Past Through Here: AUS students curate exhibition featuring iconic works from the Barjeel Art Foundation

Exhibition opened to the public on February 1st at Maraya Arts Center, Sharjah

Credit: AUS student Salma Hilal.

Students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) and the Barjeel Art Foundation have announced the opening of Past Through Here, a new exhibition curated by AUS students and featuring iconic works from the Barjeel Art Foundation’s renowned collection of modern and contemporary Arab art. The exhibition opened to the public at Maraya Art Centre, in Sharjah, on February 1.

The exhibition is the culmination of the semester-long Arts Practicum course focused on curating modern and contemporary Arab art, which was delivered at the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) by Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation and Member of the AUS Board of Trustees, alongside Suheyla Takesh, Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation. 

Past Through Here explores the imprints of memory, movement and transformation through modern and contemporary Arab art. It includes paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations that examine how memory is constructed and transformed through lived experience.

“Working on this exhibition offered the students valuable experience that will prepare them, and perhaps give them an advantage, when entering the workforce. It was thanks to AUS' dynamic learning environment that over a dozen students, not just from CAAD but all over AUS' different colleges, were able to take part in this practicum and directly engage with Modern Arab art, studying and selecting works, designing the exhibition, and contributing to a publication.” said Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi.

“The exhibition features works that vary in material, form and visual language, yet remain connected through narratives deeply rooted in the region’s social, cultural and historical contexts,” said Mohammed Alnunu, one of the student curators. “Together, the works explore how memory oscillates between the conscious and subconscious, and how experiences of displacement, aspiration and belonging are carried, reshaped and reimagined across generations.”

For Hend AlShamsi, who worked alongside Alnunu and 10 other students to bring the project to life, the exhibition is as much about how memory is experienced as it is about what is remembered.

“Past Through Here explores the imprints of memory, movement and transformation, tracing not only what we remember, but how we remember,” she said. “The exhibition asks what we keep, what we let go of, and how we carry the past forward into an uncertain future. The diversity of the Barjeel collection allows these themes to be explored in multiple ways, through personal experience, collective history and different artistic approaches.”

Photo caption: AUS students discuss the exhibition’s design. Credit: Suheyla Takesh, Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation.

Working directly with original artworks also gave students an in-depth understanding of curatorial practice beyond theory.

“Engaging with the physical presence of the works taught me that a curator’s role is not only interpretive, but responsive,” AlShamsi explained. “Curating involves how works behave in space, how meaning emerges through placement and pacing, and also the technical realities—from environmental conditions and lighting to communicating clearly with contractors and technicians. Ultimately, curation is shaped by the viewer’s experience, from accessibility and comfort to how spatial decisions influence emotion and perception.”

The exhibition was curated by AUS students from three colleges: the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the School of Business Administration (SBA). The interdisciplinary curatorial team drew on their diverse academic backgrounds: journalism students shaped the exhibition text and catalogue, business students led planning and publicity, and CAAD students designed the spatial layout, artwork placement and visual identity. 

Takesh noted that working with students from different colleges was critical to shaping both the process and the final outcome.

Takesh added: "The class brought together students from diverse academic backgrounds: architecture, multimedia design, visual communication, journalism, and business management, each bringing their unique perspective. Over the semester, they explored and debated the role of art in shaping collective narratives, and conducted original research through engaging with works from the Barjeel collection and interviewing artists and their families."

Alnun seconded this, saying: “Everyone approached the artworks differently: some focused on space and movement, others on storytelling, research or audience experience,” he said. “Those differences led to conversations that pushed the exhibition beyond one way of thinking. It became more collaborative and more reflective of the exhibition’s themes, showing how meaning is built not only through the artworks, but through how people experience them.”

Alnunu also highlighted Sharjah as a particularly resonant setting for the exhibition.

“Sharjah has a strong relationship with history, culture and storytelling,” he said. “The themes of memory, displacement and what we carry from the past feel especially relevant here. I hope visitors take their time with the exhibition and experience it as something open-ended—a space to reflect on their own memories and sense of belonging, rather than being told what to think.” 

Photo caption: Student curators pose alongside Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation and Member of the AUS Board of Trustees and Suheyla Takesh, Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation, in the foyer of AUS’ College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD).
Credit: Suheyla Takesh, Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation, Suheyla Takesh.

Exhibition details

Past Through Here opened on Sunday, February 1, at 11:00 a.m., at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, and is open to the public and free of charge until March 20.

About the Barjeel Art Foundation

Barjeel Art Foundation is a non-profit arts organization based in Sharjah, established in 2010 by Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi to manage, preserve and exhibit one of the region’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary Arab art. Through exhibitions, publications and public programs, the foundation fosters critical dialogue on Arab art locally and internationally.