Focal Point, Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual art book fair, returns for its seventh edition this weekend. The three-day fair features a compelling selection of printed material by artists’ presses, bookmakers, self-publishers and non-commercial cultural producers who expand and experiment with the medium of publishing.
Taking place at Bait Obaid Al Shamsi from 22 to 24 November 2024 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Focal Point also offers workshops on sketching, writing and zine-making, in addition to talks, conversations, readings and presentations focusing on publications produced by the Foundation and the participants.
The fair also includes meet-and-greet sessions about diverse publishing initiatives. A live station on zine-making encourages visitors to create copies using archival materials. Visitors can purchase food and beverages from stalls set up at the venue throughout the event.
Alongside workshops, the sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual comic anthology, Corniche, will be launched. The book launch brings together the contributing illustrators and provides a space for visitors to interact with them.
A conversation between Zeynep Öz, one of the five curators of the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 16, and designer Okay Karadayılar will take place as part of the Focal Point talks programme. The session will detail their long-standing collaboration for YAZ Publications, including design and editorial aspects of the 13-book series. Additionally, conversations highlighting new book releases from Areej Ashhab and Ailo Ribas, Abdullah Al Mutairi and Nadi Abusaada will take place.
Publishers Dongola Limited Editions, 40Mustaqel, Hopscotch Reading Room, The Muse multi Studios and Galley Copy Shoppe will organise meet-and-greets on the last day of the fair.
This year, Sharjah Art Foundation has invited several community leaders, artists, graphic designers and independent practitioners to present a selection of publications from their respective cultural ecosystems at Focal Point.
List of Participants
40MUSTAQEL (Cairo)
AKA TAWLA (Cairo)
Abdullah Al Mutairi (Kuwait)
African Centre for Cities & Friends (Cape Town)
Ahmad Zaghmouri (Ramallah)
Akkaz Collective & We Collect Dreams (Kuwait/Bahrain)
Al Reeshah Studio (Abu Dhabi)
Areej Ashab and Ailo Ribas – Al-Wah'at (Jerusalem/Barcelona)
Art Jameel Shop (Dubai)
Bilna'es (Palestine/New York City)
Contemporary Image Collective (Cairo)
CUTT Press (Berlin)
Dar AlFadeela Book shop (Abu Dhabi)
Dongola Limited Editions (Beirut)
Fanzeen Comics - The Outer Space Magazine (Amman)
Fowala (Muscat)
Galley Copy Shoppe (Rotterdam/Metro Manila)
Great + Everlasting (Dubai)
Gulf Photo Plus (Dubai)
Hopscotch Reading Room (Berlin)
Hotel Notepad Drawings (Dubai)
Kashida Studio (Baghdad)
Kayfa ta (Amman/Cairo)
Makan Press (New York City)
Mauzoun Writing & Publishing (Jeddah)
Nadi Abusaada (Ramallah/Beirut)
Okay Karadayilar / bahar (Istanbul)
Philosophy House Fujairah (Fujairah)
SONDUKE Magazine (Kuwait)
salasil (Dubai/Abu Dhabi)
Salon 57 (Abu Dhabi)
Sharjah Architecture Triennial (Sharjah)
Suwanya Saksomnat (Bangkok)
Tehran Zine (Tehran)
The Africa Institute, Global Studies University (GSU) (Sharjah)
The Fiction Council (Jerusalem)
The Muse multi Studios (Cairo/Khartoum)
The Packet (Colombo)
The West Asian and North African Women's Art Library (London)
WTD Magazine (Dubai)
Waggish (Dubai)
Visiting Focal Point 2024
Dates: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 22, 23 and 24 November 2024
Venue: Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, Arts Square
Timings: 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Admission is free, but prior registration is required. Book your tickets at sharjahart.org.
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.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven 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.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113