TBC
Artist Learning SessionHala Khayat
Visit to Damascus
SAFIR co-founder Hala Khayat met artists for a learning session at Kozah Gallery in Damascus.
- Led by
- Hala Khayat, SAFIR Co-Founder
- Venue
- Kozah Gallery
- Location
- Damascus, Syria
03/ 04Program
Workshops & Learning
Our approach
Skills, networks and confidence for a life in art.
Alongside one-to-one mentorship, SAFIR runs workshops and learning sessions that put young Syrian artists in the room with curators, artists and art-world professionals.
They build practical skills, from digital presence to language, widen professional networks, and create a peer community where artists exchange experience and honest feedback.
- Workshops & sessions
- 6
- Cities
- 4
- First workshop
- 2017
Workshops
Workshops, sessions and classes SAFIR has run since 2017.
TBC
Professional Development WorkshopBassem Terkawi
A professional development workshop led by Bassem Terkawi at Fann à Porter in Dubai.
- Led by
- Bassem Terkawi
- Venue
- Fann à Porter
- Location
- Dubai, UAE
2018
Digital Skills WorkshopSummer Digital Tools Workshop
Four hands-on days that left artists with new websites, sharper artist statements and a stronger online presence.
Organized by Ein el-Fan in collaboration with SAFIR, this four-day workshop at Ashkal Alwan brought seven artists together with an international team of new-media specialists.
The focus was outreach: virtual communication, technical skills and online presence that widen an artist's international reach. By the end, participants had built websites, written artist statements and practised public speaking.
- Format
- 4-day hands-on workshop
- Venue
- Ashkal Alwan
- Location
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Dates
- Summer 2018
- Organized by
- Ein el-Fan, with SAFIR
- Participants
- 7 artists, including SAFIR artists Wissam Al Shaabi, Akil Ahmad and Yamen Youssef
2018
Language LearningEnglish Classes for Syrian Artists
A small, focused English class giving artists the language to pursue exhibitions, grants and residencies with confidence.
Led by SAFIR Ambassador Lina Attar, the class worked with four SAFIR artists in an intimate setting, with weekly follow-up on each participant's progress and difficulties.
English is a practical gateway in the international art world, from applications and artist statements to conversations with curators and collectors.
- Led by
- Lina Attar, SAFIR Ambassador
- Location
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Dates
- January 2018
- Participants
- Johnny Semaan, Mohamad Khayata, Akil Ahmad, Anas Albraehe
2017
Artist Capacity BuildingTA'AROF II
The second TA'AROF gathering brought eleven SAFIR artists to Beirut alongside Sharjah Biennial 13's off-site programme.
TA'AROF II continued the first workshop, bringing back its artists and welcoming five new SAFIR artists. Sessions ran at Ashkal Alwan alongside Upon a Shifting Plate, the Sharjah Biennial 13 off-site project in Beirut.
Dr. Nader Kabbani led the workshop discussions, artist and SAFIR mentor Ismail al-Rifai met the participants, and the group visited galleries across the city, including an exhibition by Fathi Zamroud at Ayyam Gallery Beirut.
- Dates
- October 2017
- Venue
- Ashkal Alwan
- Location
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Context
- Sharjah Biennial 13 off-site project, Upon a Shifting Plate
- Led by
- Dr. Nader Kabbani, with mentor Ismail al-Rifai
- Participants
- 11 SAFIR artists
2017
Young Artist WorkshopTA'AROF I
SAFIR's first workshop: twelve days inside Sharjah Biennial 13 and Art Dubai, learning from curators, artists and collectors.
Held as part of Sharjah Biennial 13, TA'AROF I gave a group of young Syrian artists direct access to the region's leading art events, through guided tours of the Biennial and Art Dubai 2017, studio visits, a Christie's Dubai auction and talks with established artists.
Sessions focused on creating value, refining technique and communicating ideas, and on how biennials, art centres and residencies fit into an artist's practice. Curators Tarek Abou El Fetouh, Fawz Kabra, Reem Fadda and Christine Tohmé, and artists Safwan Dahoul and Thaeir Helal, were among the mentors. The workshop also seeded a lasting network between artists and mentors.
- Dates
- 9–20 March 2017
- Location
- Sharjah and Dubai, UAE
- Context
- Sharjah Biennial 13 and Art Dubai 2017
- Sponsored by
- Sharjah Art Foundation and SB13 curator Christine Tohmé
- Participants
- 7 SAFIR artists