Profile
Since its founding in 2006, Ayyam Gallery has become one of the Arab world's leading art spaces. With a selection of cutting-edge painting, sculpture and photography that represents some of the Middle East's most exciting talent, the gallery has sought to promote the region's dynamic cultural scene at home and abroad. Its continued commitment to the expansion and progression of local art has led to a number of landmark initiatives, including blockbuster exhibitions, original publications and special events.
Ayyam's founding location in Damascus has revitalized contemporary Syrian art by providing artists and collectors with a blue-chip gallery that is thoroughly involved with local developments and remains abreast of international trends. Through its worldwide efforts, the gallery has single-handedly catapulted the prices of Syrian art, establishing a significant presence in the global art market while garnering outstanding recognition for its artists. The 5,000 square foot Damascus space has also been a meeting place for regional art, as it has brought a number of established and emerging artists from outside Syria to engage with Damascene audiences.
The gallery's second location in Dubai, an 8,000 square foot outpost that allows for the mounting of large-scale exhibitions, has quickly gained a reputation as the premiere destination for Syrian and Middle Eastern art. Representing a remarkable lineup of artists, Ayyam has returned painting and sculpture to the forefront of visual culture, bridging the future of Arab art with its rich past.
The 2009 opening of Ayyam's Solidaire outpost, in the heart of downtown Beirut, has come amidst the reemergence of Lebanon's commercial art scene and is already making waves. Seeking to honor the country's longstanding tradition of art collecting and connoisseurship, the "First Beirut Sale," an in-house auction of Arab art that is the first of its kind, was organized as a groundbreaking network through which Arab art can be appreciated and valued. In addition to highlighting the gallery's regular artists, the sale included works by several prominent Lebanese painters, demonstrating one of the many ways in which Ayyam seeks to stimulate and support Beirut's diverse artistic landscape.
Other programs such as "Shabab Ayyam Project," provides a research-based environment for talented young artists by seeking to foster their creativity, while its "Young Collectors" auctions in Dubai have opened up the market to budding art patrons by offering some of the hottest names in Middle Eastern art in an informal setting at accessible prices. Alongside its highly anticipated exhibitions and events, Ayyam has published over a dozen artist's catalogs and monographs. Understanding the importance of documenting this exciting time in regional art, the gallery seeks to contribute to its art historical discourse with multi-language texts that provide unique insight into the rapid transformations that are occurring and some of the individuals who are behind them.
As Ayyam Gallery grows, it will continue to find new and innovative ways to further its original mission—to insure that the Arab world's finest artists receive the international recognition they deserve.
Selected Press
January Places, Gulf Life January 2010Download PDF (155 K)
Pioneering the Arts, Aishti Magazine December 2009
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The Hot Seat, Timeout Beirut November 2009
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Business Traveller ME Syria October 2009
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Ayyam Gallery, C Arts MAY 2009
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"Ayyam Gallery", MutualArt.com May 2009
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New Syrian Art, Time Out Dubai March 2009
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Postcard from Damascus, Time Magazine October 2008
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"Syrian Art Sizzles" The Middle East Blog, Time.com September 2008
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Syrian Art in Christie's Dubai, What's On September 2008
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Canvas Supplement
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Putting Syrian Art on the Map November 2007
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Ayyam Gallery, Making the Market October 2007
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Selected Works
