We are pleased to introduce @thefarjamcollection ,
a dedicated platform showcasing artworks from The Farjam Collection.
While this account continues to focus on exhibitions, programs, and institutional activities,
@thefarjamcollection offers a closer look at the works themselves —
from illuminated manuscripts to modern and contemporary art.
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Geometry becomes light.
Light becomes movement.
Movement becomes meditation.
The Farjam Foundation presents Boundless Geometry, a solo exhibition of selected works by Rana Begum, curated by Lisa A. Farjam.
Working across sculpture, painting, and installation, Rana Begum transforms industrial materials into immersive experiences of colour, reflection, rhythm, and space. Painted steel, mirrored surfaces, resin, and suspended nets shift continuously with light and movement, creating works that are at once precise and atmospheric.
Drawing upon abstraction, architecture, and the visual language of Islamic geometry, Begum’s practice moves beyond fixed structures or meanings. Instead, her works invite moments of stillness, contemplation, and sensory balance within an increasingly fragmented world.
Boundless Geometry
13 May 2026 – 13 September 2026
The Farjam Foundation, DIFC, Dubai
#RanaBegum #BoundlessGeometry #LisaAFarjam #TheFarjamFoundation TheFarjamCollection ContemporaryArt GeometricAbstraction DubaiArt DIFC ArtExhibition
The Farjam Foundation is pleased to present Boundless Geometry, an exhibition of selected works by Rana Begum from The Farjam Collection.
Bringing together works that explore light, color, perception, and spatial experience, the exhibition reflects Rana Begum’s distinctive visual language—where geometry becomes fluid, atmospheric, and deeply sensory. Drawing from traditions of minimalism, Islamic geometry, architecture, and urban experience, her works dissolve the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation.
Through shifting reflections, layered structures, and luminous surfaces, Boundless Geometry invites viewers into a contemplative encounter with form, movement, and space.
Boundless Geometry
13 May 2026 – 13 September 2026
The Farjam Foundation
Gate Avenue 3, GF-097
DIFC, Dubai, UAE
#RanaBegum #BoundlessGeometry #TheFarjamFoundation #TheFarjamCollection #ContemporaryArt MiddleEasternArt GeometricAbstraction Minimalism DubaiArt DIFC ArtExhibition
Marwan Sahmarani
@sahmaranimarwan
Fade Into You
Oil on canvas, quadriptych
160 × 200 cm each
2021
A choreography of bodies emerging from darkness, Fade Into You unfolds across four monumental canvases. The composition oscillates between fragmentation and union — flesh and gesture dissolving into painterly turbulence. Light does not illuminate; it ruptures.
This work anchors our current exhibition Rupture into Light, where abstraction becomes a language of emotional intensity and transformation.
We invite you to experience the full installation in person at the Farjam Foundation.
#FarjamFoundation #RuptureIntoLight #MarwanSahmarani #ArtInDubai #AbstractFiguration
Ramadan Kareem | رمضان كريم
As the holy month begins, we reflect on the spirit of devotion, contemplation, and generosity that defines Ramadan.
This Anatolian sajjada (prayer carpet), with its architectural mihrab design and luminous red field, evokes the sacred space of prayer — a reminder of stillness, humility, and faith.
May this blessed month bring peace to your heart, light to your home, and grace to your days.
—
Coupled-column sajjada carpet
Central or West Anatolia, late 17th–18th century
The Farjam Collection
#RamadanKareem #Ramadan2026 #IslamicArt #PrayerCarpet #AnatolianCarpet
“I believe that art stands as a form of resistance against the violence of history. Beauty emerges through art precisely because it can act as a remedy for the madness of humankind—a way to defy despair and resist death itself. Through art, we are able to transcend harsh realities and reach toward forms of perfection that reveal the deeper essence of existence.”
— The Kurator, Interview with Marwan Sahmarani, Gulf News, Jan 2, 2026
Exhibition continues at The Farjam Foundation
Address: Unit Gf-097 Gate Avenue 3, DIFC, Dubai
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday 10am-10pm
Rupture into Light, a solo show of iconic works by Marwan Sahmarani continues at the Farjam Foundation to great public attention. If you haven’t visited the exhibition, there is still time to come by. A number of Studies such as this one, are being exhibited for the very first time, offering an important glimpse into the artist’s process.
Celebrating the International Day of Islamic Art
On this day, designated by UNESCO to honor the depth and diversity of Islamic artistic heritage, we highlight one of the masterpieces in The Farjam Collection: an exquisite silver-inlaid brass casket from Mosul, early 13th century.
This cylindrical casket, finely engraved and richly inlaid with silver, embodies the celebrated craftsmanship of medieval Iraq. Bands of elegant naskh, interlaced arabesques, and dense scrolling vines create a rhythmic surface that reflects the sophistication of Mosul’s metalworking ateliers—renowned throughout the medieval world for their artistry and innovation.
Such works remind us of the profound contributions of Islamic civilizations to global material culture, from Spain to China and across many centuries.
We invite you to discover more treasures from our Islamic Art Collection by exploring our digital platforms.
#InternationalDayOfIslamicArt #FarjamCollection #IslamicArt #MosulMetalwork
Acclaimed Solo exhibition of major works by Marwan Sahmarani is now open to the public. Rupture into Light showcases iconic compositions such as this one about the Beirut blast. Close up, you can see where the canvas was ripped and damaged by the blast, while the catalogue explains why it was left in its current state.
Collision I
Oil on canvas
225 × 400 cm
2019
Exhibited at:
The Farjam Foundation
Gate Avenue 3, GF-097
Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Hours:
10 AM – 10 PM (Monday–Sunday)
The Farjam Foundation is proud to present Rupture into Light, a solo exhibition of
major works by Lebanese painter Marwan Sahmarani, running from Tuesday, November 11, 2025, free to the public and accompanied by a catalogue.
Don’t miss this unique chance to experience Sahmarani’s powerful gestural
compositions, capturing the turmoil of our times as well as the resilience of the
human spirit.
#RuptureIntoLight #MarwanSahmarani #TheFarjamCollection #FarjamFoundation #ContemporaryArt #DubaiArtScene #LebaneseArt
A layered work by @danaawartanistudio which lies at the cross-section of mathematics, geometry and art in such way as to create a hybridity defying any one particular category. @conradshawcross plays with the same cross-sectioning and invites the viewer to a contemplation of art and science in the way Leonardo and other great masters did in their time.
As the art world goes through profound transitions, I look back on such works as this one (Dodecahedron within an Icosahedron, from Awartani’s ‘The Platonic Solid Duals’, 2016) to remind myself of enduring achievements.
@thefarjamfoundation and its Collection contain prime examples of masterpieces that stand the test of time. Those who are right now in Bukhara visiting @bukhara.biennial will see other testaments to the extraordinary legacies of Islamic and regional art. Science may define life and how it works; art makes it worth living.
It is with deep sadness that we at the Farjam Foundation mourn the passing of Dr. Sheila Canby (1949–2025), a cherished colleague, friend, and leading scholar whose contributions to the field of Islamic art will remain an enduring legacy.
Sheila’s prominence in the field has long been recognized through her distinguished publications and exhibitions at the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As co-editor of The Farjam Collection of Islamic Art ( with Venetia Porter- Yale University Press 2024 ), she brought extraordinary knowledge, clarity of vision, and unfailing dedication to a project that continues to stand as a cornerstone of our Foundation’s mission. Through her scholarship and her humanity, she illuminated the beauty and depth of Islamic artistic traditions for audiences around the world.
Her career was marked by distinction and leadership at some of the world’s most respected institutions, yet beyond her academic accomplishments, it was Sheila’s warmth, kindness, and collegial spirit that left the deepest impression. She was not only a brilliant scholar, but also a mentor and friend who uplifted others with her encouragement, generosity, and grace.
We are profoundly grateful to have had the privilege of working with Sheila. Her legacy lives on through her publications, her colleagues, and the countless lives she touched with her wisdom and generosity of spirit.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all who mourn her loss. May her memory inspire generations of scholars and lovers of art, and may her soul rest in eternal peace.
With gratitude and profound respect,
Farhad Farjam
Founder and chairman
