Shaikha Al Mazrou, Square Within A Square 2, 2024, Mixed Media, 100 x 106 x 16 cm
Courtesy: Lawrie Shabibi
Lawrie Shabibi was founded in 2010 and opened its doors in early 2011 in Alserkal Avenue, located within the light industrial warehouse district of Al Quoz in Dubai. Following the relocation of several renowned galleries, this quickly became the hub of contemporary art in the region, and the gallery has been a forerunner in the development of this contemporary art scene.
The gallery’s initial focus was on the practices of emerging contemporary artists from the Middle East and North Africa (the “Global South”), but in the last five years they have introduced artists from other regions and generations, yet with the same focus on the “underrepresented”. A major focus remains the support of artists from the diaspora who create work in all media to explore issues such as identity, memory, history and socio-political issues specific to the diasporic experience.
Another part of the gallery’s programme is to organise art historical exhibitions, working with an older generation of artists. Of note are the historic shows presented for the Moroccan pioneer Mohamed Melehi (1936-2020) and most recently Iraqi/French artist, Mehdi Moutashar (b.1943) – both at Abu Dhabi Art Fair and showing works from the 1950s – 1970s. They also work closely with museums and have successfully placed works with The Guggenheim, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, The British Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, LACMA and the Cincinnati Art Museum. By integrating older (and less discovered) artists with younger artists the gallery create a context and depth to the programme which we consider important when working with underrepresented regions.
Shaikha Al Mazrou, born in 1988, UAE
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, born in 1962, UAE
Nabil Nahas, born in 1949, Lebanon
Mandy El-Sayegh, born in 1985, United Kingdom
Elias Sime, born in 1968, Ethiopia
Said Azzuz, born in 1987, USA
Hamra Abbas
Maliheh Afnan
Farhad Ahrarnia
Shaikha Al Mazrou
Mounir Fatmi
Asad Faulwell
Yazan Khalili
Driss Ouadahi
Shahpour Pouyan
Nathaniel Rackowe
Larissa Sansour
Ishmael Randall Weeks
Mehdi Moutashar
Mohamed Melehi
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Mona Saudi
Timo Nasseri
Dima Srouji
Rand Abdul Jabbar
Nabil Nahas
Amir Nour
William Lawrie Co-founder
Asmaa Al-Shabibi, Co-founder
Dubai, UAE
Alserkal Avenue
Unit 21
Al Quoz 1
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