Friday 20 December 2013

MEET MIRIAM LLOYD-EVANS

Miriam with Abdulnasser Gharem and the 
book they worked on together


Miriam Lloyd-Evans writes for Selections and the Art Paper about contemporary Arab art. Her main occupation, however, is curating art from the Middle East. Working between London and the Gulf, she often partners with galleries in the region and has been instrumental in several landmark exhibitions by emerging Middle Eastern artists in Venice, Berlin, Istanbul, Dubai and London. Miriam recently took up the position of Lead Curator: International Engagement Team (Middle East) at the British Museum, having previously worked with innovative platform Edge of Arabia. She has closely collaborated with well-known Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem and edited his monograph. When she's not working the museums, art fairs and auction house circuit, Miriam lets off steam by dancing at parties and sailing around the Mediterranean. 

Wednesday 11 December 2013

THE ART PAPER GOES INTERNATIONAL

It was because we launched the first issue of the Art Paper - the art supplement that comes with Selections - in partnership with the Beirut Art Fair, that the focus was initially local, and we looked into the art world here in Lebanon. That was issue #00 - a trial run if you like - and we have now put together our first real issue #01 with a wider point of view.


The Small is Beautiful exhibition at Durub Al Tawaya 
& the Design Souq at Abu Dhabi Art 2013

As a result, Selections editor Kasia Maciejowska was in London this Autumn for Frieze Art Fair, and visited Brussels for a preview of BRAFA (Brussels Antiques and Fine Art Fair), while our contributors Jennifer Hattam in Istanbul and Anya Stafford in Abu Dhabi have written reports from art fairs there. 


Selections editor Kasia with couturier Giambattista 
Valli at Dover Street Market's party for Frieze

Our collector profile will be with Turkish textile magnate Öner Kocabeyoğlu, our curator interview is with young British influencer Nicola Lees, and we'll have exhibition reviews of work by Egyptian, Indian, Cuban and Austrian-American artists who have recently shown in various locations.

Egyptian artist Wael Shawky's Cabaret Crusades
at the Serpentine Gallery, London

This inclusive perspective doesn't mean we're ignoring local talent of course. We review the in-depth Paul Guiragossian retrospective at the Beirut Exhibition Centre, and Mark Hachem's display of collages by Syrian painter Rabee Kiwan.

We'll also be printing a neat list of new art spaces around the globe that have opened in the past year. Look out for the Art Paper with the coming Winter issue of Selections.