Myrna Ayad

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Myrna Ayad (born 28 December 1977) is a Dubai-based arts writer, editor and consultant, recognized as one of the Middle East’s leading cultural commentators.

She is the current Director of Art Dubai, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia’s (MENASA’s) foremost international art fair.

From 2007-2015, Ayad was Editor of Canvas magazine, a bimonthly publication focused on art and culture from the Middle East and Arab world. During this time, she also edited and project-managed the Canvas Daily newspapers for the Art Dubai and Abu Dhabi Art fairs, as well as a series of catalogues and books; among them, those for brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Christie’s, Chanel and Gucci; the inaugural Emaar International Art Symposium (2007); Art, My Passion (2008), that focuses on the collection of Their Highnesses Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the UAE and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and his wife Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan; and Contemporary Kingdom: The Saudi Art Scene Now (2014), that surveys the contemporary art arena in Saudi Arabia through profiles on artists, galleries, collectors, institutions and cultural initiatives .

Ayad is editor of the forthcoming publication, Art Scene UAE: Visual Arts Practices in the Emirates.

Between 2015-2016, Ayad wrote about art from the MENASA region for titles including The New York Times, The Art Newspaper, Artforum , Artsy, Artnet and The National , among others. In May 2016, she joined Art Dubai as Director

Over the years, Ayad has served as a panelist and moderator for entities such as the Global Art Forum (2017), the Art Business Conference (2016), Art Dubai (2016), Alserkal Avenue (2015) and Art Basel (2009) as well as several art galleries and institutions in the region. She has interviewed artists including Monir Farmanfarmaian, Etel Adnan, Ayman Baalbaki, Abdulrahman Katanani, Abbas Kiarostami, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Akram Zaatari. Among the art patrons that Ayad has interviewed are Saudi Arabia’s HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Iran’s Farah Diba Pahlavi, HRH Princess Wijdan Al Hashemi of Jordan and Lebanon’s Elie Khouri.

Ayad has served as a nominator for the Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Emerging Artists Fellowship since 2013 and since 2017, is also a nominator for the UAE art Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. She was a jurist for the Abraaj Group Art Prize (2016-2018), and serves as an advisory board member of her alma mater, the American University in Dubai.

In 2017, Ayad was named as one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen in Forbes . In 2018, she was ranked among the 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World in Arabian Business magazine

References

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