Overview

Join in, take part and collaborate as individuals, families, friends – as a community, together in do it بالعربي [in Arabic] – a project organised by Sharjah Art Foundation. More than 70 artists from across the region have participated in do it بالعربي [in Arabic], contributing instructions that anyone can use to make a new work of art. Co-curated by Sharjah Art Foundation Director Hoor Al Qasimi and Serpentine Gallery Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist, this project is a new iteration of the ongoing do it publication and exhibition project originally founded and curated by Obrist in 1993.

do it بالعربي [in Arabic] opened to the public in Sharjah from 23 January to 23 April 2016 at Sharjah Art Foundation's heritage house Bait Al Shamsi. On view was a selection of artist instructions, some of which had already been realised and others that visitors were able to use to create art works of their own. There was also the opportunity to join in public workshops, activations, performances and thought-provoking activities on one of the many Open Days scheduled over the course of the exhibition.

The bilingual publication of do it بالعربي [in Arabic], which accompanies the exhibition, includes the over 60 newly commissioned artist instructions, a selection of previously published instructions and essays that contextualise the project. This publication has become the basis for a series of do it بالعربي [in Arabic] exhibitions and events with institutions across the region.

Participating Artists

Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Hamra Abbas, Mohamed Abdelkarim, Adel Abdessemed, Adel Abidin, Sarah Abu Abdallah, Etel Adnan, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Sophia Al Maria, Jaffar Al Oraibi, Mohammed Al Qassab, Nasser Al Salem, Mounira Al Solh, Mustapha Akrim, Rita Alaoui, Khalid Albaih, Manal AlDowayan, Rheim Alkadhi, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Ziad Antar, Tarek Atoui, Samira Badran, Ismaïl Bahri, Lara Baladi, Dia Batal, Taysir Batniji, Dorris Bittar, Ali Cherri, Ayman Yossri Daydban, Róza El-Hassan, Fouad ElKoury, Safaa Erruas, Fadlabi, Simone Fattal, GCC, Abdulnasser Gharem, Ahmad Ghossein, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Aya Haidar, Hazem Harb, Mona Hatoum, Susan Hefuna, Khaled Hourani, Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, Mohammed Kazem, Yazan Khalili, Hassan Khan, Ahmed Mater, Hassan Meer, Amina Menia, Magdi Mostafa, Joe Namy, Nasir Nasrallah, Amir Nour, Khalil Rabah, Khaled Sabsabi, Abdulraheem Salim, Jayce Salloum, Zineb Sedira, Sam Shalabi, Hassan Sharif, Suha Shoman, Nida Sinnokrot, Rayyane Tabet, Jorge Tacla, Jalal Toufic, Sharif Waked, Raed Yassin, Ala Younis, Hisham Youssef and Camille Zakharia

do it بالعربي [in Arabic] in the Region

Since the first activation of do it بالعربي [in Arabic] in Sharjah in early 2016, other iterations of the project have been presented at Darat Al Funun, Amman (June–December 2016); Al Riwaq, Manama (July and November–December 2016); Riwaq, Ramallah and other locations in Palestine (March–October 2017) and Townhouse, Cairo (July 2017). Continuing its travels, do it بالعربي [in Arabic] will be presented in 2018 with Art Jameel in various Saudi Arabian locations.

Click on the image arrays below to view the different iterations around the region.

do it بالعربي