My internship took place at Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates. During my time there, I gained great insight into the many functioning parts of the institution but primarily into the curatorial team. A great deal of my time was focused on researching the Aref El Rayess retrospective at Sharjah Art Museum.

I arrived the week before the renowned March Meeting which meant slotting in quickly to an intense work environment as teams pulled together for the conference. March Meeting, 14th edition, was centred around The Afterlives of the Postcolonial to engage with the theoretical framework of the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 15, Thinking Historically in the Present. This is in relation to Okwui Enwezor’s conception of the ‘Postcolonial Constellation’. Beyond helping with dinner registrations, I was able to attend all the talks which were completely unforgettable.

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak as the first speaker was truly a privilege to experience. Spivak set the tone that would carry for the entire conference; “in acknowledgement of complicity, there is no weakness, makes for a much stronger practice,” verbalising the rigorous nature of the intellectual discussions that would ensue.

All of the talks were enlightening, and I was particularly taken by The Environment, Climate and Global Warming, and the Anthropocene with Carolina Caycedo, TJ Demos, Hrair Sarkissian, moderated by Amy Niang. New Concepts and Theoretical Imperatives on both Intersectionality, Feminism and Gendered Identities with Anjali Arondekar, Tina Campt, Naminata Diabate, moderated by Nidhi Manhajan raised a lot of questions within myself and tested my understanding of gender in context.

There is also the permanent exhibition, The Rain Room, which unfortunately is where I arrived on my first day after mistaking it for the HQ. My second visit to the installation was far more intentional and peaceful. The installation is an environment of continuous downpour of recycled water. The ceiling detects human presence and stops raining just above your head, allowing audience members to be completely engulfed in heavy rain without getting wet. This was a beautiful experience that I honestly find hard to put into words. It was incredibly cinematic while maintaining its mediative nature.

Of all the amazing exhibitions, I was most attached to the Aref El Rayess show as the more I researched, the more enthralling the largest retrospective of his work became. Researching El Rayess took me on a journey through the struggles of the Lebanese Civil War, to differing faiths I was not accustomed to. I undertook the research while working closely alongside an assistant curator who helped to direct me, exposing me to the sensitivities of what I was finding. I was offered important guidance on what questions are important to ask and contribute to the experience of the exhibition while considering how to approach answering them.

Finally, I was extremely fortunate to have one of the senior curators, Omar Kholeif, put time and materials aside for me to ask any questions. They also offered advice on my upcoming exhibition proposal which was invaluable for an inexperienced curator. I truly appreciated the care I was given.

My internship in Sharjah was incredible and is something I will carry fondly with me in the future. Whether it be for the academic and professional growth I was offered or meeting wonderful people in a brand-new context for me, I am very grateful for my time there.

Emma Fearon

Read the other articles in the MA Curation Internship Blog Series here.