REPRESENTED
ARTISTS
The Stal Gallery represents recognized established and emerging artists from all parts of Oman and brings in-guest international artists from the GCC region.
Stal Gallery biannually assesses public submissions from artists and curators seeking cooperation. Submissions are reviewed by Stal gallery panel of consultants that makes recommendations for the upcoming projects and exhibitions programme. We are interested to learn about projects by local, regional, national and international artists and curators. For further inquiry - submit your art portfolio to our e-mail and follow "terms & conditions".
RENOWNED ARTISTS
HASSAN MEER
Hassan Meer, was born in Muscat the capital city of the sultanate of Oman. He received his Master degree in Art in 2000 and his Bachelor degree in Fine Art with Media Art specialization in 1999 from Savannah College of art and design, Georgia, USA. During his study, he started using video and installation art as a new form to express his ideas that has been inspired by personal experience and childhood memories with an impressionable sense of spirituality. In year 2000 with a group of friend he organized the Circle Show that is taking the lead of encouraging the new form of art in Oman the region. His work has been presented in many local and international exhibitions. In addition of working as a Designer, he also taught several Art courses in Sultan Qaboos University and The Fine Art society.
ALI HASSAN
The contemporary Qatari artist Ali Hassan has started his career in painting over 25 years ago. Trained first as a calligrapher, he studied history at Qatar University. Today he is one of the most renown and active contemporary artists in Qatar with a particular focus in art education.
As the former chairman of the Youth Creative Art Centre and the Girl’s Creativity Art Centre in Doha he plays a highly influential role in the shaping of new generations of students of the visual arts. Over time, Ali Hassan’s work has combined both calligraphic and figural forms, often abstracted, the most prominent feature of his calligraphic work being the treatment of the letter “nun”. His general style is characterized by the use of strong colors and a mix of materials and collage. In his most recent work he has embarked on the sculptural application of calligraphy in both ceramic and installation art. Ali Hassan’s work has been represented in numerous exhibitions within the Arab world, Europe and Asia and has been acquired internationally by both public and private collections.
JAMAL ABDUL RAHIM
Jamal Abdul Rahim is one of Bahrain’s most established and highly regarded contemporary artists, exhibiting his work in Europe and the Middle East. The award-winning artist builds his art from the movement of society deeply rooted in rich Arab civilization, its mythology, religion and language. He believes that artists can pick their inspiration from everywhere and from the people around them. Although he is known as a printmaker and painter, he has become an avid sculpting fan who believes that: “stone is already beautiful and by sculpting it, I am inspired, withdrawing that beauty into a form”. According to him, working on stone fills the soul with a special kind of pleasure that cannot be explained, as art is a spiritual exercise which cannot be ignored.
ANWAR SONYA
Anwar Sonya, one of the founders of the Omani Art Movement, has greatly participated in the movement and placed Omani Art on the international arena. Sonya’s approach to a contemporary style started in the mid 90’s, and has been highly appreciated by critics and collectors. He is inspired by the mystical Dhofar region, his homeland. By incorporating Arabic calligraphy into his Abstractions, Sonya added a wonderful dimension to his work. His work has been presented in many local and international exhibitions. He was one of the artists participating in The Circle, a yearly Contemporary Art Exhibition featuring installation work staged in Muscat. Anwar Sonya has been awarded multiple times for his services to Omani art and received the Golden prize from HM Sultan Qaboos as the best artist. He was honoured by Sharjah Biennale as The Most Distinguished Arab Artist. Anwar Sonya has also participated in Art Paris-Abu Dhabi 2007 & 2008 with Bait Muzna Gallery as the gallery’s leading artist.
BUDOOR AL RIYAMI
Budoor Al Riyami was born in 1977and graduated from Sultan Qaboos University Muscat, Oman. She won the Grand Prize at the 13th Asian Art Biennale in 2008 with her innovative work; a video installation entitled “The Peak of Burning” which is one of the very few artworks employing modern technologies on display at the event. Riyami participated also in The Circle Show in 2005 and 2007 which is taking the lead in encouraging new forms of art in Oman and in the Gulf. She also works in other mediums such as painting and sculpture but currently prefers photography and video installation to other mediums.
Talking about working with high tech mediums Riyami says, “In the Stone Age man used to draw on stone. Then why shouldn’t we use modern technologies when science has developed?” On her approach to art, Riyami said that she tries to stir the viewers’ sensibilities with her works. In her words, “The viewers should be allowed some space so that they can interpret art in their own ways. As an artist I can give them some clues on any particular issue. But, they should decide how to react.”
ENAAM AHMED
Enaam is one of Oman’s prominent and award winning female artist that has exhibitions internationally. Her artwork is inspired by ancient texts from bygone civilizations within the region; that include Assyrian, Ugarit, Aramic, Byblos, Palmyrenean and Aad alphabets. Her artwork pays tribute to these iconic and narrative early scripts and the civilizations that transformed global history thousands of years ago.
YOUNG EMERGING ARTISTS (YEAP)
WADAH AL MUSAFIR
Wadah Al Musafir is an advertisement and humanist photographer who is considered one of the Masters of Hasselblad in the Middle East. Born in 1983 in Muscat, Oman, he developed an appreciation for photography in 1999 and has earned his degree in Cinematography in Egypt. Al Musafir does work around the Arabian Gulf – Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE. He also teaches photography and conducts photo walks all around Muscat. Al Musafir is esteemed as one of the best Directors of Photography in the Sultanate of Oman.
MUZNA AL MUSAFER
Al Musafer’s work expresses a unique voice in the Gulf Cinema where she combines a fascinating harmony of reality and fiction in her documentary-narrative style. Born in Madinat Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, she graduated from Kuwait University majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in Political Science. She studied courses in Swedish cinema and Television Culture in Stockholm University in 2011. Her first film, “Niqab,” won the student competition short in the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai. Her second short, “Cholo,” was premiered at the Dubai Film Festival 2013 and was screened at the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of African Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., Institute de Monde Arabe in Paris, and TV5 Monde.