Selection #3 by Maya El Khalil

Maya El Khalil curated Selection #3, featuring four artists under the age of 30 from the Gulf region. As a connoisseur of the art scene in Jeddah and surrounding cities, she handpicked Dubai-born sculptor Afra Alsuwaidi, Jeddah-based artist Bashaer Hawsawi, as well as Aziz Jamal, winner of Ithra's 2019 Open Call for emerging artists as well as professionally trained dancer Sarah Brahim.

Mentoring young artists

As founding director of Athr Gallery in Jeddah from 2009 to 2016, Maya El Khalil pioneered exhibition approaches and cultural exchange in the absence of local public art institutions, making significant contributions to the establishment and development of a contemporary art scene in Saudi Arabia.

El Khalil has been appointed to diverse panels and numerous advisory boards. She provides expert appraisal for museum collections in the Gulf and is an advisor for international leading consultancies on visual art, museum and collection strategy. She has also participated in multiple artist mentorship programs, working with institutions in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

For the last decade, she has continued to work locally, regionally and
internationally with artists, collectors and institutions to develop the
identity and ideas that have defined an art scene, building bridges
between the Arab gulf and the rest of the world.

Current projects

El Khalil is currently collaborating with international institutions specializing in progressive, socially engaged exhibitions and developing multidisciplinary shows that address the environmental and climate emergency, including the ongoing digital platform «Take Me to the River» in collaboration with the Goethe Institut and the Prince Claus Fund. Other recent curatorial projects include «Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives», ADMAF, Abu Dhabi (2022); «I Love You, Urgently», 7th edition 21,39 Jeddah Arts (2020); «Architecture of Tomorrow: Frei Otto’s Legacy in Saudi Arabia», co-curated with Prof. Georg Vrachliotis; «The Clocks Are Striking Thirteen», Athr Gallery, Jeddah (2018); Nasser Al Salem’s solo exhibition «Amma Baad», Delfina Foundation, London (2019) and Casa Arabe, Madrid (2019).

El Khalil holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the American University of Beirut. She is enrolled in the MA Art and Politics programme at Goldsmiths College, University of London.