The Story Of Arsheef, Yemen’s First Contemporary Art Gallery
By Something CuratedLaunched last year, Arsheef, Yemen’s first contemporary art gallery focussed on showcasing emerging artistic talent from the country, was founded by Sana’a-based artist Ibi Ibrahim and London-based journalist and curator Lizzy Vartanian. Meaning “archive” in Arabic, Arsheef is situated on a lively street in the centre of Sana’a, adjacent to a creative agency and an art foundation. Endeavouring to present a more multifaceted representation of the lives of modern-day Yemenis through the project, the collaborators are working to platform the work of young Yemeni artists to both national and international audiences, while also facilitating the making of new work.
The armed conflict in Yemen has resulted in the largest humanitarian crisis in the world; parties to the conflict have killed and injured thousands of Yemeni civilians. According to the Yemen Data Project, more than 17,500 civilians were killed and injured since 2015. And more than 20 million people in Yemen are experiencing food insecurity; 10 million of them are at risk of famine. Arsheef’s programme joins the discourse around the Yemen war, crucially amplifying Yemeni voices that are often stifled in coverage of the country. Through the gallery’s work, the artists exhibiting at the gallery depict an honest and nuanced reflection of life in contemporary Yemen, offering a multidimensional perspective on their reality.
Vartanian explains, “Ibi, the brains behind Arsheef approached me with the idea for the gallery in Summer 2019. At first I thought he was mad. For starters, while I have worked with and written about a number of Yemeni artists I am not Yemeni, I have never been to Yemen, and despite curating several shows, and writing about hundreds of artists, I had no idea about how to run a gallery. But Ibi is persistent, persuasive and good at convincing people that they are capable of what they never thought possible. With Ibi’s background as an artist, and cultural organiser – he runs the Romooz Foundation – and my curatorial and publishing work, the pair of us make a pretty good team.”
Turning the Light On, Arsheef’s inaugural exhibition, which opened its doors in November 2019, was conceived to shine a light on Yemen’s art scene. The group exhibition featured works by emerging Yemeni photographers including Asim Abdulaziz, Somaya Abdulla, Ammar Abbad, Bashayer Mohsen, and Shaima al-Tamimi. “Photography needs light; you’re turning the light onto an art scene most people don’t know exists,” writes Ibrahim. All born between 1984 and 1998, the participating artists have embraced the show as a vital vehicle to share their work, with an overarching intention to show the world another narrative on life in Yemen.
Arsheef’s directors Ibrahim and Vartanian work some 4000 miles apart, based respectively in Sana’a and London. Expanding on their way of working, Vartanian told fōllow the halō, “The answer is a little green app called Whatsapp. Thanks to a VPN, we can communicate wherever and whenever. From Sana’a, London, Amman, Hong Kong, Malaysia, we’re always connected. For the months leading up to our first show Turning The Light On, the gallery never felt real. It wasn’t until it launched, and we got a little ahead of ourselves and reached out to major art fairs, that it really sunk in.” Arsheef will reopen its doors in September 2020, operating by appointment only, which Sana’a-based Ibrahim manages over Instagram and in person at the gallery.
Feature image: So close yet so far away, 2019 by Shaima Tamimi. (via Arsheef Yemen)