Tabari Artspace

Tabari Artspace, formerly Artspace Dubai, was established in 2003 by art collector Maliha Tabari, with the aim of promoting Middle Eastern art to a global audience.

Strategically located in Dubai, seventeen years ago the gallery embarked upon an ambitious programme of exhibitions with the aim of cultivating an international community and creating fresh discourses centered around contemporary Middle Eastern art. As a pioneer of this movement Tabari Artspace played a pivotal role in building the careers of Middle Eastern Masters including: Adam Henein; Mohamed Abla; Adel El-Siwi; Hussein Madi; and Khaled Zaki that are today exhibited and collected by such institutions as The British Museum, The Guggenheim (Abu Dhabi), and The Barjeel Art Foundation, Institut du monde arabe, Seoul Museum of Art, 

Today, Middle Eastern artists are increasingly gaining international recognition with institutions such as LACMA, MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Georges Pompidou collecting and exhibiting their works. As the regional artscene evolves rapidly in front of this new global audience and in-line with advancements in technologies, globalisation, and shifts in the sociopolitical climate, so too has Tabari Artspace’s programme and focus.

In 2018 the gallery rebranded from Artspace Dubai to Tabari Artspace. The name ‘Tabari’ stems from Lake Tiberias and brings into focus our understanding of borders, space, place, and identity - just some of the universal topics that are tackled by the Middle Eastern artists of the ‘now’. As a reflection of Maliha’s belief that art is a powerful tool to unite and ignite greater cultural understanding, Tabari Artspace continues to honour the Masters it built in the past while introducing a new generation of artists that push boundaries and breakdown borders including: Palestinian hyperrealist, Samah Shihadi; Lebanese painter, Tagreed Darghouth; and Palestinian visual artist, Hazem Harb.

“As our geographical borders blur in our era of mass-migration art has the ability to capture and communicate key social issues that are relevant for all. We now welcome a new wave of Middle Eastern artists that uphold an international outlook. A generation that seeks change and progress.”

-Maliha Tabari, 2019​