Getting to know Dana Farouki, the new chairperson of the Abraaj Group Art Prize

Dana Farouki was appointed the chairperson of the Abraaj Group Art Prize in June. Courtesy Dana Farouki

The Abraaj Group Art Prize (AGAP) enters its eighth year with a new chair: Palestinian-­American art collector, curator and patron Dana Farouki. Raised in the United States and now based in Dubai, she had been a jury member of the Prize for four years and sits on the boards of several cultural organisations, among them MoMA PS1 Contemporary Art Centre, Art Dubai and Creative Time. Chairing the Prize, says Farouki, has given her “the opportunity of doing curatorial work that I’d done at the Guggenheim and also support artists and help them realise their projects.”

Officially appointed in June, Farouki first put together a jury and instituted a new rule of inviting practitioners and curators over a two-year period, which “allows for a sense of commitment”. These include Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of exhibitions and programmes and director of international projects at the Serpentine Galleries; Sandhini Poddar, art historian and adjunct curator at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum; and Defne Ayas, director and curator, Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art.

“Getting new people involved means a constant influx of new energy and expertise,” says Farouki. Earlier this month, she announced the winners of the 2016 AGAP: Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, who will be working with guest curator Nav Haq.

Is choosing the artist(s) and curator democratic?

Yes and you’d be surprised how we come to a unanimous decision. Usually, there’s pretty good consensus and that speaks for the quality of the Prize. Everyone was very impressed with Ruanne and Basel’s proposal; their application was fresh, exciting and a departure in a way that they haven’t worked in before.

Do you feel that there are more artists or curators in the Mena and South Asia region?

The curators don’t have to be from Mena and South Asia, but the artists do. We’ve always given the curator position to someone who has shown interest in the region. They are hard to find. There are fewer applications for the curator position than there are for artists.

What can be done about that?

I can still think of many curators who we would love to work with. Each year we’re pleased with the applications we get and there is someone to award. Organisations such as the Delfina Foundation are doing great things by mentoring artists and curators in terms of building a community of art-appreciating practitioners. The Sharjah Art Foundation and TCA Abu Dhabi continue making efforts in this regard as well. It’s definitely a challenge, but there are things that are happening to help the ­situation.

What do you think the Prize does for the careers of artists and curators on regional and global levels?

A curator doesn’t always have the opportunity to work with an artist on a commissioned project, which is an exceptional opportunity. They also have the chance to refine things for an artist and help them think about certain ideas and ­aesthetics. Artists are ­constantly short of funds to make work, so it’s an ­opportunity to ­envision and realise a project. I have a lot of ­relationships with ­international organisations and protagonists and they respect the Prize. It’s a great list of artists. There’s so much interest in the region and its protagonists need a platform of awareness and Abraaj is this platform.

It is always exciting to discover new artists and curators.

Absolutely. For the jury, this is a given. If someone wasn’t granted the prize but was on the shortlist, a jury member may be excited about their work, a curator can discover a new artist and include them in shows. There are so many levels that the Prize works on.

The Prize has experienced a lot of changes with regards to its format.

There was some confusion because there were five winners and now, this is clearly defined. When I came on, I made sure to have conversations with past winners and curators on how this can be improved.

What do you feel are some of the Prize’s weaknesses?

Probably that the collection isn’t on view consistently. There are ambitions to make the Prize and collection more visible. Abraaj is very willing to loan works so that more people can see them and there can be scholarship around them. In the coming years, we hope to have more exciting ­developments.

What advice would you give aspiring artists and curators applying to the Prize?

The application has to be an appealing, ambitious project. You have to be at a certain point in your career and have had some experience making work and gotten some attention, perhaps globally. We really think of the Prize working as a pivot for an artist’s career to grow and evolve and we need to be confident that they are capable of producing what they are proposing. As for curators, there needs to be a track record of experience under their belt. Omar Kholeif and Nav Haq are examples of perfect winners for the guest curator role: they are both talented, stage a lot of exhibitions, work with artists and artists enjoy working with them.