Maryam Al Falasi

Maryam Al Falasi: I’ve just come back from a visit to Shamsa Al Omaira’s studio, which is in Studio Untitled, a shared space for eight female Emirati artists in Abu Dhabi. We are gearing up for her exhibition in the gallery this November, which will be her first major solo exhibition in recent years. It’s a new body of work—profoundly intimate, introspective and nostalgic. I love visiting her studio. When you walk in, you see her in every detail, it feels like you are entering her head.

Which artist are you showing now?

Our September show is Ammar Al Attar whose photographic practice has evolved to include more performative elements, it’s an exciting new chapter for him. And next year, we are planning to show an exhibition of Nasser Al Salem, whose work I really admire.

How do you choose which artists you work with?

I look for artists who are both materially and conceptually strong, and who are committed to their practice. The way they engage with their medium is just as important as their ideas. For me, so much of it comes down to intuition. There’s a gut feeling when you encounter work that is truly compelling, and I let that guide me.

Where does your interest in art come from?

Growing up, my mother took me to art museums during holidays abroad, and I often wondered why we didn’t have similar institutions at home. I also noticed the absence of artists from our region, which led to a bigger question: do we have contemporary artists in the UAE, and if so, who are they?

You started Iris as a cultural agency working with clients on collection building and public-art projects—can you tell us more about that?

Yes. I believe that public art is essential. One of my earliest memories is seeing Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor in Chicago aged six or seven. It was etched into my memory even before I understood what public art was. Now I hope to create the same ‘etch’ within a child growing up here.

When you’re not in the gallery, where would we find you?

I love to explore. You might find me sipping my favourite matcha at Toby’s Estate, having lunch at the oldest restaurant in Mina Zayed (if you know, you know), or wandering around the latest exhibitions at Alserkal Avenue. I also travel regularly, from seeing the latest museum shows in Paris to taking an archaeological cruise along the Nile. Travel is a constant source of inspiration. I’ve visited over 60 countries so far, and counting.

As someone who studied art history and archaeology, what do you think future archaeologists will make of contemporary art?

They’ll probably think we’ve lost the plot! One minute it’s a banana on a wall, the next a four-hour video of someone crying. They might call it a golden age of chaos. There’s no single visual language now, just thousands of voices at once. That breadth makes it an exciting time to be in the field. 

Interview by Anna Seaman. Photo by Anna Nielsen.