About Meem

Overview

Since its launch in 2007, Meem Gallery has established itself as a leading specialist in the Arab and Iranian art world. The gallery’s aim is to promote the work of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern artists, and inspire viewers to engage with, and gain a deeper appreciation for, the art of this region. Meem’s strength lies in its unparalleled access to both private and public collections of the world’s leading artists. In its first year, the gallery distinguished itself by gaining exclusive representation rights in Dubai for the work of Ali Omar Ermes and Nja Mahdaoui, bringing their art to the Emirates for the first time. Other prominent artists exhibited at Meem include Dia Al-Azzawi (Iraq), Parviz Tanavoli (Iran), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Ibrahim Salahi (Sudan), Mohammad Omar Khalil (Sudan), Mohamed Melehi (Morocco), Ismail Acar (Turkey), and Abdullah Al-Muharraqi (Bahrain). Recent projects include Art in Iraq Today, Art Palestine, Art Sudan, and Art Morocco.

Commitment to Arts Education

In addition to exhibiting important modern and contemporary works, Meem encourages a greater understanding of Middle Eastern art through its publications, the Noor Library of Islamic Art, and contributions to the development of arts education.

In conjunction with every exhibition held at Meem a catalogue raisonné is produced in English and Arabic, providing viewers with a valuable resource on the artists and works displayed at the gallery. Major publications produced by the gallery include Dia Al-Azzawi: Retrospective (2010), Parviz Tanavoli: Monograph (2010) and Art in Iraq Today (2011, co-published by Skira and Meem, sponsored by Crescent Petroleum). The Noor Library of Islamic Art, in Meem Gallery, is regarded as the largest resource centre for the arts of the Islamic world in the region. To date, the library houses a collection of 10,000 books, journals, and auction catalogues relating to Islamic and modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art.

The library is part of Al Noor Institute of Middle Eastern Art (NIMEA, nimea.net), a non-profit institute initiated in 2002. NIMEA is dedicated to the archiving and promotion of Middle Eastern art and material culture, and aims to enhance the study and research of the arts of the region through the production of bilingual publications, educational programmes (lectures, seminars and panel discussions), and by working with leading art historians, museums and academic institutions, artists and galleries.

In January 2007, Meem Gallery went into partnership with Montblanc and Time Out to establish the Montblanc Meem Lecture Series—the first series of free educational lectures devoted to Arabic culture and modern Arab art for the people of Dubai. Meem has shown its commitment to the support of local art programmes by providing gallery space for student from the American University of Dubai, American University of Sharjah, Zayed University, and Latifa College. In March 2010, Meem Gallery received the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Award for its commitment ot the support of the arts in Dubai. students from the American University of Dubai, American University of Sharjah, Zayed University, and Latifa College.

Charitable Involvement

Meem is involved with both local and international charities. Meem supports the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre and Al-Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dubai; UNICEF Emergency Appeal for the Children of Iraq; UNICEF Emergency Appeal for the Children of Palestine; Medical Aid for Iraqi Children (MAIC); Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP);  Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF ); and the Al Madad Foundation.

Management

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Chairman of Meem; Sultan is also Chairman of Barjeel Securities and is the Chairman of Young Arab Leaders UAE Chapter.

Mishal Hamed Kanoo, Partner of Meem; Kanoo is Deputy Chairman of The Kanoo Group, one of the largest independent, family owned, companies in the Gulf Region.

Charles Pocock, Managing Partner of Meem Gallery, Founder of Noor Islamic Art, Adviser to ADMAF, Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society, Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society and Special Adviser to Skira.

Noura Haggag, Creative Director; Haggag is responsible for the art design of all projects related to Meem, most notably the gallery's publications which are produced in conjunction with Meem's exhibitions. She holds a bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Graphic Design and Visual Communication from the American University in Dubai, and is currently completing her Masters in Business Administration.

Samar Faruqi, Director of Research; Since joining Meem in March 2009, Faruqi has edited the gallery's publications which include Dia Al-Azzawi: Retrospective, Parviz Tanavoli: Monograph and Art in Iraq Today. She has a BA Honours in History of Art from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MPhil in History of Art from the University of Cambridge. She she is currently a PhD candidate at Cambridge, researching British Orientalist painting and the role of the Victorian art market.

Many of the artists Meem Gallery works with have art work in leading Middle Eastern and International collections and institutions such as:

Alexandria Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

British Museum, London

Centre Pompidou, Paris

Colas Foundation, Paris

Freer & Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York

Gulbenkian Collection, Barcelona

Harba Collection, Iraq and Italy

Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris

Kinda Foundation, Riyadh

LACMA, Los Angeles

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis

Museum of Contemporary Art, Algiers

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas

Museum of Modern Art, Amman

Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad

Museum of Modern Art, Cairo

Museum of Modern Art, Damascus

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York

Museum of Modern Art, Tunis

Museum of Modern Art, Vienna

National Gallery of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman

National Museum of African Art (NMAA), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Nelson Rockefeller Collection, New York

Niavaran Palace, Niavaran

Al Noor Collection, London & United Arab Emirates

The Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC

State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas

State Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow

Tate Britain, London

Tate Modern, London

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMOCA), Tehran

Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul

Una Foundation, Casablanca

Victoria and Albert Museum (V & A), London

Wereld Museum, Rotterdam