Art from Mena: The affirmation of a promising market

An unparalleled fair, Menart Fair presents the best of modern and contemporary creation in this geographically localized scene, including the countries of North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf and Iran.

Through the sharp selection of 23 participating galleries from 13 countries, presenting around 80 artists for more than 200 pieces, Menart Fair in Brussels highlights the fertility, singularity and originality of the MENA art scene!

Now supported by a number of renowned museums and institutions, this vast region has benefited - geographically and historically - from rich experiences, conducive to artistic creation and thought.

Focus on the art of North Africa

Arab-Muslim and Western, Mediterranean and African culture

The art of North Africa is marked by an openness to various Euro-Mediterranean, African and Arab cultural influences that can be found in all forms of modern and contemporary art. The artists' desire for emancipation from the former colonial powers encouraged them to create a more broad-minded art. Often rich in colour, figurative or abstract, what they have in common is the constant look at their cultures of origin, exile, the Mediterranean, and no longer a solely local identity.

Focus on the art of the Near East

The extraordinary fertility of this troubled land

The Middle East is a region where both modern and contemporary artists have reappropriated their chaotic and unstable daily lives and integrated them into their art.
Contemporary art in these regions is experiencing a strong development, driven by the Arab uprisings. Confronted with a duty to remember, the artists denounce the silences, the occultations and the unspoken, just as they proclaim their hopes.

Focus on the art of the Gulf States

A young art scene in full swing

The market for modern and contemporary art has existed locally for some forty years and plays an important role for regional art.  The development is extremely rapid; the place has become globally established in less than fifteen years. Local contemporary art tends to occupy a predominant place (photo, video, digital, installations). As for modern art, it is all the more sought after because of its rarity.

Focus on the art of Iran

The fertility of the inexhaustible Persian dream

Art has always been part of the Persian DNA, much to the chagrin of those involved in the revolution. Art collecting has always been a favourite activity of the Iranian elite. The place is renowned for its liveliness and quality, so much so, that production continues to grow strongly. Despite the harshness of the regime, the production and market of art in Iran is growing steadily.

The 23 participating galleries

Amenor Contemporary (Stavanger) x Simine Paris (Paris), Atelier Nadeen x jihad khairallah architects (Beirut), Ayn Gallery (Paris), Baronian (Brussels), Galerie Bessières (Chatou), Galerie Dar D'art (Tangier), Everything I Want (Venice), Fann À Porter (Amman / Dubai), Galerie Françoise Livinec (Paris), Gaya Art (Paris / Algier), Gery Art Gallery (Namur), Hunna Art (Dubai), In Situ – fabienne leclerc (Romainville), Galerie La La Lande (Paris), Le Lab (Cairo), Musk and Amber Gallery (Tunis), Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris / Brussels),  Saleh Barakat Gallery (Beirut), Galerie Tanit (Munich / Beirut), The Great Design Disaster (Milan), Zalfa Halabi Art Gallery (Beirut), Zawyeh Gallery (Dubai / Ramallah)

Unprecedented in the West, this Brussels premiere will showcase the best of the MENA art scene.

It reveals a dialogue between the different cultures of these regions, which are as rich as they are distinct from one another.

MENART FAIR
Middle-East & North African Art
Dates: Friday, February 3rd to Sunday 5th,  2023, from 11am to 7pm
Venue: Boghossian Foundation - Villa Empain
             Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 67
            1050- Brussels, Belgium.Press preview: Thursday, February 2nd,  2023, from 4pm to 6pm
VIP Inauguration: Thursday, February 2nd,  2023, from 6pm to 10pm

On the cover: Bahaa Amer, August 10th, 2020, mixed media on Japanese Paper on board, 70 x 107 cm, Le LAB (Cairo, Egypt).

Source: Menart Fair