Editions Talks: Vol.1 presents a series of conversations that focus on current trends as they intersect within three pillars: the disruption of the art market, the intricacies of editioning, and the role of art and design in shaping community identity. Featuring perspectives of artists, collectors, designers, and industry leaders, these conversations give a glimpse into the ever-evolving dynamics of the creative world.
Thursday, November 7
5-5:45pm
The new collector's playbook: redefining the art landscape
Abdulla Al Kaabi, Souheil Soueid and Christiane Nasr. Moderated by William Mullally.
Since its inception, the art market has been centered around the notion of art as a commodity. In recent years, amid unprecedented economic, political, and social instability, art’s role as a cultural currency has become ever more relevant. How are today’s culturally conscious players breaking down the barriers that once made the art market seem reserved for the 1% of society? Join this talk to delve into how embracing the transparency of the digital age to the rise of unconventional art forms has a new generation offering fresh perspectives and redefining art acquisition dynamics; reshaping the concept of ‘collectible’ and its new rules, or lack thereof.
Friday, November 8
5-5:45pm
The art of editions 101: do you think limited editions are valuable?
Nada Debs, Nat Bowen and Gaith Abdulla. Moderated by Anastasia Nysten.
From art to design, the world of limited editions extends various mediums, celebrating craftsmanship, creativity and innovation. Join this talk to demystify common misconceptions on limited editions by discovering the art of how editions are crafted, the techniques and processes that give them rarity and value, the role they have in disseminating established artists’ and designers’ works to a larger collecting audience and how they tell a more comprehensive story about their practice.
Saturday, November 9
2-2:45pm
From click to collector: exploring the art and impact of photography
Lamya Gargash, Mohamed Somji and Jassim Rabia Al-Awadhi. Moderated by QWAN Anthony.
Photography in the art world has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from a technical innovation to a revered art form and collectible. At its core, photography reflects our current realities, often making the unseen seen. This talk will explore the full impact of photography and how it shapes our perceptions through the stories of artists, collectors, curators, and educators who have been instrumental in creating a foundation for this medium to serve as a historical and cultural archive while also influencing contemporary design trends and vice versa.
Saturday, November 9
5-5:45pm
Cultural placemaking: the intersection of art, design, and community identity
Karine Obegi, Salem AlSuwaidi, Janet Bellotto and Anupama Sekhar. Moderated by Noor Suhail.
Examine how art and design drive important conversations and foster authentic connections within multifaceted communities, looking at our own UAE as a case study. This discussion addresses the question of: What role do art and design have in exploring social issues, cultural diversity and environmental concerns that shape our daily lives? In this conversation, the panellists will discuss how these fields build connections and act as a catalyst for social change by addressing identity and unity across multi-layered cultural landscapes.
CONTRIBUTORS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Abdulla Al Kaabi is an Emirati filmmaker. While still studying at the American University of Sharjah, Abdulla became a lead presenter on Dubai TV. He continued at this post for the next four years, gaining valuable hands-on experience in production. Knowing that he always wanted to be in the Director’s seat, Abdulla moved to Paris in 2009 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Filmmaking at the École Internationale de Création Audiovisuelle et de Réalisation. Afterwards, Abdulla pursued a career in filmmaking, where he directed his first award-winning short film, The Philosopher, with famed French actor Jean Reno. His second short won two awards at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014, including Best International Short. His first feature-length film, Only Men Go To The Grave, won Best Film at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2016. In 2017, Abdulla founded his own boutique production house, El Booma Films, in Dubai. Abdulla’s award-winning Emirati production house covers narrative, art, fashion, promotional, and commercial films.
Souheil Soueid is a Lebanese-born tech professional with over 18 years of experience at Google. He pursued his passion for the region by starting operations in the newly opened Google Dubai office in 2008. Currently, Souheil leads Google’s advertising Products & Solutions in MENA. Souheil’s journey in art started while growing up in France. Upon moving back to the region in 2008, he discovered his passion for Middle Eastern artists. Since then, Souheil has been discovering new talent and selectively collecting art from the region.
Lebanese-Canadian Christiane Nasr founded The Bowery Company in 2014, an award-winning GCC design retailer and contract dealer incorporating affordable luxury with the clean minimal lines of Scandinavian furniture and accessories. Christiane managed a career as a regional managing director for investments between Geneva, Switzerland and the UAE for more than 12 years before solely focusing on The Bowery Company. In 2018, Christiane started The Bowery Company while working as a hybrid entrepreneur, developing the design store parallel with her day job in banking. She is recognised as a business leader with over two decades of experience in leading and inspiring businesses in the Middle East.
William Mullally is Arts & Culture Editor at The National. An award-winning culture writer, he’s lived in the UAE since 2009 and chronicled the rise of the region’s diverse creative scenes. He’s served as Dubai Eye 103.8’s film critic since 2013, and has contributed to Arab News, ET Bil Arabi, The Insider Arabia, GQ Middle East, Esquire Middle East, Al Arabiya, Savoir Flair and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. His long-running celebrity interview series has achieved more than 50 million views across his YouTube and TikTok channels.
Nada Debs is a Levantine designer living and working in Beirut. Her work spans scale and discipline: from product and furniture design to one-off commissions across craft, art, fashion and interiors. Nada grew up in Japan, studied design at Rhode Island School of Design in the United States and has spent time living and travelling the world, finding connections between different cultures. What ties her work together is her ability to distil culture and craftsmanship to create pieces of emotional resonance. She believes design can cross time and border and touch us on a primal level. She calls her approach: handmade and heartmade.
Gaith Abdulla is a writer and Gulf studies specialist based in Dubai. His research focuses on socio-politics of the Gulf and its intersection with the region’s contemporary art and culture. Gaith is the co-founder of collecting-and-research platform Engage101 and co-founder of Bayt AlMamzar, an independent art space in Dubai.
Nat Bowen is a British abstract artist based in Dubai known globally for her vibrant, multi-layered resin paintings. Bowen uses the study of Chromology, the psychology behind colour, as the foundation of her art. Coming from a family of creatives, Bowen was introduced to design processes, materials and mediums from a young age with her exploration continuing throughout her education. During her degree at the London College of Fashion she created fashion collections using manipulated artworks as prints and post-graduation went on to become a fashion designer before signing with a London modelling agency and forging a career as a model. Bowen has since incorporated her knowledge and experience into developing herself as a visual artist. In 2021 Bowen move her artist studio from London to Dubai where she now resides.
Mohamed Somji is the Director of Gulf Photo Plus (GPP), a Dubai-based gallery and community organisation cultivating visual practices in photography in the UAE and across the wider MENASA region since 2004. As part of GPP’s commitment to developing visual and critical literacy, the organisation engages the community with regular educational and art programming, exhibitions of work from and about the region, and providing resources for photographers—from film developing and processing to fine art printing, a photobook store, and more.
Lamya Gargash is an Emirati artist born in 1982. After graduating from the American University of Sharjah in 2004, she moved to London to pursue a postgraduate degree in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins. Gargash is heavily inspired by inhabited and abandoned spaces as well as cultural heritage in a context of rapid change. Exploring modernity, mortality, identity and the banal, Gargash captures the beauty of human trace and the value of the mundane. Many of Gargash’s works depict interiors. Gargash was selected to represent the UAE in its debut pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2009 where she showcased her Familial series. In the same year, she also participated in the 9th Sharjah Biennial in Sharjah, UAE with her Majlis series. Gargash’s works have been included in solo and group shows around the world.
Jassim Rabia Al-Awadhi is a distinguished Emirati artist hailing from the UAE. He embarked on his artistic journey with a fervent passion for photography, which led him to pursue a Master of Arts in Photography from Nottingham Trent University in the UK, following a Bachelor’s degree in Photography from the University of Dayton in the United States. With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Jassim's professional trajectory has been multifaceted. He served as the director of the Crime Scene Department for the Dubai Police, demonstrating a keen eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. Additionally, he shared his expertise as an associate professor of Photography at the University of Sharjah, nurturing the next generation of talent in the field. Jassim's influence extends beyond his professional roles, as evidenced by his significant contributions to the art community. He has served as the Chairman for the Emirates Photography Association and founded the UAE Photography Club, platforms that have fostered artistic dialogue and collaboration.
A pioneer of the UAE luxury interior industry, Karine Obegi is one of the most prominent profiles of the design space. Having helmed OBEGI Home since 2006, Karine built the company to be one of the most influential brands in the industry. She was responsible for the introduction of numerous European and global brands to the country that had previously not had the opportunity to operate in the region. Under her leadership, OBEGI Home has significantly contributed to shaping the UAE interiors landscape into the mature global hub that it is today. Today the company represents over 30 design brands from around the world such as Poliform, Flexform, antoniolupi, Porada, Lualdi, Tribu, Bulthaup and much more.
Salem AlSuwaidi is an Emirati curator, writer and collector. He is the Founder of SWALIF, a Contemporary Art and Literature project-based collective and publisher, as well as the Co-Founder of MamarLab, an Arts and Urbanism research space in Abu Dhabi. Salem completed a degree in Politics and Geography from King's College London and is focused on discussions of nationalism, cultural hegemony, world-building and post-structural development. He regularly curates group exhibitions and public programming across the GCC, including the curation of Zuhoor (Manarat AlSaadiyat, 2023), The Dissapearing Art Show 2.0 (2024) and the programming of Getting Over the Color Green (AlSerkal Avenue, 2023), Doha Horticulture Expo (2024), and the Riyadh Contemporary Art Biennale (2024). Overall, Salem’s practice is motivated by varying degrees of socio-cultural critique, as well as a constant pursuit of ideological reimaginations.
Janet Bellotto is a multidisciplinary Italian-Canadian artist, educator and writer from Toronto and abased in Dubai. A Professor in Visual Arts at the CACE, Zayed University, she has also held various administrative roles. Inspired by narratives and the ever-changing world she travels through, water is a constant theme in her practice. Her recent projects focus on islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, exploring their delicate ecologies and environments, including the effects of climate change. Utilising storytelling, she further explores new landscapes, considering a sustainable future where the island acts as a microcosm of the world. She also engages in curatorial projects that promote cultural exchange, such as the 2023 exhibition Resonating Tides for the Women’s Pavilion at Expo City for COP28.
Anupama Sekhar is an expert in transnational cultural relations and public policy for arts, culture, and heritage. She is an Advisor at the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), which brings together arts councils and ministries of culture from over 70 countries. She also sits on the Board of ArtsEquator, which promotes critical writing about arts practice in south-east Asia and of Res Artis, a global network of arts residency operators with over 600 Members in 80 countries. She is also a member of the Research Advisory Council of Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Germany. Since 2015, Anupama has been a member of UNESCO’s Expert Facility for the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and is currently a member of the selection committee of UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity. Previously, she was Director for Culture at the Asia-Europe Foundation. Anupama is currently based in Dubai.
Raised in Sharjah, Palestinian-Jordanian Noor Suhail has worked in art and culture for almost a decade since she joined Maraya Art Centre as a graphic designer in 2015. After graduating with a BA in Visual Communication from the American University of Sharjah in 2006, she gained extensive experience working in marketing and advertising. Noor Suhail developed the branding strategy of 1971 - Design Space that opened in 2015 and continued to work on the visual identity of Maraya Art Centre’s exhibitions. In addition to designing and publishing the accompanying exhibition catalogues of Maraya Art Centre and 1971 – Design Space, she also contributed to the creative process of curating exhibitions in-house and externally, thereby gaining significant project management experience. She currently holds the position of curator at 1971 - Design Space.
The talks will be held at The Forum, Downtown Design at the d3 Waterfront Terrace.
