I remember close to 15 years ago, I had just finished my humanities bachelor’s degree at the American University of Sharjah and felt like I was inside a diorama of confusion, choices and decisions to be weighed and made. A great friend of mine passed on a callout for an internship for the Sharjah Biennial. I still remember the pamphlet’s visual design, it had a strong pull and I was so intrigued by the proximity yet alienness of this world to me – having grown up in the UAE. I remember calling the listed number to be asked if I know how to use Illustrator and whether I can join immediately – and I jumped on it. I entered that same week into an electrifying office at the Sharjah Arts Museum. It was about a month from the opening of the biennial and the room had surely 50+ people some of whom were artists, designers, writers and Sharjah Art Foundation staff all working together. I spent that month helping Slavs and Tatars realise their commission and the branding identity of the biennial that year. It was beyond exhilarating for 22 year-old Uns. In a span of a few weeks, I had met some of the smartest, curious and hardworking individuals I have known, all coming together under shared belief and commitments towards the arts and communities.

It’s amazing seeing degrees and specialisations within the Creative industry multiply in the UAE now! During my time, options were more limited; I studied Public Relations and found a deeper calling in International and Governmental Studies – the skills learnt in critical reading and thinking are so important to any professional role and so is curiosity towards our collective histories, current affairs and rights.

Following my internship, I stayed on at Sharjah Art Foundation as a Researcher and Curatorial Assistant. These initial few years were of fundamental growth for me, and I had met people there who became mentors and dear friends to this day.

I would say an affliction rather than a habit, but I am a high-wired, anxious-leaning character. Over the years, I started to see this as an opportunity (rather than a curse!) to channel that level of thinking towards planning, attention-to-detail but also in empathy towards working with others.

This might seem obvious, but I really cannot stress the importance of ample preparation, rehearsal and practice! It is not to be undermined and is almost as solid as the physical laws of the universe, you put in the work, you yield the results! Also, the people on the other end will see these spelling mistake and can also totally see through a Chatgpt script – check your grammar and be yourself!

Book: Minor Detail by Adania Shibli Artist: Samaa Emad, doing important work in Gaza right now @samaaemad43 (thank you for the connection Maria Alem!)

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The ongoing importance of documentation and bespoke legislation towards creative industry, entities and individuals.