Sultan Gallery's Blog

For over forty years, the Sultan Gallery has played an important role in introducing Arab artists to broader audiences, and helping to establish a vital dialogue among artists and institutions working internationally. The Sultan Gallery was initially founded in Kuwait in 1969 by the late siblings Ghazi and Najat Sultan. Up until 1990 it operated thoroughly as a convergence point for not only artists and intellectuals exploring polemic issues on Arab society, but also the general public. The mission of Sultan Gallery has since been about propagating contemporary and secular movements through Arab art. Upon reopening its doors to the public in 2006, director of the space, Farida Sultan, has continued working avidly with a wide range of artists to advance a critical art discourse emerging in the country. Sultan Gallery, now situated in Sabhan under the umbrella of Sadeer Trading & Contracting Company, along the skirts of many government subsidized factories, is within a renovated warehouse that encompasses 320 square-meters of exhibition space. Its straightforward layout allows it to be used in multiple ways through complex installations that transform the space altogether, or in its most natural format, depending on the artist.

Although Sultan Gallery pays special attention to contemporary photography, it is not limited to this one medium. The Gallery takes pride in supporting up-andcoming artists, and is highly receptive to experimental practices dealing with sound, video, performance, publications, as well as networks and the media.

Rather than representing a fixed group of artists, Sultan Gallery continuously develops its relationship with exhibitors, and potential collaborators, as part of its mission to build solid alliances within the creative class for a more contemporary Kuwait.