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The Ishara Art Foundation opens by examining the concept of belonging in a foreign land.
The Ishara Art Foundation, the first independent institution dedicated to expanding knowledge and understanding of contemporary South Asian art and artists in West Asia, has been established by Dubai resident, collector and patron, Smita Prabhakar.
Renowned figures from the art world attended the recent opening of the foundation’s inaugural exhibition, Altered Inheritances: Home is a Foreign Place, by artists Shilpa Gupta and Zarina. Presented in partnership with Alserkal Avenue until mid-July 2019, the exhibition navigates notions of belonging. The exhibition’s starting points are around the borders of South Asia, but with an awareness of migration and mobility as globally resonant experiences in today’s world.
Artistic Director Nada Raza announced that a group exhibition of photography and the built environment in South Asia will open in September, followed by a focus on photography and modern South Asian architecture in November.

Installation views of the exhibition Altered Inheritances: Home is a Foreign Place featuring works by Shilpa Gupta and Zarina. Photographer Ismail Noor/Seeing Things. Image courtesy of Ishara Art Foundation 2019
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