Manal AlDowayan, Hassan Sharif (Arabic): The Art Library – Discovering Arab Artists

Manal AlDowayan (b. 1973, Saudi Arabia) is a conceptual artist whose work revolves around the ideas of active forgetting, modern archiving, and collective memory. She has worked with black-and-white photography, neon, large-scale installations, and participatory art. Hassan Sharif (b. 1951, Bandar Lengeh, Iran–d. 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) lived and worked in Dubai. Recognized as a pioneer of conceptual art and experimental practice in the Middle East, Sharif’s artworks surpass the limits of discipline or a singular approach, encompassing performance, installation, drawing, painting, and assemblage. Christine Macel is Director of Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, and former chief curator at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Maya El Khalil is an independent curator based in Oxford, England. Catherine David is deputy director of the Musée national d’art moderne and head of the Research and Globalization department at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Omar Kholeif is Sharjah Art Foundation’s Director of Collections and Senior Curator.