In Conversation With : Suzy Sikorski Part 1

Author Daf Beirut

A series of in depth interviews with Arthur Debsi, writer and researcher at Dalloul Art Foundation where he discusses various subjects with professionals in the Arab world.

Suzy Sikorski - Founder of Mid East Art

Part 1. Documenting and archiving remain as important work to continue for the art from the Middle East. In the first part of the conversation, Suzy Sikorski explains her research work on the art of the Gulf region, and more specifically the art of the United Arab Emirates, which led her to create Mid East Art online platform. Originally an Instagram account, Mid East Art turned into a website in 2017, which gives free access to all the interviews with the artists from the Gulf conducted by Sikorski, as well as archival photographs, essays, and videos. Mid East Art takes on an educational dimension, aiming to introduce modern, and contemporary art, and artists in the Middle East, especially through an ongoing series of posts. The ‘Artists in Quarantine’ and the ‘Golden Days’ series both show the artistic journeys of Arab artists within different historical times, where they developed their art or their movements. Early spring 2020, Mid East Art also collaborated with the UAE Embassy’s cultural Diplomacy Department in Washington DC. by conducting interviews with contemporary Arab artists.

Video recorded on Zoom by Arthur Debsi

Edited by Christine Labban