1981–present
Noor Al Suwaidi
Noor Al Suwaidi (born 1981) grew up in Abu Dhabi, studied studio art, and then became the first student from the Middle East on the curating master's course at Kingston University. She works in paint and collage and curates exhibitions of Emirati artists. Her first solo exhibition took place in London in 2011; her works are held in the Barjeel Art Foundation collection.
Biography
In 2011, at a gallery on Cork Street in London, Noor Al Suwaidi held her first solo exhibition. It was called “Like Coral I Create Clouds”.
She was born in 1981 and grew up in Abu Dhabi. She attended the Al Khansaa government school in Al Buteen. Her talent for drawing was noticed early and was encouraged at home. In 2004 she graduated from the American University with a BA in Studio Art. Before her master's degree she worked for Dubai Holdings. In 2009 Al Suwaidi received an MA in Curating Contemporary Design from Kingston University in London. Before her, no one from the Middle East had studied on that course. Later she began teaching part-time at the College of Art and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. She is one of the founding members of the Cultural and Arts Authority in Dubai.
As an artist she works in paint and collage. In her own words, figurative paintings can echo Arabic calligraphy. Critics and catalogues describe her painting as colourful, abstracted figuration. She has taken part in residencies in London, Rome and Berlin. Several works are in the Barjeel Art Foundation collection: the paintings “Landscape of Colour” and “Dreamers”, and the sculpture “The Head”.
Her curatorial line is separate and clearly defined: she specialises in contemporary Emirati artists. In 2010 she curated the exhibition “Experiment” in Sharjah. In 2012 she curated “The Present” at the Maraya Art Centre. In 2013 she took part in preparing “Time & Space Matter” in Dubai, and in 2014 she curated “In the Absence of Script” in Sharjah. In the same year, 2014, she was shown as a featured artist in “Modes & Methods” in Dubai. She also appeared outside the country. In 2010 she took part in a UAE National Day presentation at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in 2011 she was in the exhibition “Beyond the Frame” at the UAE Embassy in Washington. Since 2014 she has been listed as an envoy for contemporary Emirati art in the United States. In 2015 she spoke at “Emirati Insights” in Abu Dhabi.
In 2017 the Louvre Abu Dhabi invited her to discuss Bellini’s “Madonna and Child”.
Her awards include artist of the year from L’Officiel magazine (2011) and the Woman Artist of the Year prize from Emirates Woman magazine (2012).
Profile notes