SHUBBAK
A WINDOW ON CONTEMPORARY ARAB CULTURE
Shubbak (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) is London’s largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture. Founded in 2011 by the Mayor of London, Shubbak is now an independent charity. Shubbak connects London audiences and communities with the best of contemporary Arab culture through ambitious festival programmes of premieres and commissions of visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture and debate. Shubbak's team works with arts institutions in London and internationally and in 2013 presented over 55 events, spread across 42 venues, attracting an audience of over 50,000 people.
SHUBBAK FESTIVAL 2015
11-26 JULY 2015, LONDON
Shubbak has become a key moment in the arts calendar of the UK and the Arab World, bringing new and unexpected voices alongside established artists to new audiences every two years. Our 2015 festival programme, featured over 60 events all across London.
“The festival’s scope is ambitious… with expressions from varied regions and a thriving, vibrant diaspora” Metro
“The festival speaks of restless societies that are questioning themselves” Peter Aspden, Financial Times
From the UAE
The Dubai Born Indian-Canadian artist Fathima Mohiuddin was selected to attend the 2015 Shubbak festival in London which took place from 11-26 of July.Shubbak (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) is London’s largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture. Shubbak connects London audiences and communities with the best of contemporary Arab culture through ambitious festival programmes of premieres and commissions of visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture and debate and in 2013 presented over 55 events, spread across 42 venues, attracting an audience of over 50,000 people.
Much of Mohiuddin's work as an artist includes a communal or interactive element, and considers the social value and function of art; she has also been instrumental in helping to build Dubai's art scene through a series of curatorial and artist-led initiatives. She is the founder of the artist-run entity The Domino, which provides a platform for artistic communities to develop a locally based art scene and creative-social identity in Dubai.
Fathima Mohiuddin has a BA in Art & Culture from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London. Over the last few years in the UAE, she has exhibited her work in numerous exhibitions, and was the recipient of First Prize in the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award 2010. In 2011, she was selected for the British Council's Cultural Leadership International Programme and she was also nominated for Emirates Woman of the Year 2011.
Check out this great video of Shubbak Festival 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6XFfrZL1Q8