Sara Raza’s Guggenheim post turns the focus on regional art

“This is the culmination of more than 10 years of work, so I’m really excited,” says Sara Raza over the phone from London. Raza, who was just about to leave for Jeddah Art Week when we spoke, has been announced as the third and final curator for the Guggenheim’s UBS MAP Global Art Initiative.

Under this role, she will handle a budget for acquiring new works for the permanent Guggenheim collection from artists in the wider Middle East and North African region. It’s something she describes as a dream come true.

“This is what I have always wanted to do. Although I was born in the UK and have lived in the West, my family is Persian so there is a strong connection there and for me to be able to change a little bit of history of a collection and contextualise these works for future generations is a dream position.”

Based in London, Raza has already had quite an impact on the regional art scene. She was associate curator at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah between 2012 and 2014; she was the founding head of curatorial programmes at Alaan Artspace in Riyadh and has curated numerous international exhibitions pertaining to Middle Eastern art.

Original article by Anna Seaman

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Sara Raza’s Guggenheim post turns the focus on regional art