Since its inception in 2003 Tabari, Artspace’s mission has been to foster fresh dialogue between the artists of the Middle East and an international audience.
Established in Dubai, eighteen years ago, Tabari Artspace embarked upon an ambitious programme of exhibitions and special projects to cultivate a global community centred around Middle Eastern art. As a pioneer of this movement, the gallery played a pivotal role in drawing international attentions towards Middle Eastern Masters such as Adam Henin, Mohamed Abla, Adel El-Siwi, Hussein Madi, and Khaled Zaki. Today these artists are collected and exhibited by such institutions as British Museum, The Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, The Barjeel Art Foundation, Institut du monde arabe, and Seoul Museum of Art.

The name ‘Tabari’ stems from ‘Lake Tiberias’ and foregrounds notions of borders, space, place, and identity - some of the universal topics that are tackled by the Middle Eastern artists of the contemporary moment. As a reflection of the Founder’s belief that art is a powerful tool to dismantle social boundaries and ignite greater cultural understanding, Tabari Artspace continues to honour the Masters it built in the past while introducing a new generation of artists that are deeply engaged with the present and push forward perspectives - male and female - from far-reaching social and cultural contexts including: hyperrealist, Samah Shihadi; painter, Tagreed Darghouth; and visual artist, Hazem Harb.

At the core of Tabari Artspace’s missions are community engagement and wider social access to Middle Eastern art, as such its programming is supplemented by talks, publishing, workshops, and community events. In 2020 the gallery expanded its presence, opening a second location at Cromwell Place, London. 2021 will witness the inauguration of the Tabari Artspace global residency programme, Home from Home, which encourages the artists of the region to develop their practice amid new communities and environments.