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Welcome to MENA Art

Exclusive access to galleries and artists across the region etc.

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Welcome.

Art investment in the MENA region is evolving rapidly, blending cultural insight with strong market growth.

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ADAI champions artists from across the Middle East and North Africa

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ADAI works with artists across the Middle East and North Africa to ensure their work is seen, understood, and contextualized. Representation on ADAI means supporting artists through curated visibility, research, and digital presentation, connecting their work to audiences, exhibitions, and broader cultural conversations.

Artists featured on ADAI are not exclusively signed or commercially represented— instead, ADAI provides a platform to showcase your practice, highlight your perspective, and situate your work within the evolving landscape of MENA art.

By representing your work on ADAI, you gain access to:

  • Curated profiles that highlight your artistic journey
  • Opportunities for exposure in exhibitions, publications, and online showcases
  • Connection to audiences, researchers, and institutions interested in MENA art

Representation is about visibility, context, and community - helping your art reach the right audiences while respecting your autonomy as an artist."

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Founders of Arab Modernism (1920–1940)

Often referred to as the era of Al-Ruwad (The Pioneers), this period marks the birth of modern Arab art. Many of these artists were sent on government-sponsored scholarships to study in European capitals like Paris and Rome. Upon returning home, they blended Western academic techniques (such as Impressionism and Realism) with local subjects, landscapes, and the emerging concept of national identity.

Top Artists:

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    Mahmoud Sa'id (Egypt)
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    Moustafa Farroukh (Lebanon)
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    Mohammed Naghi (Egypt)
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    Habib Srour (Lebanon)
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    Mahmoud Mokhtar (Egypt - pioneer of modern Egyptian sculpture)
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    Omar Onsi (Lebanon)
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National Movements & Abstract Innovation (1950–1970)

Following World War II, as Arab nations gained independence from colonial powers, artists sought to break away from European academicism to forge distinctly localized modernisms. This era saw the formation of major artist collectives, such as the Baghdad Group for Modern Art and the Contemporary Art Group in Cairo. Pan-Arabism, decolonization, and the revival of ancient heritage (like Pharaonic or Mesopotamian motifs) were massive drivers of this era.

Top Artists:

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    Jewad Selim (Iraq)
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    Faik Hassan (Iraq)
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    Hamed Ewais (Egypt)
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    Saloua Raouda Choucair (Lebanon)
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Figurative Expression & Political Engagement (1960–1980)

This period was heavily defined by regional political turmoil, most notably the 1967 Six-Day War (the Naksa or 'setback'), the Palestinian exodus, and the Lebanese Civil War. Art became a crucial tool for resistance, political commentary, and documenting human suffering. Existential angst and national trauma led to an emotionally charged, often somber, figurative expressionism.

Top Artists:

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    Ismail Shammout (Palestine)
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    Leila Nasir (Syria)
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    Sliman Mansour (Palestine)
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    Samia Halaby (Palestine)
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    Dia Azzawi (Iraq)
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Hurufiyya & Abstraction with Cultural Identity (1960–1990)

The Hurufiyya (Letterism) movement is arguably the most significant and cohesive modernist movement to emerge from the Arab world. Artists deconstructed Arabic calligraphy, liberating the letters from their linguistic and religious functions to use them as purely abstract, rhythmic, and visual elements. This allowed them to engage with global abstract expressionism while remaining deeply rooted in Islamic and Arab heritage.

Top Artists:

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    Shakir Hassan Al Said (Iraq)
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    Kamal Boullata (Palestine)
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    Madiha Umar (Iraq/Syria - widely considered a pioneer who started exploring this in the 1940s)
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    Ibrahim El-Salahi (Sudan)
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Contemporary & Transnational Voices (1990–2020)

Driven by globalization, the diaspora experience, and new technologies, Arab art in this era expanded well beyond traditional painting and sculpture. It became heavily characterized by video, photography, installation, and performance art. Operating on a global stage, these artists tackle complex themes of post-colonialism, migration, memory, borders, and gender identity.

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    Mona Hatoum (Palestine/UK)
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    Yto Barrada (Morocco/France)
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    Wael Shawky (Egypt)
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    Akram Zaatari (Lebanon)
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Suzanne Braidy: Building the Architecture of Memory

• Suzanne Braidy
5 min read • Sep 17, 2026
Suzanne Braidy: Building the Architecture of Memory

Publication: Art&Gulf Magazine (Artist to Watch & Interview feature, August 2026) Core Artistic Philosophy: Braidy’s practice defines art as an architectural landscape where emotion possesses physical structure. Her methodology rejects flat surfaces in favor of heavy chromatic layering, pointillism

  • Publication: Art&Gulf Magazine (Artist to Watch & Interview feature, August 2026)

  • Core Artistic Philosophy: Braidy’s practice defines art as an architectural landscape where emotion possesses physical structure. Her methodology rejects flat surfaces in favor of heavy chromatic layering, pointillism-inspired precision, and expressive palette-knife techniques to map out the psychological terrain of survival, heritage, and human resilience.

  • Background & Identity: Rooted in her academic foundations at the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth and shaped by long-standing professional and creative life in Dubai, her work explores diaspora, spatial depth, and the constant construction of belonging.

  • Key Series & Works:

    • The "Human Map" Series: Maps the physical and psychological grid of survival, exploring how internal structures hold together under pressure.

    • Featured Works: Highlights pieces like The Storm and Al-Nur as examples of material density and spatial depth exploring the sudden emergence of light and clarity from fracture.

  • Artist's Vision: To build works of enduring permanence that serve as unyielding architectural testaments to human experience in a transient, fast-paced digital world.


    Suzanne Braidy: Building the Architecture of Memory

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