At Art Dubai, Iranian Artists Are Back in Force
By Rawaa Talass
The 16th edition of the Art Dubai fair has opened this month, with a focus on contemporary talent from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Global South.
As in previous iterations, the...
An Exhibition of Fish Nets Floating in Space: Interview with Shaqayeq Arabi
By Rawaa Talass
The Iranian-born artist Shaqayeq Arabi has changed countries and continents a few times in her lifetime. Born in 1974, she has lived in Tehran, New York, Paris, and Dubai, her home for...
At Art Dubai, Farideh Lashai Is Remembered In Special Display: Interview
By Rawaa Talass
Nine years ago, Iran lost one of its most prominent female artists, Farideh Lashai, after a long battle with cancer. Yet Lashai’s memory lives on.
Her abstract works were a highlight of this...
Shahrzad Ghaffari Becomes First Artist to Make Work for London’s Leighton House Museum
By Rawaa Talass
Sometime in 2022, the Iranian artist Shahrzad Ghaffari will become the first contemporary artist to produce work for the interiors of the Leighton House Museum, the former London home and atelier of...
Marbella-Based Gallerist Sholeh Abghari Promotes Iranian Art in Spain
By Rawaa Talass
The art dealer Sholeh Abghari was born and raised in Tehran, and developed an interest in painting and collecting art from an early age.
She studied art history in Paris and art business...
Dubai’s Carbon 12 Gallery Founder Kourosh Nouri Prepares for Armory Show
By Rawaa Talass
More than a decade ago, the Iranian gallerist Kourosh Nouri made a bold move: He packed up his belongings and relocated from Vienna to Dubai to realize a singular dream.
He and his...
Art Dubai Features 50 Participating Galleries, Including Leila Heller, Third Line
By Rawaa Talass
Art Dubai opened earlier this week for its 14th iteration, after cancelling last year on account of the Coronavirus epidemic. Organizers moved the event from its usual location, the vast Madinat Jumeirah,...
Iranian Art Market Faces Challenging Times, Says Dubai-Based Gallerist Sunny Rahbar
By Rawaa Talass
Born in the United States to Iranian parents, the Dubai-based gallerist Sunny Rahbar co-founded her gallery, The Third Line, back in 2005, when the Emirati city was beginning to develop a contemporary-art...
Iran Makes Debut at Paris’s FIAC Fair Via Dastan Gallery
By Rawaa Talass
For the first time ever, Iran was represented this year at Paris’s top art fair, FIAC. Tehran’s Dastan Gallery had a stand beneath the dazzling, historic glass dome of the Grand Palais.
A...
Works by Tanavoli, Mohassess Go on Show At Dubai’s Meem Gallery
By Rawaa Talass
In Iran, they say it is a sign of eternal friendship when bread and salt are shared among people. This old and cordial tradition is currently being revived in a cultural collaboration...