NEW YORK, NY.- Artsy, the largest global online marketplace for discovering, buying, and selling fine art by leading artists, will celebrate and support the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s art scene through two key initiatives. Launching on its marketplace in March, Artsy will spotlight this culturally important region through a trio of exhibitions in partnership with ArteEast to help the organization fundraise, and will also showcase programming from its leading MENA-based gallery partners.

From March 15th through 31st, Artsy will stage “Middle Eastern Galleries Now,” an event showcasing programming from our gallery partners based in the MENA region to our global audience of collectors that span nearly 200 countries across the globe. As part of this effort, Artsy will highlight shows curated by ATHR, Custot Gallery Dubai, Carbon 12, Ayyam Gallery, Zawyeh Gallery, Tabari Art Space, Gallery One, Lawrie Shabibi, Artscoops, and Belvedere Art Space, among others, spotlighting the work of artists from the MENA region and its diaspora.

Highlights include the following: Carbon 12—a new-to-Artsy gallery—will feature a brand new sculpture by Emirati female artist Sarah Almehairi; Ayyam Gallery will showcase works by Sama Alshaibi, Rula Halawani, and Sadik Alfraji; Gallery One will highlight artwork by Ibrahim Nubani; Tabari Artspace will showcase Alymamah Rashed, a Kuwaiti artist currently trending in the media; and Artzotic, a brand-new gallery, will spotlight the work of Bahram Hajou, who is internationally acclaimed.

Additionally, Artsy will host a trio of online-only selling exhibitions in partnership with ArteEast, whose mission is to broaden the global audience for contemporary culture from the Middle East and North Africa. The shows, featuring over 50 artists and collectively titled “Legacy Trilogy,” will help ArteEast raise funds to save its Arab film archive based in New York. ArteEast will curate the three shows, entitled &ldaquo;Past,” “Present,” and “Future,” each of which will be staged exclusively online on Artsy for one month from March 7th.

Dustyn Kim, Artsy’s Chief Revenue Officer, commented: “Artsy is committed to spotlighting diverse communities and increasing visibility for our gallery partners—and their artists—by creating moments of urgency to drive our 2 million+ art lovers and collectors to artworks and artists they love. This March, we’re thrilled to place much-needed focus on our Middle Eastern and North African gallery partners and their artists, and support ArteEast in their fundraising efforts.”

Responsible for curating these campaigns, Artsy’s Global Strategic Partnerships Lead, Anlam de Coster, and Senior Gallery Relations Manager, Dania Arafeh, commented: “Working with our regional gallery partners and ArteEast to stage both ‘Middle Eastern Galleries Now&rquo; and ‘Legacy Trilogy’ on our marketplace has allowed Artsy to showcase the immense programming and artistic talent concentrated in this region. We’re delighted to have been involved in curating this MENA regional spotlight on Artsy and bringing these initiatives to fruition.”

Further details on the trio of online-only selling exhibitions in partnership with ArteEast:

“Past” features artists who have been part of ArteEast’s programming since its inception in 2003. The artists included range from emerging artists to those who have long been established in the contemporary art world, a number of whom appeared as young artists in early exhibitions by ArteEast. Artists in the “Past” edition include Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Ibrahim Ahmed, Hadieh Shafie, Nicky Nodjoumi, Huda Lutfi, and Vartan Avakian, among others.

For “Present,” ArteEast invited curators, scholars, and renowned voices within the field of contemporary art with whom ArteEast has worked over the years to nominate exhibiting artists. Nominators including Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi (Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation), Stephen Stapleton (Founding Director of Edge of Arabia), Nathalie Ackawi (Co-Director of the Beirut Art Residency), and Anlam de Coster (Independent Curator and Artsy’s Global Strategic Partnerships Lead) have nominated both established and emerging artists, including Diana Al Halabi, Ahmed Mater, Khalid Albaih, Lara Nasser, and Aslı Çavuşoğlu.

The show “Future” is focused on a new generation of artists who reflect intrepid voices from Middle Eastern communities worldwide. Selected by the ArteEast curatorial team, the “Future” edition features practitioners who reflect intrepid voices from the MENA region and its diasporas, including Yasmine Nasser Diaz, Rafram Chaddad, Sara Ouhaddou, and Laila Tara H.