose research and curatorial work shed light on Arab modern and contemporary art, identity, and artistic exchange.
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Mathilde Ayoub

Explore the research project of Mathilde Ayoub, a French-Syrian curator and PhD student developing research, exhibitions, cultural management, and production projects for contemporary art.
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Adila Laïdi-Hanieh

Discover the career of Adila Laïdi-Hanieh, a writer, art historian, and museologist who has published extensively on Arab and Palestinian art history.
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Deniz Artun

Learn about Deniz Artun, a writer and curator recognised by the French Republic for her contributions to Turkish-French artistic and cultural exchange.
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Zouina Ait Slimani

Learn about Zouina Ait Slimani's research work, her interests in the limits of cosmopolitanism, examined through Iraqi and Arab artists and her upcoming book.
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Nour Asalia

Learn about Nour Asalia, a Syrian artist, researcher, and scholar whose writings focus on modern and contemporary Syrian art.
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Brenda Segone

Get to know Brenda Segone, an art historian and creative writer with interests including transcultural theory, epistemologies, and modernisms.
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Farid Zahi

Learn about Farid Zahi, a writer, philosopher, publisher and awardee of the Moroccan Prize for Translation and the Sharjah Prize for Arab Art Studies.
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Joan Grandjean

Explore the works of Joan Grandjean, an art historian specialising in contemporary art from the Arab world and his many notable publications.
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Nancy Adajania

Learn about the curatorial journey of Nancy Adajania and her exhibitions including one that showcased the first-ever mapping the women’s movement in India.
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Saleem Al-Bahloly

Discover the work of art historian Saleem Al-Bahloly whose research explores the intersection of modern art and religious traditions.
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Laura Barlow

Discover the work of visionary curator Laura Barlow across museums, non-profit organisations, and independent art spaces.
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Emma Chubb

Explore the work of curator and scholar Emma Chubb and learn about her first retrospective project for one of North Africa’s most important artists.
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Sarah Dwider

Learn about the work of doctoral candidate Sarah Dwider and her research centering around modern art in Egypt.
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Sarah Rogers

Get to know Sarah Rogers an art historian and curator specialising in modern and contemporary art of the Arab world, Iran, and Turkey, currently a visiting assistant professor and president-elect of AMCA.

Featured Biographies

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Hamed Abdalla

Learn about Egyptian artist Hamed Abdalla in this Mathaf Encyclopedia entry.

By Mehri Khalil
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Jellal Ben Abdallah

Explore self-taught Tunisian artist Jellal Ben Abdallah's life and career trajectory in this Mathaf Encyclopedia entry.

By Beya Othmani
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Tamam al-Akhal

Delve into the life and work of Tamam al-Akhal, a foundational figure in modern Palestinian art, in this Mathaf Encyclopedia entry.

By Lina Ramadan
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Zahoor ul Akhlaq

Delve into this Mathaf Encyclopedia entry about Zahoor ul Akhlaq, one of the foremost contemporary artists of Pakistan.

By Samina Iqbal

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Artists in Context

By Dr Nada Shabout

Discover the works of five pioneering artists who redefined modern art in the Arab world by intertwining personal experience, cultural heritage, and bold artistic innovation.

Drawing Chronicles: Wael Shawky’s Cabaret Crusades and the Fall of Teleological History

By Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev

Discover how artist Wael Shawky reimagines history through his Cabaret Crusades trilogy using marionettes, elaborate scenography and classical Arabic speech.

Jewad Selim: On Abstraction and Symbolism

By Dr Nada Shabout

Discover the world of modern artist and sculptor Jewad Selim and his work exploring symbolism, abstraction and historical roots.

About the Encyclopedia

Main Page

Explore the Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern and Contemporary Arab Art. Discover artist biographies, essays, and scholarly insights.

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