The Photography Gallery, 2025. Photo by Danko Stjepanovic
Published on 19 January 2026
Sharjah Art Foundation announces the launch of its new Photography Gallery, the first public gallery in the UAE dedicated to the medium.
The new venue was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah, together with senior officials and artists, on 8 November 2025.
The building is part of the Foundation’s ongoing initiative to repurpose and activate modern and heritage structures as spaces for art and culture across the Emirate of Sharjah. Facing the prominent Kuwait Roundabout in Al Manakh, the Photography Gallery was formerly a telecommunications building. Originally constructed in the late 1970s, it was among Sharjah’s earliest modern structures, commissioned during a period of rapid expansion following the region’s oil boom. From its construction until its disuse in the early 2010s, the building underwent multiple alterations and partial demolitions.
Following extensive historical research and documentation, the design process of the Photography Gallery focused on revealing the structure’s historical layers while opening up expansive spaces to support its programme. The Foundation’s interventions were designed to retain selected elements of the building’s past, creating a dialogue between new materials and the original architectural fabric.
The new building functions as a multifaceted cultural hub dedicated to the medium of photography. The two-storey building houses a gallery featuring photographs and archival documents from the collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah; two large-scale exhibition halls, each with a distinct architectural expression; learning spaces for lectures and workshops; a dark room; and a café.
The educational facilities are organized as a large, open studio that can accommodate different workshop configurations. The space is equipped with digital printing stations with film scanning capabilities, and a dedicated darkroom for analog printing. It also features its own cyclorama, suitable for studio-based photo shoots, along with enclosed workshop spaces for more focused activities.
As part of its robust year-round programme, the Photography Gallery will host Vantage Point Sharjah, the Foundation’s annual photography exhibition, as well as professional workshops, film initiatives and large-scale exhibitions by international photographers.
The Photography Gallery joins other adaptive reuse projects such as The Flying Saucer, Kalba Ice Factory, Old Al Dhaid Clinic and the Arts Palace—spaces that host diverse public programmes, placing contemporary art in dialogue with Sharjah’s rich architectural heritage.
The project was designed by Sharjah Art Foundation Team (Ali Al Saqban and Nethra Ganesan) in collaboration with SpaceContinuum Design Studio, and was executed by Dawson Partners.
For more information on the Photography Gallery and other repurposed art spaces by Sharjah Art Foundation, please 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.
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
The Photography Gallery, 2025. Photo by Danko Stjepanovic