A pioneering UAE-based organisation, Rizq Art Initiative is reshaping the cultural landscape of the Emirates by nurturing emerging talent from the Global South through exhibitions, residencies, and research-driven programmes that link local narratives with international artistic networks. Now recognised as one of the region’s most significant organisations supporting new talent, Rizq offers platforms for both professional and intellectual development. Founded by Shafeena Yusuff Ali, executive director, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, and shaped by the vision of Creative Director Meena Vari—in conversation with us—the organisation expands cultural dialogue across the UAE, South Asia, the MENA region, and beyond, opening meaningful pathways for emerging artists.
Where do you see Rizq positioned within the UAE and international art scene?
Within the UAE art scene, Rizq Art Initiative stands as a serious, concept-driven contemporary space identified as a privately run organisation led by a curatorial ambition. Started only in November 2023, Rizq in the last two years has managed to grab attention as well as has become a strong contender and contributor to the cultural scene from Abu Dhabi. Registered as a social enterprise and operating from a 700 m² institution on Al Reem Island, RAi delivers year-round exhibitions, residencies, talks, and educational programmes, placing it also like a cultural institution while it is also a commercial gallery. Its mission is rooted in giving visibility and opportunity to artists, curators, and artist-researchers from the Global South. By foregrounding Global South discourse in Abu Dhabi, RAi occupies a distinctive niche and enhances the city’s diasporic cultural landscape. RAi has also emerged as a dynamic bridge between Abu Dhabi’s rapidly growing cultural infrastructure and broader artistic networks across South Asia, the MENA region, and beyond. Through our exhibitions, which are mostly commercial in nature https://www.rizqart.com/exhibitions , along with participation in Abu Dhabi Art, illustrate how RAI actively collaborates with regional and international artists and curators. These connections position the initiative as a conduit for cultural exchange, linking local audiences with global conversations and encouraging cross-regional dialogue that aligns with Abu Dhabi’s evolving role as a cultural capital. On the international stage, RAi is a young but rapidly integrating player, already present on global platforms and art-fair circuits. Its founding commitment to Global South narratives resonates strongly with international curators to curate some of our exhibitions, touring exhibitions from the UAE to Kochi, Kerala and the International Art.
How do you think the Middle Eastern market differs from Europe or North America in terms of collectors’ tastes and trends?
There is a difference in the markets particularly when we talk of art. The tastes are different as they are shaped by its cultural context, here its relatively young collecting culture, and I feel the actual collection has to start. Here the collectors tend to be more relationship-driven and often place strong value on personal engagement with artists and galleries. Many collectors including the international collectors who have been living in the region seem to have a lot of interest in collecting works deeply rooted in narratives of identity, heritage, and place, aesthetics very rooted in this place and landscape. There is more emphasis on the physical presence of the work also. In Europe and North America, the market is more mature as the history of art is based from there and the collections have been moving on for many generations. So it is also often more trend-responsive, with established systems that emphasize critical reception, institutional validation, and art-historical positioning. I personally feel here in the Middle Eastern market it is an exciting time, is this moment of expansion: collectors are open, curious, and willing to take risks, especially with artists from the region and the global south. There is a genuine desire to know about art and how it affects life. They are not only only looking at two dimensional works but also interested in tech-led works and more.
How do you select the artists you represent, and do you focus on emerging, mid-career, or established artists?
We represent a thoughtfully balanced mix of emerging, mid-career, and established artists. Our core focus is on emerging artists, as supporting early voices and helping shape their trajectory is central to our mission. At the same time, working with mid-career and established artists is equally important, they bring depth to our vision as they represent continuity of practices that we affiliate with and expanded visibility to them as they engage with us and reflect a shared commitment to building something meaningful together. Our selection process is driven by the strength and clarity of an artist’s inquiry. We look for practices that respond to the urgencies and questions of our time, and for artists who approach their work with intellectual rigor and a distinctive conceptual lens. As a curatorial gallery, we are particularly drawn to practices rooted in materiality, experimentation and research, artists who push the boundaries of form and narrative, and whose work contributes to the broader conversations about the regions they represent and they contribute to shaping contemporary art today.
Are there any UAE-based or regional artists in your program that deserve special attention
We work closely with a growing group of UAE-based artists, many of whom are young and emerging voices offering thoughtful reflections on their land, its people, and the layered histories passed down through their families. This year at the Abu Dhabi Art fair we have introduced Camelia Mohebi, and there are works Reem Al Mubarak, and Shamsa Al Mansoori all of whom bring distinct, powerful perspectives to the contemporary Emirati narrative. Alongside them we have established artists like Jagannath Panda, Vivek Vilasini and Gigi Scaria and promising young artist Anupama Alias Anil. We feel incredibly fortunate to be collaborating with such talented and insightful artists at this different stages of their careers. Our idea is to bring these artists and their art to create a rich dialogue offering visitors a nuanced understanding of contemporary art as well as UAE as both a rooted and globally interconnected place.
Which artists and artworks did you present at the recent edition of the fair, and what themes or ideas did they explore?
Technically, we had two distinct booths at the art fair and a sculpture at the Sculpture park. One booth is a solo presentation by Camelia Mohebi, an Emirati–Iranian artist, and the other is a group show featuring five artists: Reem Al Mubarak (UAE), Shamsa Al Mansoori, Anupama Alias Anil, Jagannath Panda, Gigi Scaria, and sculpture by Vivek Vilasini (India) in the sculpture park section. Camelia’s and Jagannath’s works address the inner realm of the individual—how we connect to our own sense of self and how we negotiate our understanding of peace. The rest of the artists respond to the geographies that surround us and the spaces shaped by those environments. Reem’s work explores the materiality of sand, using sands she collects from the islands around Abu Dhabi. Gigi reflects on the rapid urban takeover of land at the edges of growing cities, while Anupama constructs an imaginative landscape that merges the environments she encountered upon arriving in Abu Dhabi with memories of her own home terrain. Vivek Vilasini’s sculpture is inspired by the story of the “Weeping Buddha,” yet also speaks to the present moment—evoking a figure burdened by remorse for what humankind has created for itself and the world around it. of peace. While all the others are referencing the geographies we are surrounded by and the spaces that they create around us. While Reem’s is about the materiality of sand and with actual sands that she finds from the islands around Abudhabi, Gigi is a reflection of the growing urban take over of the lands around the cities, and Anupama is an imaginative landscape that she is imagining by bringing together the landscape she encountered when she came to Abudhabi and her own home landscape. Vivek Vilasini’s sculpture is inspired by the story of ‘weeping buddha’ at the same time it reflects the times now, and how a man who is remorseful for many of the things that he has created for himself and the humanity around him.
Looking ahead, are there any particular projects, collaborations, or initiatives you are excited to explore soon?
We are preparing for a collateral exhibition during the Kochi–Muziris Biennale. The Kochi–Muziris Biennale is India’s largest contemporary art biennial, transforming the city into a global platform for contemporary artistic practices. Running for three months, it is also one of the most widely attended biennales in the world. Our exhibition will feature artists from the region alongside artists from India, and will be curated by Murtaza Vali, an internationally critically acclaimed curator. Titled Only Gold, the exhibition opens on December 14 and will run until March 31.
Do you have plans to expand or open new spaces in other countries in the near future?
Not for now.
By Katya Marletta