1973–present
Azza bint Sultan Al-Qasimi
Sheikha Azza bint Sultan Al-Qasimi (born 1973), daughter of the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, studied in Dubai and at St Anthony’s College, Oxford. Her work has been shown in group exhibitions in the Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, China and the United Kingdom, and her first solo exhibition was held at the University of Oxford. She is known for watercolours, pastels, prints and painted ceramics.
Biography
Azza bint Sultan Al-Qasimi’s first solo exhibition took place not in the Emirates but at the University of Oxford. It was called “Sarab”, that is, “Mirage”.
She was born in 1973 into the family of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah; her mother is Sheikha Moza bint Salem. She received her school and university education in Dubai, then continued her studies at St Anthony’s College of the University of Oxford. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration; where she obtained it is not known. In art she has worked in several techniques: watercolour, pastel, printmaking and painting on ceramics. The works whose dates are known belong to the period from 1995 to 2001. Among them are the paintings “The Pearl Divers”, “The Minarets” and “The Wind Towers”. The subjects are tied to Emirati tradition: pearl diving was the basis of the coastal economy of the Gulf, and wind towers are a characteristic feature of the region’s older architecture. Her work has been shown in group exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Jordan, Egypt, China and the United Kingdom. The Oxford exhibition was conceived as a contribution to understanding between cultures. I think it is hard to judge her manner from such scanty information: I have no catalogues or reproductions at hand, and to describe her style from the titles of paintings would be presumptuous.
Alongside painting she works in business and takes part in several companies and projects. Which companies these are, and when she joined them, is not described in detail.
Profile notes