Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic
Sharjah Art Foundation announces Studio and Residency Programmes housed in repurposed heritage houses as well as modern and contemporary art spaces across the Emirate of Sharjah. Spanning from Sharjah City’s historic creekside quarter to the coast of Al Hamriyah to the eastern town of Kalba on the Gulf of Oman, both programmes draw on the tangible and intangible presence of water.
The Studio Programme makes a wide range of spaces available to creatives at different stages of their careers, offering studio leases for up to three years. Additionally, free work spaces are offered to recent fine arts graduates and PhD candidates to assist them in periods of transition.
The Residency Programme, open to visual artists, performance artists, writers, poets, researchers, musicians, filmmakers and other creatives who wish to pursue their experimental, interdisciplinary practice, offers flights and transportation to Sharjah, accommodation and a monthly stipend. Residents will also have access to the Foundation’s institutional networks and resources.
The application process for the Residency Programme will begin soon, while the open call for the Studio Programme will go out later in the year.
Our Venues
Collections Building, Sharjah City
The Collections Building, used in the past for exhibitions and artwork storage, currently hosts workshops and artist studios.
Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, Sharjah City
Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, a creek-side heritage house in the Al Shuwaiheen neighbourhood, was the personal residence of pearl merchant Obaid Bin Hamad Al Shamsi and his family until the 1970s. Dating to the mid-nineteenth century, the complex comprises 16 rooms built around an airy central courtyard. In the late 1990s, the house was restored and repurposed as a suite of artist studios and exhibition spaces. The complex offers panoramic views of the creek from its rooftop terrace. Serving as a Sharjah Biennial venue for large-scale installations and performances since 2009, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi also hosts regular art workshops, residencies and year-round events.
Bait Al Serkal, Sharjah City
Once the personal residence of Issa Bin Abdul Latif Al Serkal, the British Commissioner for the Arabian Gulf, and later home to the late Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Bait Al Serkal dates to the nineteenth century. Converted into Sharjah’s first maternity hospital in the early 1960s, the heritage house was restored and transformed into an arts and cultural centre in the mid-1990s. Small rooms lining arched corridors as well as an open courtyard, large hall and portico on the upper level are used for Sharjah Biennials and a range of other Foundation programming.
Al Hamriyah Studios, Al Hamriyah
Built on the site of a former souq near the Arabian Gulf coastline, Al Hamriyah Studios offers multifunctional spaces for the production and exhibition of artworks. Combining avant-garde and modern architectural technologies, the complex preserves much of the original footprint of the market, including the central courtyard. Landscaped with local greenery and sculpture, the outdoor area now serves as a place for quiet contemplation or conversation. The venue has hosted exhibitions, site-specific installations, performances and outdoor film screenings. Designed by architect Khaled Al Najjar, Al Hamriyah Studios was inaugurated by the Foundation in 2017.
Kalba Ice Factory, Kalba
Retrofitted by Lima-based 51-1 Arquitectos to preserve the feel of open industrial spaces, Kalba Ice Factory boasts well-lighted exhibition areas, art studios and residential accommodation within a natural setting. The complex is located next to Kalba Creek and Al Qurm mangroves, home to many endangered species of birds, turtles and lizards. The 1970s brutalist concrete structure, enclosed by the saw-tooth silhouette of a corrugated metal roof, was once a fish feed mill and ice storage facility. Acquired by Sharjah Art Foundation in 2012, it has been used as Sharjah Biennial venue since 2015.
For more information, visit sharjahart.org.
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.
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. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic