DUBAI SYMPOSIUM 2010

Manal Al-Dowayan is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading photographers and a founding Edge of Arabia artist. Born and raised in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Al-Dowayan has had a rich and non-structured educational background in photography having studied in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, and London. Manal’s recent work has been acquired by a number of major museums including the British Museum and is represented by Cuadro Fine Art Gallery.

Sarah Al-Faour is chief of Arts & Culture for the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), a government organization who have identified cultural development as an integral part of economic development and who have partnered with Edge of Arabia for their world Tour. Al-Faour worked with Edge of Arabia to bring art to the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh this January, where Edge of Arabia launched its World Tour.

Mishaal Al Gergawi is an integral part of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. He has long been recognized as an important Emirati commentator, publishing regularly on local and regional subjects in a wide variety of publications. He is primarily interested in analysing and contributing to the improvement of the state of civic and cultural development in the Gulf.

Abdulnasser Gharem is a leading contemporary Saudi artist and co-founder of Edge of Arabia. Born in Khamis Mushait in 1973, where he lives and works today, Gharem is both a practising conceptual artist and a Major in the Saudi Arabian Army. He studied at the Al-Miftaha Arts Village in Abha, and is now recognized as a pioneering conceptual artist in Saudi, with work is featured in important collections such as the British Museum.

Faisal Samra is Saudi Arabia’s best-known contemporary artist and a founding Edge of Arabia artist. He has exhibited widely in Europe, America and throughout the Middle East. Following his BA at L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris, in 1975 and a spell teaching at the College of Fine Art in Jordan between 2003-4, he now resides and works in Bahrain.

Hamza Serafi is an Edge of Arabia advisor and the founder of Athr Gallery, one of the first contemporary art galleries in Saudi Arabia. Athr provides a platform for Saudi and Arab artists, bringing about understanding, dialogue and providing a public exhibition space in which to connect the public to the contemporary art scene in Saudi.

Bashar Al-Shroogi is the founder of Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, a leading provider of international art in the gulf. The 13,000 sq. ft. space in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) provides Cuadro with the opportunity to showcase sought-after artists who boast work represented in permanent collections of museums such as MoMa, the Tate Britain and the Guggenheim

Stephen Stapleton is the founder of Edge of Arabia. He has a degree in fine art and philosophy from the University of Brighton, a PGCE in art education from the University of London and currently runs a number of social enterprises working between the Middle East and UK. Stephen curated Edge of Arabia exhibitions in London, Venice and Riyadh and is now the driving force behind the world tour.

Abdullah Al-Turki is creative director of Edge of Arabia is a leading figure in the contemporary art scene in Saudi Arabia. He is an active collector of the most cutting-edge work from the region, and is passionate about supporting and developing contemporary arts in his home country.

Rudy Weng is a leading European collector of contemporary Middle Eastern art living in Dusseldorf and Paris. He is the founder and owner of the Nadour collection, focusing on cutting edge contemporary art from the Arab world and Iran. The Nadour Collection is based on Weng’s enormous enthusiasm for the emerging artists of the region.