In Discussion with Dr. Nada Shabout

Courtesy of Art Dubai

Dr. Nada Shabout is an academic, curator and writer whose research and teaching works to confront, address, and respond to the art historical neglect of modern and contemporary art from the Arab world, and its absence from the art history canon.

She is currently a Regents Professor of Art History and the Coordinator of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas. Nada served as the Project Advisory for the Saudi National Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2019, and is the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran and Turkey, a non-profit organisation that aims to advance the study of this field through the creation of a network of interested scholars and organisations.

Through her extensive research, publications, and curatorial projects, Nada has aimed to protect the visual cultural memory of modern Iraqi art. Nada has received major awards as a result of such research, notably the Writers Grants, Andy Warhol Foundation 2018, and a Getty Foundation Grant in 2019 to support the project ‘Mapping Art Histories from the Arab World, Iran and Turkey’.

I had the pleasure of asking Dr. Nada Shabout about why Dubai is such a great place for an Art Fair such as Art Dubai, something someone new to the art world would not know about being a curator, also how close she works with the artists she chooses and so much more.

UZOMAH: Could you share the strategies and tactics you employed to ensure your section was accessible to a diverse audience?

NADA: Art Dubai has created a platform that is built on art historical scholarship and wide-ranging, cross-cultural engagement, specifically with other non-Western geographies. You can perhaps see this best within Art Dubai Modern, a section that highlights Modern masters and encourages the discovery of under-explored art histories. It was important for us to consider this legacy, ensuring that this year’s Modern section would reflect the fair’s expansive nature and, as you say, remain accessible to a diverse audience. Through our research, we ascertained that there has been little literature surrounding links between Latin America and SWANA regions, a connection that we have chosen to highlight within our curatorial frame, which more broadly assess shared commonalities and aspirations in postcolonial regions. It's exciting to know that this platform will positively contribute to expanding the dialogue, and at the same time the Fair will continue to broaden its geographic remit.

U: What is your favorite part about curating exhibitions?

N: This is a difficult question. As an art historian, I would say the research! Working from a constructed premise to weave a narrative and select artists always leads to new knowledge. This is the most exciting part for me as I learn more about the artists.  

U: How closely do you work with the artists whose art you chose?

N: There is a slightly different artist-curator relationship when curating the works of Modern masters, in comparison to living, contemporary artists. Often times, you’re looking retrospectively at works and the significance that they have had in the journey of global history. We conducted a lot of first-hand research, speaking with galleries to get closer to the details, as well as zooming out to consider the macro-environments of the time.

However, collaboration has been a huge part of this process, most obviously, in working alongside co-curator Magalí Arriola – a happy pairing conceived by Art Dubai’s Artistic Director Pablo del Val. 

It was fascinating for us to uncover the similarities in artistic production across regions – you notice that the artists were, and in many cases, unknowingly, responding to related provocations. 

In this case, we are assessing shared responses to colonial regimes and the effect they had on vast communities. We were very intentional about unveiling some of these connected threads; heritage and abstraction are two key themes that underscore the section, for example. 

U: What would someone new to the art world not know about being a curator?

N: Perhaps that there are many hidden steps before you get to the fun part of working with artists and works of art. That you need to do the research around the artist and the work within a wider context of historical and art historical, political and cultural development beyond the immediate biographical one. 

Is there an example of an exhibition where you successfully incorporated a unique perspective or interpretation of art history that you can share?

This is the first edition of Art Dubai Modern that has included a Latin American artist – we will be showcasing the works of Venezuelan artist Dario Pérez Flores – so this feels a particularly unique opportunity to broaden the scope in geographical terms. Pérez Flores is a pioneer in kinetic art, known for developing an instrumental series of plexiglass kinetic works, before relocating to France and joining a collective of Latin American artists who had already settled there. 

There is a long, under-explored history of migration between Arab and Latin American regions, especially amongst Lebanese and Palestinian communities, for example. It’s a privilege to have researched these links that actually exist in my own family history and further delve into the common concerns and affinities that tie these regions together. 

U: Why is Dubai such a great place for a fair like this? 

N: There is a notable rise in the calibre of artists exhibiting at Art Dubai. In many cases, we are witnessing a direct link between Venice Biennale curators visiting Art Dubai, discovering artists from the region and beyond, and including them in future presentations. This was perhaps most noticeable in Adriano Pedrosa’s 2024 edition of the Biennale, as it focused on artists outside of the Western art canon – a realm in which Art Dubai are industry pioneers. For example, Art Dubai Modern exhibitor SECCI are bringing works by Lebanese artist, Omar Mismar, present at the 2024 Biennale, or Richard Saltoun, who will present works by Mozambican Modern master and fellow Biennale participant, Bertina Lopes (Mozambique, b. 1924). 

Art Dubai, and more broadly Dubai itself, is a place that many people are drawn to, as such, visitors can expect to see a real range of art, from familiar names to undiscovered treasures. It feels like a place ripe for discovery, I think that’s what makes it great.

U: What are some things you kept in mind when developing this section to make Art Dubai something unforgettable?

N: Returning to the historic links between Latin America and SWANA regions, we really wanted to highlight the relationship between post-colonial conditions and abstraction. We felt that there was an important story to be told about this form of expression, in relation to the realities of colonialist rule. We begin to recognise a shared visual language among these artists that almost translates the anxieties and aspirations of the era. We could take inspiration from Hussein Madi (Mark Hachem) or Mehdi Moutashar (Lawrie Shabibi) and The New Vision Group. 

Viewing the works through this lens, and in a shared context, gives each history a fresh perspective. It was important for us that these subtleties were captured, and that they might resonate with Art Dubai’s audience.

U: Is this the first time working together with another curator? For Art Dubai, you co-curated with Magalí Arriola. How was that experience? 

N: It is not the first time, and I enjoy the collaborative context. During this process Magalí and I were really able to delve into our own practices and personal histories. Our collaboration has not only resulted in a diverse selection of presentations but will also extend into the Art Dubai Modern Talks programme, which we both have the honour of curating and moderating this year. The talks initiative – which is held in partnership with the city’s first institutional art collection, Dubai Collection – occurs annually at the fair, building on each visiting curator’s interpretation of the section. I think it’s particularly special that this year, it will feature insights from both of our backgrounds and varied geographies. An expansion that feels appropriate in such a multicultural city as Dubai.

This interview was conducted before Art Dubai. For more information about Art Dubai, please visit their site here. Art Dubai can also be found on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram.