Created during Anuar Khalifi's residency in Zanzibar, these paintings vividly capture real-life experiences with a distinct narrative approach. Inspired by encounters with locals on the island, Khalifi transforms his encounters into imaginative reflections, capturing the essence of Zanzibar's cultural identity and coastal landscape.

Originally commissioned by The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, Farah Al Qasimi subtly incorporates traces of the human form within the expansive Al Ruwais sabkhas – salt flats notable for their scale, cultural significance, and ecological complexity. The images illustrate the tension between industrialisation and nature, juxtaposing individuals with industrial structures to capture moments of conflict and resolution.

Playfully blending Moroccan cultural elements with a contemporary, hip-hop aesthetic, Hassan Hajjaj is renowned for his vibrant images. He frames and accessorises his subjects with everyday items sourced from local markets to create portraits that challenge conventional views of Moroccan life. By merging traditional patterns and materials with global influences, Hajjaj offers a unique commentary on identity, consumerism, globalisation and cultural hybridity.

Hayv Kahraman’s practice is guided by her refugee experience, where gender and trauma are consistent themes in her work. Look Me in the Eyes at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is her largest solo museum exhibition to date and will tour to Frye Art Museum Seattle this year. The semi-autobiographical exhibition focuses on the female figure and explores migration and immigration in the West, highlighting the duality of hypervisibility and invisibility experienced by othered bodies.

Sarah Awad’s work blends abstraction and figuration through a distinctive technique of layering and merging shapes, colours, and faces with bold, free-flowing forms and thick, confident brushstrokes. Awad’s dynamic paintings often contrast light and dark hues, with the colour palette and its relationships serving as a fundamental starting point for her creations, allowing shapes to emerge and evolve organically.