Instagram Story Save

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“In an art world often obsessed with size and scale, Al-Thani’s approach feels like a quiet rebellion.

This idea of cultural intimacy, as opposed to cultural translation, is at the heart of his practice. He doesn’t seek to explain Arab or Muslim identity to outsiders. Instead, he invites viewers to step into a space of quiet familiarity. “If the work speaks to you, you’ll find your own language with it,” he says. “Art isn’t always about understanding. Sometimes, it’s about being present with something and letting it move you.” Asha Iyer Kumar for Khaleeji Times

Image Credit: Brownbook shot by David Belusic

“Given the militantly right-wing, anti-Muslim, anti-female path that India, along with many other nations, including our own, is now following, her art is more pertinent and potent than ever. A museum should step up and give us the full scope.” Part of Holland Cotter’s review of IAIA’s inaugural exhibition at our new space, The Tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rummana Hussain.

“Given the militantly right-wing, anti-Muslim, anti-female path that India, along with many other nations, including our own, is now following, her art is more pertinent and potent than ever. A museum should step up and give us the full scope.” Part of Holland Cotter’s review of IAIA’s inaugural exhibition at our new space, The Tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rummana Hussain.

“Given the militantly right-wing, anti-Muslim, anti-female path that India, along with many other nations, including our own, is now following, her art is more pertinent and potent than ever. A museum should step up and give us the full scope.” Part of Holland Cotter’s review of IAIA’s inaugural exhibition at our new space, The Tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rummana Hussain.

“Given the militantly right-wing, anti-Muslim, anti-female path that India, along with many other nations, including our own, is now following, her art is more pertinent and potent than ever. A museum should step up and give us the full scope.” Part of Holland Cotter’s review of IAIA’s inaugural exhibition at our new space, The Tomb of Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rummana Hussain.

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

At a time when the standards of the female figure were defined by images produced in the west, Caland openly addressed these expectations through a series called 'Bribes de Corps' which she developed while living in Paris. What was heavy became delicate; what was wobbly became a visual delight. #HuguetteCaland #1970s #Caland

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

In #Qatar, in a tent in the middle of the desert, an unexpected exhibition invites visitors to rediscover a contemplative relationship with nature. ⁠
⁠
It posits the universality of this need across cultures through the work of a diverse group of artists from around the world. They speak very different visual languages, yet all draw inspiration from the earth.⁠
⁠
At the heart of the initiative is Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani (@mrathani), one of the youngest members of the ruling Al-Thani family, who now resides in New York, where he founded the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (@instituteaia). ⁠
⁠
Along with acclaimed designer William Cooper (@wtcooper), he conceived @rahaalworld, a temporary nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet. ⁠
⁠
Read more by @elisartgal at the link in our bio

“The central pavilion, Al Ma’rad, hosts the inaugural show, “Anywhere Is My Land,” curated by Rashid Al-Thani with work by contemporary artists from diverse geographies, all imagining landscape not as a depiction of place but as fragments of memory carried within the traveler—seen, altered and remembered in motion. The notion of constant movement informed the exhibition’s title, inspired by Antonio Díaz’s series Anywhere Is My Land, created while he was in exile in Italy. “The idea of land, and where you find it, becomes very powerful—especially here, where land is understood as a common space,” Rashid Al-Thani reflected.

Featuring both established and emerging artists, the exhibition leaves viewers with a sense of feeling at home—even in the desert—through the possibility of reconnecting with natural scenes that resonate differently with each person’s background and memories. Collectively, the works affirm the universality of humanity’s need for contemplation of nature as a way to reattune to the most primordial truths of our existence within a broader cosmic order. All hanging, Salon-style, in a vibrant constellation against the fabric-lined walls, the works on view range from the poetic, endless starry night of Vija Celmins and material collaborative connections with the prime elements of Arte Povera masters Giuseppe Penone and Pier Paolo Calzolari, to the lyrical, more abstract, synthetic visions of artists from the region such as Etel Adnan and Huguette Caland, and the archaic, archetypal reappearances of Simone Fattal, among other names.“

Elisa Carollo for The Observer

“The central pavilion, Al Ma’rad, hosts the inaugural show, “Anywhere Is My Land,” curated by Rashid Al-Thani with work by contemporary artists from diverse geographies, all imagining landscape not as a depiction of place but as fragments of memory carried within the traveler—seen, altered and remembered in motion. The notion of constant movement informed the exhibition’s title, inspired by Antonio Díaz’s series Anywhere Is My Land, created while he was in exile in Italy. “The idea of land, and where you find it, becomes very powerful—especially here, where land is understood as a common space,” Rashid Al-Thani reflected.

Featuring both established and emerging artists, the exhibition leaves viewers with a sense of feeling at home—even in the desert—through the possibility of reconnecting with natural scenes that resonate differently with each person’s background and memories. Collectively, the works affirm the universality of humanity’s need for contemplation of nature as a way to reattune to the most primordial truths of our existence within a broader cosmic order. All hanging, Salon-style, in a vibrant constellation against the fabric-lined walls, the works on view range from the poetic, endless starry night of Vija Celmins and material collaborative connections with the prime elements of Arte Povera masters Giuseppe Penone and Pier Paolo Calzolari, to the lyrical, more abstract, synthetic visions of artists from the region such as Etel Adnan and Huguette Caland, and the archaic, archetypal reappearances of Simone Fattal, among other names.“

Elisa Carollo for The Observer

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of William White, Rahaal is a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library.

For its first edition, Mohammed bin Rashid and Will Cooperchoose the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar to inaugurate Rahaal’s journey, a space where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of William White, Rahaal is a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library.

For its first edition, Mohammed bin Rashid and Will Cooperchoose the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar to inaugurate Rahaal’s journey, a space where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of William White, Rahaal is a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library.

For its first edition, Mohammed bin Rashid and Will Cooperchoose the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar to inaugurate Rahaal’s journey, a space where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of William White, Rahaal is a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library.

For its first edition, Mohammed bin Rashid and Will Cooperchoose the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar to inaugurate Rahaal’s journey, a space where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of William White, Rahaal is a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library.

For its first edition, Mohammed bin Rashid and Will Cooperchoose the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar to inaugurate Rahaal’s journey, a space where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

Al Ma’rad (The Exhibition Space), serves as the central pavilion of Rahaal, unfolding an intimate constellation of works, channeling a dialogue between generations, geographies, and gestures. Named after the seminal 1968 work by Antonio Dias, the exhibition, Anywhere is My Land, gathers contemporary artists from diverse geographies, reimagining the landscape not as depiction of place, but as fragments of memory carried within the traveler; seen, altered and remembered in motion. Within, paintings anchor the space, not as desired aesthetics, but as psychic terrain. Championing nature, this exhibition carries us the distance between mountain and horizon, mapping out to distant stars and returning again to the tactility of earth and leaves.

Presenting contemporary art through the recognisable iconography of natural forms, this exhibition evokes the power of identification within the viewer, whilst considering the landscape’s interconnected potential for political and cultural critique. Rahaal presents an aesthetic common across borders, histories and experiences, inviting a diversity of artists, practices and philosophies to interact in one space.

Curated by: Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani and reimagined by William Cooper

Participating Artists: Hamra Abbas, Etel Adnan & Simone Fattal, Harold Ancart, Ziad Antar, Willy Aractingi, Richard Artschwager, Nasser Assar, Milton Avery, David Austen, Alwar Balasubramaniam, Huguette Caland, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Vija Celmins, Ziad Dalloul, Antonio Dias, Aleksandar Duravcevic, Aref el Rayess, Zhang Enli, Zeng Fanzhi, Lee Friedlander, Adam Fuss, Cy Gavin, Daniele Genadry, Samia Osseiran Junblat, Helen Khal, Per Kirkeby, Maria Klabin, Silke Otto-Knapp, César Rangel Ramos, Kibong Rhee, Thomas Ruff, Farideh Lashai, Deana Lawson, Mara De Luca, Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, Meghdad Lorpour, Valeria Maggi, Melissa McGill, Tomie Ohtake, Catherine Opie, Luca Pancrazzi, Giuseppe Penone, Behjat Sadr, Matt Saunders, Sohrab Sepehri, Ranjani Shettar, Paramjit Singh,Zarina, Afaf Zurayk

To book your visit: www.rahaal.world

Image credit: Antonio Dias, Anywhere Is My Land, 1968. Private collection via Nara Roesler

Introducing Rahaal: a flagship nomadic museum unfolding across three pavilions, an exhibition space, a salon and a library, in the historic nature reserve of Zekreet, Qatar — just miles from Richard Serra’s monumental East–West/West–East.

Opening February 2-21, 2026

Founded by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, the founding director and curator of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William Cooper, acclaimed designer and founder of WIlliam White, Rahaal is conceived as a beacon for intellectuals, patrons, collectors and cultural luminaries, as a site where nature, culture, and art converge in a single, transformative experience that reflects centuries of Arab rituals rooted in community building around nature.

In the spirit of cross-cultural celebrations, Rahaal offers an unequivocal opportunity for various diverse movements and mediums to meld within a shared visual iconography, bringing perspectives closer in a profound, yet intimate cultural setting.

@rahaalworld @mrathani @wtcooper

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture transformed by this mornings flurries in New York City.

As part of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art inaugural Public Art curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Big Rumi by Ghada Amer reminds us the beauty of language and the diversity that resides within it. “You are what you seek” embodies the hope, resilience and empowerment that the city continues to have on its people.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

Omar Abdullatif’s first U.S. solo exhibition at the William White Studio, curated by @mrathani in collaboration with the Institute of Arab & Islamic Art.

William White Studio @ 264 Canal St #4E, NYC

By appointment through Dec 23: ww@williamwhite.com

Presented by @instituteaia × @whoiswilliamwhite

The Dream Weaver unveils Abdulattif’s intricate paintings and meditative compositions that blur the boundaries between mnemonic and imaginative registers. Wielding his technical proficiency with deft control, he achieves hyperrealism in the conjuring of his figures, only to challenge this state through a rigorous process of layering and repetition, subduing them into a haze of mysticism. The repeated emblem of a goat’s head, severed bloodlessly from its body, ruptures the distinction between the real and the surreal, whilst figures fade into their surroundings as if subsumed in mist, time-worn memories distanced from the sharpness of the moment. Abdullatif’s unique process meditates upon the resilience and complexities of the human experience, exploring self reflection through the visual lens of historical narratives.

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

They Always Appear, Ibrahim El-Salahi’s first Institutional survey in America curated by Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani is on view at IAIA.

Grounded in his childhood studies of the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy, El-Salahi developed a singular visual language, recognizing the abstract potential of the figure within Arabic letters. His work navigates the tensions and affinities between modernism and the historical continuum of Islamic aesthetics, offering a visual vocabulary that is deeply his own, yet inherently transnational. In alignment with the principle of multiplicity, literary connotations are often woven into his practice, as he explores the inextricable interplay between drawing and literature.
​

Big Rumi, Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture is on view at Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in downtown New York, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art’s Inaugural public Art Program.

Ghada Amer frequently incorporates language—English, French, and Arabic—into her work, using the notions and nuances of translation to pull at the tensions of East and West that are ever-present throughout her practice. The latticework of Big Rumi (2024) is formed by the repetition of the Arabic quote attributed to the 13th century mystic poet, Rumi, which, translated into English reads: “You are what you seek” or “What you seek is seeking you.” Molding this text into spherical forms allows for repeated reflection on not only Rumi’s cryptic aphorism, but also on the very nature of language and translation. For Amer, this quote is particularly poignant and hopeful: In a world where so many are quick to ask for solutions or answers to our problems from external forces, it serves as a kind reminder of the value of self-reflection and self-trust.

Image 1,3 and 4 Courtesy of Institute of Arab and Islamic Art
Image 2 Courtesy of the Artist & Marinae Boesky Gallery, New York & Aspen

Big Rumi, Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture is on view at Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in downtown New York, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art’s Inaugural public Art Program.

Ghada Amer frequently incorporates language—English, French, and Arabic—into her work, using the notions and nuances of translation to pull at the tensions of East and West that are ever-present throughout her practice. The latticework of Big Rumi (2024) is formed by the repetition of the Arabic quote attributed to the 13th century mystic poet, Rumi, which, translated into English reads: “You are what you seek” or “What you seek is seeking you.” Molding this text into spherical forms allows for repeated reflection on not only Rumi’s cryptic aphorism, but also on the very nature of language and translation. For Amer, this quote is particularly poignant and hopeful: In a world where so many are quick to ask for solutions or answers to our problems from external forces, it serves as a kind reminder of the value of self-reflection and self-trust.

Image 1,3 and 4 Courtesy of Institute of Arab and Islamic Art
Image 2 Courtesy of the Artist & Marinae Boesky Gallery, New York & Aspen

Big Rumi, Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture is on view at Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in downtown New York, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art’s Inaugural public Art Program.

Ghada Amer frequently incorporates language—English, French, and Arabic—into her work, using the notions and nuances of translation to pull at the tensions of East and West that are ever-present throughout her practice. The latticework of Big Rumi (2024) is formed by the repetition of the Arabic quote attributed to the 13th century mystic poet, Rumi, which, translated into English reads: “You are what you seek” or “What you seek is seeking you.” Molding this text into spherical forms allows for repeated reflection on not only Rumi’s cryptic aphorism, but also on the very nature of language and translation. For Amer, this quote is particularly poignant and hopeful: In a world where so many are quick to ask for solutions or answers to our problems from external forces, it serves as a kind reminder of the value of self-reflection and self-trust.

Image 1,3 and 4 Courtesy of Institute of Arab and Islamic Art
Image 2 Courtesy of the Artist & Marinae Boesky Gallery, New York & Aspen

Big Rumi, Ghada Amer’s monumental sculpture is on view at Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in downtown New York, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art’s Inaugural public Art Program.

Ghada Amer frequently incorporates language—English, French, and Arabic—into her work, using the notions and nuances of translation to pull at the tensions of East and West that are ever-present throughout her practice. The latticework of Big Rumi (2024) is formed by the repetition of the Arabic quote attributed to the 13th century mystic poet, Rumi, which, translated into English reads: “You are what you seek” or “What you seek is seeking you.” Molding this text into spherical forms allows for repeated reflection on not only Rumi’s cryptic aphorism, but also on the very nature of language and translation. For Amer, this quote is particularly poignant and hopeful: In a world where so many are quick to ask for solutions or answers to our problems from external forces, it serves as a kind reminder of the value of self-reflection and self-trust.

Image 1,3 and 4 Courtesy of Institute of Arab and Islamic Art
Image 2 Courtesy of the Artist & Marinae Boesky Gallery, New York & Aspen