The 2022 cohorts of the Tashkeel Critical Practice Programme and Tanween Design Programme will benefit from mentorship, space, materials and further support to expand their practice and contribute to the UAE’s creative economy

 As part of its mission to provide a nurturing environment for the growth of contemporary art and design practice in the UAE, Tashkeel today announced the latest cohorts of artists and designers selected for its Critical Practice Programme (CPP) and Tanween design platform.

After receiving 75 applications to join the sixth iteration of the CPP in 2022, Tashkeel selected a record six UAE-based visual artists to receive up to one year of training, mentorship, studio support, critique, development, and artwork production, culminating in exhibitions scheduled for the second half of 2022 and into 2023. This is the largest cohort Tashkeel has ever taken for the programme.

Emirati artist Shamma Al Amri, Bahraini duo Nasser and Miriam Al Zayani, Jamal Tayara Baroudy from Lebanon, Pakistani artist Sophiya Khwaja, and Shazia Salam from India make up Tashkeel’s CPP cohort for the coming calendar year, each working with a mentor to build, challenge and guide them through the research, production and exhibition of their finished visual artwork.

Tashkeel’s Tanween design programme enters its 11th year

Tashkeel today also named the latest cohort for its Tanween design programme, which in 2021 celebrated a decade of design conceptualised and created in the Emirates, inspired by the nation’s traditional materials and techniques.

For the 2022 Tanween programme, the selected six UAE-based designers will explore the theme of sustainability and how design can help address this fundamental challenge. The selected designers are set to collaborate with engineers and scientists over the next eleven months as they research, experiment and ultimately deliver an innovative, functional design outcome with sustainability as a defining element.

Saudi Huda Al Aithan joins Emirati Reema Al Mheiri, Ebrahim Assur (South Africa) and Shaza Khalil (Egypt) and the design duo of Sara Abu Farha (Jordan) and Khaled Shalkha (Russia) making Tashkeel’s Tanween design programme cohort for 2022 the largest ever. Their materials of interest include the use of date seeds and date palm fronds, Kombucha fabric and wood to find more sustainable design practices that have commercial relevance and appeal.

For more information on Tashkeel’s Critical Practice Programme and Tanween design programme, please visit tashkeel.org.

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