At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the extraordinary talent in the Arab world. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists, innovative designers, tech trailblazers, cinematic visionaries, sports stars, and more.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Emirati Artist Maisoon Al Saleh.
For Al Saleh, art is a process of translation, a way of interpreting the layers of Emirati identity as they shift through time. There’s a quiet precision to the way she approaches art. In an era where cultural identity is often flattened into aesthetics, Al Saleh’s work resists simplicity. She treats heritage not as a subject to be romanticized, but as a living archive that demands reinterpretation. By translating cultural symbols into contemporary contexts, she opens space for conversation about what defines being “Emirati” today.
Her methodology blends research and intuition. Al Saleh draws inspiration from architecture, folklore, science, and even technology, weaving them into visual narratives. By using materials and motifs familiar to her heritage, she creates a sense of recognition, while her abstract forms and contemporary techniques push those same references into new territory.
Al Saleh’s impact goes beyond gallery walls. She has made it her mission to nurture creativity within her community, conducting workshops and educational programs that empower young artists to find their voices.
Her entrepreneurial venture, The Paintly Store, continues this mission on a different scale, bringing contemporary Emirati creativity into everyday spaces. This fluidity between art, business, and education reflects her belief that creativity thrives through accessibility and dialogue.
Al Saleh has built a career that extends far beyond geographical borders. A graduate of Zayed University’s Arts and Design program, she has exhibited her work across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, holding nine solo exhibitions and participating in nearly a hundred shows internationally. Her journey reflects both artistic discipline and cultural curiosity, shaped by a deep respect for heritage and a forward-thinking sensibility that defines the UAE’s creative generation.
In many ways, Al Saleh’s career mirrors the larger trajectory of Emirati art itself: grounded in history, but unafraid of experimentation. Her work is a reminder that the story of the UAE’s creative landscape is not only being written through architecture or innovation, but through the artists who translate its essence onto canvas, sculpture, and across digital space.
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