Hoor Al Qasimi, Sharjah Art Foundation President and Director, Tops ArtReview Power 100 list

Sharjah, UAE, December 5, 2024: The ArtReview Power 100 list recognises individuals who have shaped the current developments in art and made a significant global impact. Al Qasimi’s top ranking reflects her significant contributions to the art world over the last three decades as an accomplished curator and a visionary institutional leader, as well as her ongoing commitment to fostering a more inclusive and diverse artistic landscape in Sharjah and beyond.

Al Qasimi is the President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, an organisation she founded in 2009 to serve as a catalyst and advocate for the arts globally. Since 2003, she has also been the Director of Sharjah Biennial, an internationally recognised platform for contemporary art. With a passion for supporting experimentation and innovation in the arts, Al Qasimi has continuously expanded the scope of the Foundation, which presents ground-breaking art exhibitions as well as robust programmes in film, performance, music and education. Additionally, she has played a significant role in leading the March Meeting, an annual conference convening artists, academics, curators and cultural producers from around the world. 

In 2017, she was appointed as the President of the International Biennial Association and currently serves as the President of The Africa Institute and Global Studies University in Sharjah as well as the President and Director of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, which launched in 2019. The curator of the second Lahore Biennale (2020), Al Qasimi was recently appointed as the Artistic Director of the 2025 Aichi Triennale, becoming the first person to be chosen for the role from outside of Japan. She has also been appointed as Artistic Director of the 2026 Biennale of Sydney.

Al Qasimi’s leadership of the Sharjah Biennial and Sharjah Art Foundation and her work on boards, advisory councils and juries at leading international organisations has been instrumental in challenging western-centric narratives in the art world. Her initiatives have evolved into leading platforms for the world of contemporary art, promoting dialogue and collaboration between artists and cultural organisations globally.

About Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.

Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.

Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

About Sharjah

Sharjah is the third largest of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and has been designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.

Media Contact

Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113