Omar Kholeif

"One of the Art World’s
40 Global Influencers
Under 40"

Apollo Magazine

"A game-changer"

British GQ

Biography

Dr. Omar Kholeif CF FRSA (EG/SU/UK) is an award-winning author, curator, cultural historian and broadcaster. Kholeif currently serves as Director of Collections and Senior Curator at Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF), UAE. Initially trained as a political scientist, Kholeif’s career began as a music writer, researcher, and producer of documentaries in the UK broadcast sector. Over the last two decades, they have been vested in leadership roles in museums, galleries, not-for-profits and the public sphere. Their research evolves from an interest in the the intersection of emerging technologies with concepts of ideology, ethnicity, and race.

The curator of over 70 exhibitions exhibitions of visual art realized on five continents; they are the author/co-author or editor of over forty books, which have been translated into 15 languages. Widely recognised for their prolific and exploratory output, Kholeif has been called a “Game Changer” by British GQ and has been listed as a 40 under 40 Global Influencer on three different occasions by international cultural magazine, Apollo.

At SAF, Dr. Kholeif oversees collection strategy, development and acquisition as well as exhibition programming, conservation, and strategic partnerships. Previosly, Dr. Kholeif held leadership posts, including, Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago; Curator at Whitechapel Gallery, London; Senior Curator at Cornerhouse and HOME, Manchester; Curator at Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Liverpool; Head of Art and Technology at SPACE, London and Founding Director, UK Arab Film Festival (now Safar Film Festival), the UK’s only continuing film festival devoted to Arab and African cinema.

Dr. Kholeif curated projects include the Cyprus Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale, which took place in Italy, Cyprus, and Egypt, and ‘Time, Forward!’ at 58th Venice Biennale. They co-curated the 14th Sharjah Biennial: Leaving the Echo Chamber, and has served as a curator for the Manchester International Festival; the Armory Show, New York; Abu Dhabi Art, Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi; the International Film Festival Rotterdama and the 7th Liverpool Biennial, among others.

Media outlets including, The New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Economist, The Art Newspaper, Vice, The New Scientist, among others, have profiled Kholeif and their work. Their scholarship has been recognized with awards from the Graham Foundation and Creative Capital | The Andy Warhol Foundation.

A professor of fine art, critical race, art history and the politics of visual culture, they have held research and teaching positions at the University of Chicago; Hunter College, City University of New York; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, the University of Oxford and currently serve as a Visiting Professor at Teesside University. Kholeif is a member/fellow of organizations including, the RSA; WCMT; ICOM; CIMAM; AAMC, AICA; IBA; ACASA; AMCA; CAA; AAH and MESA. They are Chair of the College Art Association (CAA) committee for the Art Journal Award for Distinction.

A critical advocate and spokesperson on inclusion strategies, Kholeif advises a number of organisations on their access policies. Kholeif is a Trustee of SPACE, London, where they are Chair of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; an Ambassador for Mental Health Research UK and a Global Ambassador for the Leslie Lohman Museum, New York. In 2012, they founded the cultural agency, artPost21, which supports cultural voices from the margins. Their book, Internet_Art: From the Birth of the Web to the Rise of NFTs was published by Phaidon. You can catch their avatar Dr. O on the the artPost21 Podcast. They are currently developing a feature-length documentary, alongside a burgeoning development slate.

Videos

Contact

To commission Dr Omar Kholeif, contact them directly at: omarkholeif at gmail dot com. For talks and broadcasting queries: bookings@omarkholeif.com For press: press@omarkholeif.com

Photo credits: top(ArtPost21), center(Nathan Keay)

© Omar Kholeif