Rahiem Shadad is our second 2021 Curatorial Residency Fellowship Recipient

November 2, 2021

ARAK Collection is happy to announce Rahiem Shadad as our second recipient of the Arak Collection Curatorial Residency Fellowship for 2021, an up-coming curator from Sudan, invested in providing more local and international exposure to sudanese creations whether modern or contemporary. Current curator for the Downtown Gallery and co-curator for the Regional French Institute in Sudan. Rahiem is passionate about shedding light on local art history through shows that portray works of forgotten generations, and believes that art reflects the absorbed state of the society. Thus, it is a way to understand the emotional changes the country went through. He is invested in the documentation and rebranding of works that preceded the post-revolution gallery movement and art burst which attracted a wider spectrum of interest towards the local art. Rahiem has organized over 20 exhibitions (collective and solo shows) in the last 2 years.

As usual we are looking forward to working with Rahiem, while still a young curator in the making, his energy and determination to make a difference and add value to the Sudanese Art scene and ecosystem as an up-coming curator and arts manager/organiser captivated the Curatorial Advisory Committee at ARAK Collection imagination and interest, and received unanimous consensus and support for his application. We are excited and curious to discover how Rahiem will look at the Current ARAK Collection Catalogue and bring it to live through his curatorial project and associated publication.

About ARAK Collection Curatorial Residency Program:

The ARAK Collection Annual Residency Fellowship Program aims to promote a better knowledge and understanding of Contemporary Sub-Saharan Art in the Middle East and Beyond through research of the extensive works part of their collection.

The resident guest curator is expected to research the collection with the intention of curating an exhibition and writing the exhibition catalogue at the end of the residency period, after in-depth research and the submission of a curatorial concept to be approved by the ARAK Collection Curatorial Advisory Committee.

The Residency Fellowship Program was created to support ARAK Collection’s Mission of developing and supporting young and mid-career artists and curators through promoting curatorial research, publications and exhibitions of their collection’s works. The exhibitions developed and produced by ARAK Collection aspire to be impactful and are all associated with relevant public programming.

About ARAK Collection:

ARAK Collection is an independent, Qatari-based initiative, that aims to promote through exhibitions, publications, research and educational programs, Contemporary Sub-Saharan African Art and Artists.

The collection is a resource for Artists, Curators and Researchers, it hosts in-house and traveling exhibitions, it also lends artwork to regional and international organizations, institutions and museums, producing print and online publications, and impactful public programs associated with the exhibitions it produces and hosts. ARAK Collection is a public platform to foster critical dialogue around contemporary art practices with a focus on Sub-Saharan African Artists and educational programs that have an educational and developmental impact in the local community.

The collection consists of paintings, paper and prints of more than 170 young and mid-career artists of Sub Saharan African countries.