U.A.E

Waiting for change: the UAE’s art world

The UAE’s art world has experienced a remarkable evolution in the past few years, with events like Art Dubai, Sikka Art Fair and...

Archana Menon • 02 July, 2017

uae drawdeck emergeast

Tunisia

The business of art: Tunisian artists-turned-entrepreneurs

Even as the city of Tunis buzzed with excitement over a 50 year old annual film festival, the state of the arts in the country is dire,...

Lilia Blaise • 23 November, 2016

tunisia Art

Global

Tekuma: turning your boring walls into beautiful art galleries

While art has proven to reduce stress, increase creativity and encourage expression of opinion, too often homes and offices are surrounded...

Dana Ballout • 24 October, 2016

Tekuma Art Real Estate

Jordan

No labels, please: hybrid indie design spaces are trending in Amman

Across the vibrant colored stairs extending from the renowned King Hussein street that curls its way down to the center of Amman, stands a...

Tala El Issa • 22 August, 2016

Amman Design Week Design Art

Maghreb

Artists build businesses at Disrupt!/Media! Tunis

Audiovisual, tech, and culture lovers and professionals working together over the weekend. (Images via Mideast Creatives) Is three days...

Emna Ghariani • 11 February, 2016

Audiovisual disrupt!/Media! Cogite

Jordan

Art and business, can they be friends?

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best...

Tala El Issa • 11 October, 2015

King Abdullah II Fund for Development Writers Cell Creative Industries Fund

Maghreb

When the cofounder relationship goes awry, the story of Lioumness

It’s not uncommon for one cofounder to leave a company in its early years. In some cases, the separation goes smoothly, in others, it k...

Aline Mayard • 09 April, 2015

Lioumness culture morocco

Maghreb

How one entrepreneur is bringing new life to traditional Tunisian handicraft

“I am not going to pretend that I had any idea of what I was doing,” Leila Ben Gacem tells me when we meet in the medina, the old quarter o...

Christine Petré • 23 March, 2015

Handicrafts Art Social Entrepreneurship

Regional

5 websites that put Arab designers on the international map

Arab designers got talent, and now it’s time for the whole world to know. A few entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to bring t...

Aline Mayard • 19 February, 2015

Art Design Fashion

Maghreb

Monetizing street art: the entrepreneurial journey of a Tunisian gallerist

Last September, the Tunisian island of Djerba was at the heart of discussions of art lovers across Europe and elsewhere. The island, known...

Aline Sara • 12 February, 2015

tunisia Art

U.A.E

How a comic book startup looks to make money

May's cover. Quick Start Immediately after Dubai-based developer Hani Ghaith masterminded Magnoon with Dr. Noha Abbas, the head of...

Abdulghani Kataya • 20 November, 2014

ipad Magnoon magazine app

Can fine art sell online in Egypt?

Egypt is home to a vibrant contemporary art scene that includes established names such as Ibrahim El Tanbouli, Assem Abdel Fattah, and...

Hayden Pirkle • 01 July, 2014

fine art arts Art

Rethinking the relationship between culture and technology

This age we live in, of instant gratification and edge-of-seat fascination with technology has led many artists, technologists,...

Oubai Elkerdi • 27 January, 2014

Technology Art

Al Riwaq Art Space seeks to change how Bahrainis approach art [Wamda TV]

“One of our missions is to change the mindset of the people, not to take everything as it comes,” says Bayan Al-Barak Kanoo, founder of Bah...

Wamda • 08 January, 2014

culture arts Bahrain

Disrupt!/Design!/ Competition in Egypt

Hivos, in collaboration with Innoventures, is organizing a competition for Egyptian startups in the creative industry, entitled...

Wamda • 05 November, 2013

Music Art Design

How e-commerce site Kahenas overcame local challenges to sell stunning Moroccan designs

Preserving national heritage is a concern for many cultures today, as globalization causes the production and consumption of similar items...

Wiem Melki • 26 September, 2013

Art E-commerce

How to teach the Arts: The Discipline of a Free Mind

In the first part of this series we challenged the popular image of the tormented artist and offered an alternative perspective—that of t...

Oubai Elkerdi • 12 September, 2013

Art Advice Education

Bahraini startup becomes popular by turning Instagram photos into art

As serendipity would have it, entrepreneur Yazin Al-Irhayim stumbled into a lucrative business idea while attending a workshop at the...

Leena AlOlaimy • 22 August, 2013

Artist Entrepreneurs instagram Art

How to teach the Arts: Debunking the myth of creativity

Part I. In our shared imagination, a true artist is a vagabond with manic-depressive traits caught in bad habits. They are someone whose...

Oubai Elkerdi • 06 August, 2013

Art Advice Education

Why we need better arts education in the Arab world

“If the Arab world continues to under-value arts education, it risks falling even further behind developed countries in preparing students ...

Oubai Elkerdi • 09 July, 2013

Art Design Education

Could a New Model for Scaling Handicraft Artisans Transform Egypt’s Economy?

Year-old initiative Anamel Masriya hopes to transform modest Egyptian artisans into independent entrepreneurs, in a bid to boost their ...

Shaimaa El Nazer • 03 March, 2013

Art Ecosystem Egypt

5 Drawings from Dubai's Creative Community on DrawDeck

When David Hammond launched DrawDeck, he was inspired by a family member who began drawing in a therapeutic manner. “We thought we’d build a...

Nina Curley • 04 March, 2013

Art Digital Media E-commerce

Jordanian Developer Harlem Shakes Your Website

If you haven’t seen the Harlem Shake meme, you’ve been working too hard on your startup. It’s not just that Lebanese incubator Seeqnce made...

Nina Curley • 05 March, 2013

Art Developers

Can a Hackerspace in Beirut Spread Do-ocracy? A Look at Lamba Labs

“I reject thinking like that,” Bilal Ghalib said to me when I first met him. I had just arrived in Beirut and was visiting Lamba Lab...

Glen Dalakian II • 05 February, 2013

Art Coworking Spaces Crowdfunding