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abdelghani alnahawi is Palestinian artist from the UAE. His practice investigates materiality through site-specific interventions, drawing on found objects, urban residue, and fleeting environmental conditions. Rooted in walking and biking, he treats these encounters as collaborators—listening to how they shift, mark, or resist the spaces they inhabit. Guided by peripheral attention and chance, his work responds to overlooked textures and quiet urban performances, forming spatial sketches—marks that question form; invite us to slow down and experience time differently; and reveal the natural infrastructures shaping urban life.
→ Found in 1604 Crit Sessions
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Elham Shafaei is an Iranian artist and curator currently based in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the School of Arts at the University of Science and Culture in Tehran, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Elham’s work and research focus on experimental processes, exploring diverse mediums such as painting, papermaking, photography, installation, textile art, sound, and video art to express her concepts. Her artistic practice often delves into human existential conditions, including themes of loneliness, emptiness, and freedom. Additionally, she explores the connections between these themes and ideas of home, memory, displacement, and diaspora.
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Gulf Coffee House is an art collective consisting of Shahad Hamwi, Anant Singh, and Andrés Ugartechea, a group of socially engaged artists whose interdisciplinary practices explore the nuances of existence and the dynamics of social ecosystems. United by a shared commitment to fostering dialogue through the arts, they seek to push the boundaries of creative expression by experimenting with new mediums and approaches.
Shahad, a visual artist and filmmaker, draws from her Arab identity to create immersive works that examine the intersections of the personal and political, transforming research-led inquiry into accessible, communal experiences. Anant, a writer and filmmaker, crafts bold narratives inspired by his Indian upbringing, turning everyday moments into profound reflections on identity and self-realization. Andrés, a multidisciplinary artist, uses digital and traditional media to delve into the intersectionality of his Mexican-American, first-generation identity. Together, they aim to reimagine public spaces as platforms for shared exploration, creating art that inspires collective reflection and meaningful connection.
→ Found in This Is Not A Gallery
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Margarita Louka is an illustrator from Cyprus currently based in Dubai, UAE. Her visual illustration work and her research explore themes such as migration, (de)colonization, physical or emotional journeys, what it means to “belong” to a place and the unreliability of memory. Her creative process centres around collecting and assembling; she starts a project by collecting and making fragments which represent the theme she is working with. She then collages them together digitally, embracing an element of ambiguity, while constantly exploring the intersection between abstract and figurative illustration. She has worked within the publishing and editorial sectors.
→ Found in [Re]Arranging Fragments
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Natalya Konforti is a French-American artist and cultural program facilitator with an undergraduate degree in Fashion Design from ESMOD International. A decade in the garment industry cultivated her attunement to color palettes, a fascination with patterns, as well as a deep appreciation for textile craftsmanship. Her process-driven, introspective practice is grounded in what we leave behind, channeling themes of memory, community, and sustainability. Through a variety of mixed mediums including photography, paint and textile, her work pays homage to a meaningful technique, material, or location.
→ Found in Weaving a Third Space
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Raisam Mariam Rajan, a Guinness World Record Holder, is a multi-talented architect, entrepreneur, and artist hailing from the UAE. As one of the pioneering figures in sustainable art within the region, she has played a crucial role in promoting awareness around sustainability in both the art and business sectors.
Her innovative, sustainable artworks have been showcased at prestigious events, including COP28, UNESCO Heritage Sites in Italy and Spain, the Cannes Art Biennale during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the Qatar International Art Festival, the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders’ Summit 2024, and many other international platforms. Representing the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, her work has been exhibited across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Through her art, Raisa explores the geometry of nature, transforming everyday materials into powerful messages about preservation, human connection, and environmental responsibility.
→ Found in A Reflection of Nature
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Sulafa Mohammed is an Emirati artist exploring the intersection between crochet, numbers and personal history through textile techniques and crocheting. Her practice draws inspiration from strategies of archiving and documentation, aiming to transform seemingly overlooked and insignificant details from daily life into meaningful artworks.
→ Found in Weaving a Third Space