Arab artists often create from a place of memory, imagination, and rooted storytelling. Their work feels like a living archive. One that speaks to identity, place, and possibility. These five books offer a window into their worlds, providing not only inspiration, but a growing reference point you can return to again and again.
A Dance with Her Myth is a multimedia artist book and exhibition in which Mounira Al Solh reimagines the ancient Phoenician-Greek myth of Europa through a feminist lens. Blending drawing, painting, ceramics, embroidery, and sculpture, Al Solh subverts the patriarchal narrative of abduction by portraying Europa not as a passive victim but as an active agent—one who chooses her path, walks on water, and reclaims her story. Anchored by a central wooden boat structure, the work unfolds as a poetic and humorous meditation on gender, resilience, cultural identity, and myth-making. Drawing from her Phoenician heritage and contemporary struggles for equality, Al Solh weaves an empowering counter-narrative that invites viewers to consider how ancestral stories can be reinterpreted as acts of liberation and resistance.
Between Sunrise and Sunset is the official monograph for Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim’s presentation at the UAE Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2022. Spanning over three decades of his practice, the book highlights his deep connection to the natural landscapes of Khor Fakkan through organic forms, earthy materials, and meditative repetition. Featuring essays, interviews, and documentation, it offers insight into Ibrahim’s role as a pioneer of experimental art in the UAE.
Jewad Selim: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings and Sculptures is the first comprehensive reference work on the pioneering Iraqi modernist. Published by Skira in 2025, this 376-page volume chronicles Selim’s artistic journey from his early teenage sketches to his mature paintings and sculptures. Featuring over 111 artworks and 60 sculptures—including rare murals and full-color documentation of his iconic Freedom Monument—the catalogue offers scholarly essays and archival research. Co-authored by Nima Sagharchi and Zaineb Jewad Selim, the book cements Selim’s legacy as a foundational figure in Iraqi and Arab modern art, blending ancestral reference and avant-garde expression.
Corpus is a comprehensive monograph that delves into the oeuvre of Franco-Lebanese sculptor Chaouki Choukini, offering an in-depth exploration of his artistic journey since the late 1960s. The publication presents a curated selection of Choukini’s sculptural works, primarily in wood, alongside insightful essays and poetry that illuminate the thematic and aesthetic dimensions of his art. Through this monograph, readers gain a deeper understanding of Choukini’s unique artistic vision and his contributions to contemporary sculpture.
