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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Ranjit Hoskote

Explore the influential curatorial projects and writings of poet and curator Ranjit Hoskote, including museum retrospectives of major artists and his essays on the global art world.
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Clare Davies

Learn about the work of curator Clare Davies, her landmark exhibitions and about her PhD in Egyptian art history.
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Samina Iqbal

Get to know Samina Iqbal, her research interests focused on modern art and a comparative study of what modern art entailed for neighbouring countries of Pakistan.
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Kirsten Scheid

Learn about Kirsten Scheid, a professor whose highlights how modern and contemporary Arab art reshapes social and political life through aesthetics and exhibition.
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Nadia Radwan

Get to know Nadia Radwan an art historian, curator and researcher specialising in modern art from the Middle East and currently working on publishing her thesis on resilience and abstraction.
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Dr Necmi Sönmez

Discover the work of Dr Necmi Sönmez, including his international experience at major institutions, curatorial projects, residencies, and publishing.
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Holiday Powers

Learn about associate professor Holiday Powers, her research interests, published books and her role as a curatorial adviser for the permanent collection rehang at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
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Nadine Atallah

Learn about Nadine Atallah an art historian and curator whose research includes examining the political stakes of art through nationalism and feminism.
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Tina Barouti

Find out more about Tina Barouti, whose work includes histories of colonialism, decolonisation movements, fine arts pedagogy and more.
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Iftikhar Dadi

Learn about Iftikhar Dadi, a professor of History of Art at Cornell University, researching transnational modern and contemporary art with a focus on Asia.
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Lina Ramadan

Get to know Doha-born curator and writer, Lina Ramadan, specialising in modern and contemporary art and a recipient of the 2024-25 Darat al Funun Fellowship.
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Tiffany Floyd

Explore Tiffany Floyd's work and research centred around relationship between Iraqi modern art and its rich, antique past and her forthcoming publication.
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Mehri Khalil

Discover Mehri Khalil’s work preserving Egyptian art archives for future scholars and exploring transcultural influences on modern Egyptian art through her doctoral studies.
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Beya Othmani

Learn about Beya Othmani, an Algerian-Tunisian curator and researcher shaping global conversations around contemporary African art.
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Ala Younis

Ala Younis' work focuses on research, film, and publishing projects, and investigates how the archive’s mishaps manipulate the imagination.
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Alex Dika Seggerman

Learn about Alex Dika Seggerman, an associate professor of art history, a doctorate from Yale in the history of art and a 2023-2024 Patricia and Phillip Frost Senior Fellow.

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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Ahmed Cherkaoui: Decode his Memory

By Brahim Alaoui

Explore this essay by researcher, museum director and juror Brahim Alaoui about the life, work and genius of Moroccan painter Ahmed Cherkaoui.

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.

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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