Artist and Curator. Kuwaiti-born Canadian, living in Sharjah.
What’s your morning routine before work?
It usually involves picking out my morning music. This is somehow more difficult than it should be, but it’s important to me as it affects my mood and the way I think for the rest of the day. After that’s sorted, then I move on to my wardrobe and more practical things before rushing out.
How do you decide what to wear in the morning?
I try to keep a wardrobe of things that mix and match. I think of what I will be doing that day, who I will be meeting, if it is formal or if there is an event. I pick one thing I like and build from there and see what sort of a statement I want to make.
Three items you can’t live without?
A musical instrument (either my oud or my guitar), books and a jacket of some sort.
Favourite place you like to go to in Sharjah?
I love my area in Sharjah. I am near Rolla, right next to the corniche, a five-minute walk from the Sharjah Art Museum and a bit further to the Sharjah Art Foundation, full of souks and the hustle and bustle of a lively commercial area in between. I am very fond of my Friday morning walks, and enjoy the fact that I can even walk to work at the Barjeel offices (in winter, of course).
What did you do last night?
I was on the train from Cairo to Alexandria, where we (Barjeel Art Foundation) are currently installing an exhibition at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on the modern art movement Hurufiyya.
Complete the sentence: My perfect holiday would be…
Being in a big city with my friends and my partner. I would love to be able to explore, see and hear live music, dance, see exhibitions, exchange with artists of all kinds – but also have the chance to be alone, reflect and take pictures. If this city were by the sea or the mountains that would be wonderful too.
What book are you reading at the moment?
Right now, I’m reading a few different things: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, a wonderful gift from my partner; Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes (on loan from my colleague and fellow curator at Barjeel); and many essays on modern Arab art for an ongoing publication project.
Tell us a fact about you that nobody knows.
I can be quite private, so there is a lot to choose from.
Your favourite designer at the moment?
I don’t follow a specific designer. However, I like to keep up with new and interesting news and talent, and relate them to bigger cultural developments. Here in the UAE, one of my favourite designers (and a great friend) is Faissal El-Malak – I only wish he would make menswear that I could wear.
Your current style inspiration?
Not a single person, but a blend of things. I am currently enjoying the futurist, athletic and minimalist looks online, and pairing that with more classic pieces. I never seen without a blazer and mostly with a button-down shirt, but I enjoy pairing these classic items with minimal, modernist or futuristic touches – usually in my shoes and accessories.
Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?
The first answer that comes to mind would be an Egyptian folk singer Sheikh Imam and his poet Ahmed Fouad Negm. I could imagine us singing “El Bahr Beyedhak Leih?” (Why Does The Sea Laugh?) as we pondered our shared fate.
Three things you hate?
War, racism and lazy art.
What’s your personal motto?
“Don’t mourn – organise.” A dear friend repeated this quote to me years ago and it has resonated with me every day since.
How do you want the world to remember you?
That is not up to me, but I think people are remembered for what they do and not who they are.
