Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation
Published on 2 June 2026
Sharjah Art Foundation announces the launch of Radial Histories, a six-part audio miniseries exploring lesser-known histories of visual art in Sharjah and the wider UAE from the 1960s to the early 1990s, just before the inception of the Sharjah Biennial in 1993.
Weaving together oral histories, archival recordings and scholarly commentary, the series addresses vital questions: How did a fine arts scene first emerge in Sharjah? What connected artists in the UAE to cultural movements in the Gulf, the wider Arab world and beyond? And how can we rethink modernism in the region before the rise of today’s global contemporary art scene?
At a time when the UAE is a major art hub and the Sharjah Biennial draws audiences from around the world, Radial Histories looks back to an earlier period of exchange and experimentation. It traces the relationships between artists and institutions that developed in relation to broader cultural and political shifts in the mid-to-late twentieth century.
Taking Sharjah as its point of departure, the series follows movements inward and outward, mapping the flow of people and ideas across expanding geographies. What emerges is a layered, cosmopolitan art history shaped as much by local conditions and infrastructural developments as by global ideological currents.
Featuring interviews with pioneering artists, curators, critics and institution-builders, the series brings together lived experience with archival sound and historical analysis. Radial Histories offers a new way of listening to the past—one that deepens our understanding of the present.
All six episodes of Radial Histories are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.
Episode 1: Introduction to the contours and contents of the miniseries through a conversation between the host and main researchers.
Episode 2: The inflow of people, media, technologies and pedagogies in the 1960s to the UAE through Pan-Arabist and Nasserist networks of exchange.
Episode 3: The outflow of artists in the 1970s from the UAE to study and exhibit abroad, where they encounter art scenes in other parts of the Arab world and Europe, and build connections to geographies near and far.
Episode 4: A dynamic and diverse art scene takes root in Sharjah in the 1980s, seeded by local and immigrant artists in dialogue with governmental exchange programmes within the Gulf and farther afield.
Episode 5: The 1980s continue with the rise of experimental practices and leftist thought as well as the tussle between institutional frameworks and independent initiatives, influenced by Arab intellectual networks and Cold War geopolitical circuits.
Episode 6: A concluding discussion between the host and main researchers about the wider shift from internationalism to globalisation in the context of art history.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113
Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation