Emirati sisters Manar and Sharifah Alhinai have just made getting your cultural fix from home so much easier with their digital Khaleeji Art Museum. Manar is also the author of The Man in the White Sandals and graduated from the University of Leeds as the first Arab to hold a Master’s degree in diversity management. Sharifah is an entrepreneur and journslist and graduated from the University of Oxford and The School of Oriental and African studies.

The museum is focused on the representation of Arab women, and the sisters tell us how underrepresented women are in media around the world, “a report published earlier this year by the World Economic Forum cited a 2015 study that revealed that only 24 per cent of news sources are women,” continuing, “Aanother study published in 2017 by the Women’s Media Center found that 63 per cent of TV credits and bylines were that of men”. “As Emirati journalists having contributed to international media, we have noticed that there was a lack of Arab women, and more specifically women from the Arab Gulf States, whose work was published internationally. Also, the women and this region have been misrepresented significantly in international media.”

The Spread of Panic by Kuwaiti artist Dana Al Rashid

The Khaleeji Art Museum aims to shed light on the amazing talent in our region, “We launched the Khaleeji Art Museum on May 18 (International Museum Day). The museum is a special digital experience.  Through our digital museum, we aim to introduce viewers from around the world to Gulf talents, including female artists of the Arab Gulf States, through the various exhibitions we hold virtually. Our museum is managed by and our exhibitions are produced by an Arab women team. Just like in the media, art patrons and artists have been calling for an increase of the representation of women in the arts, and to also showcase more art made by women in museums and galleries. This represents our effort to help achieve more of this much needed representation”.

Oh My God! by Saudi artist The Late Zakia Al Dubaikhi, photographed by Basma AlZamil

“We strive to empower talents, document history as it happens, and support the regional art movement. All the exhibitions in the museum are free to experience, stemming from our firm belief that knowledge and arts should be accessible to all as much as is possible. We’ve always valued digital platforms, and the Covid-19 crisis proved how important digital experiences are. This is why we decided to launch a digital museum experience, as opposed to something physical, to also ensure that it is accessible to everyone across the globe, so that more and more people can learn about the talents in the region.”

You Took A FaceTime Photo by Oman artist Isra Al Balushi

We asked Manar and Sharifah what it is like to work with family, and they tell us that they are “blessed to have aligned visions and passion”, and heart-warmingly that they are “best friends”. “We complement each other in so many ways. With Sharifah’s background in law (and the precision that comes with that), and my background in marketing, business, and communication, we struck the right balance.”

Watch Over Me by Emirati artist Alia Al Hammadi

Click here for access to the Khaleeji Art Museum.