Sharjah Art Foundation offers $200,000 grant to 10 creatives

The diverse group of artists will work closely with the organisation to develop their proposed projects

Curators Nada Raza, left, and Ala Younis selected this year's grant recipients based on their projects that explore meaningful collective experiences. Photos: Siddarth Siva; Venice Biennale

The Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the 10 recipients of its 2022 production grant.

This is the 8th cycle of the organisation's biannual grant, which offers the chosen artists and collectives a share of $200,000.

In response to an international open call, the recipients, picked by curators Nada Raza and Ala Younis, proposed projects that explore and inspire meaningful collective experiences.

The artists who will receive the grant are: Abdul Halik Azeez from Sri Lanka; Nadim Choufi from Lebanon; Inas Halabi from Palestine; Zahra Malkani from Pakistan; Paribartana Mohanty and Aarti Sunder from India; and Mila Turajlic from Serbia.

The collectives are: Nadir Boumouch and Soumeya Ait Ahmed from Morocco; Mbali Dhlamini and Phumulani Ntuli of Preempt Group from South Africa, and Asmaa Jama and Gouled Ahmed from the UK and Djibouti.

The artists will work closely with the Sharjah Art Foundation to develop, produce and present their projects. Their practicesrange in mediums and include sculpture, installation, video and performance, on themes such as technology, media, politics and history.

Originally launched in 2009 alongside the Sharjah Biennial, the production grant is one of a number of annual initiatives from the Sharjah Art Foundation.

Past production grant cycles have resulted in projects being shown by organisations around the world. For example, 2018 grant winner, Lebanese visual artist Mounira Al Solh's work Freedom is a Habit I am Trying to Learn was displayed at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 2019.

Pop South Asia art pieces at the Sharjah Art Foundation - in pictures

'Gymkhana Ladies Swimming' (2021) by Saba Khan; resin diamonds on diamond painting kit; 91.4 × 124.46cm. Photo: Saba Khan

'Tales of Amnesia' (2002–2007) by Chitra Ganesh; digital prints. Photo: Galleryescape, New Delhi

'Bazaar' (2020) by Hangama Amiri. The installation is made of cotton, chiffon, muslin, silk, suede, digitally woven textile, camouflage fabric, sari textile, inkjet prints on paper and canvas, paper, plastic, acrylic paint, marker, polyester, table cloth, faux leather and found fabric. Photo: T293 Gallery, Rome

'Protest Wall 4' (2021) by Seher Naveed; pencil on paper. Photo: Aicon Gallery, New York

'Dominus Aeris - Middle Class Dreams II', (2010) by Thukral & Tagra; oil on canvas. Photo: Nature Morte, New Delhi

'Dreams on Wheels, Kabul' (2013) painted by Ustad Abdullah; commissioned by Jeanno Gaussi; wood, acrylic paint. Photo: Jeanno Gaussi

'Returning from the Tank (after oil painting by Raja Ravi Varma)' (2004) by Pushpamala N; colour photograph. Photo: Pushpamala N

'Throb' (2012) by Bharti Kher; bindis on board; 243.84 × 183cm. Photo: Bharti Kher

'Future Facades 05, 06' (2020) by Seema Nusrat; screen print on acrylic sheet; 133.35 × 50.8 × 3.81cm each. Photo: Seema Nusrat

'All The Ways' from the 'Lockdown Posters' collection (2022) by Ayesha Jatoi; offset prints; dimensions variable. Photo: Ayesha Jatoi

'Anthology of Cosmic Snippets' (2006) by Mehreen Murtaza; digital collage, archival digital print; 38.1 × 38.1cm. Photo: Mehreen Murtaza