In 1968, Mounirah Mosly was among the first women to exhibit publicly in Saudi Arabia. Around the same time, Moroccan painter Mohamed Melehi was developing the bold wave forms that would become his signature, while Hassan Sharif would later challenge established ideas of what art could be in the UAE. Decades on, their work is part of a wider presence of Arab artists at Frieze London and Frieze Masters, returning to The Regent's Park from 14 to 18 October 2026. As Eva Langret, Director of Frieze EMEA, observes, “Established names and the next generation show in dialogue, testing new ground together and shaping what comes next.” Alongside these pioneering figures, a younger generation is finding its own ways of working with painting, sculpture and textiles, both at the fairs and across London during Frieze Week.
Away from the fairgrounds, Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar presents No History of Shapes / لا تاريخ للأشكال with Dubai's The Third Line at No.9 Cork Street. Known for his use of tatreez, traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery, Nassar has created multi-panel compositions inspired by the modular geometric works of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian. Their sections can be rearranged, altering the patterns and landscapes they suggest.
The exhibition also includes five small mosaics based on a Byzantine mosaic found in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Working from photographs of the archaeological original, Nassar recreates fragments depicting an orange tree, a lion, human figures and geometric designs. With Gaza's archaeological sites and cultural landmarks under threat, these small-scale works take on particular significance. The exhibition's title comes from a poem by Mahmoud Darwish.
No.9 Cork Street, London, 9–24 October 2026
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