In the Heart of Another Country The Diasporic Imagination in the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection

“ In the Heart of Another Country” explores the concept of home– of longing and belonging by artists who hail from multiple diasporas. The exhibition and the book explores the ways that physical movement– how mobility across geographies, has shaped and contoured the frame of global art today. The artists, herein, have traversed migratory routes from South and West Asia, through Africa, and the Caribbean. Many now live in dispersed sites, far from where they first believed that they belonged. Drawing on art from the international collection of Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, “ In the Heart of Another Country” showcases the work of more than 60 artists through over 150 artworks in all media, many of which have rarely, if ever, been seen outside of their original context. Recently restored installations are presented alongside contemporary acquisitions, which narrate a communal story of kinship amongst artists– one often developed against a backdrop of political turmoil and social unrest. “ In the Heart of Another Country” embodies the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection’ s goal to present art that posits East-East and South-South alliances, forging a meeting point– a connective tissue that nurtures a polyphonous and inclusive art history.

Omar Kholeif is an Egyptian-born artist, curator, writer and editor. Kholeif's curatorial practice focuses on art that intersects with the internet, as well as works of art from emerging geographic territories that have yet to be seen in the mainstream. Kholeif is currently the Sharjah Art Foundation’ s Director of Collections and Senior Curator. Omar Kholeif is an Egyptian-born artist, curator, writer and editor. Kholeif's curatorial practice focuses on art that intersects with the internet, as well as works of art from emerging geographic territories that have yet to be seen in the mainstream. Kholeif is currently the Sharjah Art Foundation’ s Director of Collections and Senior Curator. Dirk Luckow (born 1958) has been the General Director of the Deichtorhallen Hamburg since 2009. He graduated 1996 with a dissertation on Joseph Beuys and the American Anti-Form-Art. Luckow has since worked at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Dü sseldorf, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Wü rttembergische Kunstverein in Stuttgart. He also worked as project manager for visual arts at the Siemens Arts Program in Munich, before he became Director of the Kunsthalle zu Kiel from 2002 to 2009. From 2007 to 2009 he was a member of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Temporä re Dirk Luckow (born 1958) has been the General Director of the Deichtorhallen Hamburg since 2009. He graduated 1996 with a dissertation on Joseph Beuys and the American Anti-Form-Art. Luckow has since worked at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Dü sseldorf, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Wü rttembergische Kunstverein in Stuttgart. He also worked as project manager for visual arts at the Siemens Arts Program in Munich, before he became Director of the Kunsthalle zu Kiel from 2002 to 2009. From 2007 to 2009 he was a member of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Temporä re