Hassan Sharif (deceased 2016)

Born in Dubai, UAE, 1951. A pioneer of conceptual art in the UAE and the Middle East at large, Hassan Sharif has played a major role in promoting contemporary art in the region through his diverse works, which include live performance, drawing, photography, multimedia, and synthetic works. He was a founding member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society in 1980, and founded the Free Atelier at the Youth Arts Theater in Dubai in 1987. His solo exhibitions include Hassan Sharif, Alexander Gray Associates, New York, USA (2014); Approaching Entropy, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai (2013); Works 1980-2012, Safir Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon (2012); Hassan Sharif – First Grade, GB Agency, Paris, France (2012); and Experiences and Things, Qasr Al Hosn Cultural Palace, Abu Dhabi, 2011. He has participated in many group exhibitions and international biennials, including the annual exhibitions of the Emirates Fine Arts Society since 1980; several editions of the Sharjah Biennial (1993, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003); Biennials in India (2014), Sydney (2012), Venice (2009), and Cairo (1998); One Day, Al Maria Art Atelier, Sharjah (1985); and Negative-Positive, Al Ahli Club, Dubai (1983). He is the author of four books: Sharp Tools to Create Art (1995), The New Art (1995), The Concept of Art, (1997), and The Five, (2003). He published cartoons in newspapers and magazines between 1970-1979, and received a diploma of Fine Arts from Byam Shaw School of Art, London, UK, in 1984.

Hassan Sharif was represented by Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai, UAE.