| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Artist |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5' 9" (175 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper |
| Career | |
| Group Exhibitions | • 1983: Black and White 1, Al Ahli Club, Dubai, U.A.E. • 1989: Exhibition of the Emirates Fine Arts Society the Soviet Union1, Moscow, U.R.S.S. (Russian Federation) • 1995: Emirates Arts 1, Sittard Art Center, Sittard, Netherlands • 1998: The 7th Cairo International Biennial, Egypt • 1998: U.A.E. Contemporary Art, Institute of Arab World, Paris, France • 1999: 4th Sharjah International Art Biennial, Sharjah, U.A.E. • 2002: 5 UAE 1, Ludwig Forum for International Art, Aachen, Germany • 2002: Dhaka Biennial, Bangladesh • 2003: 6th Sharjah International Art Biennial, Sharjah, U.A.E. • 2005: Cultural Diversity 1, Sharjah Art Museum, U.A.E. • 2008: Selected UAE contemporary Artist Expo1, Zaragoza, Spain • 2010: Arab world meets Zurich1, AB Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland • 2010: Dropping Lines1, Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. |
| Solo Exhibitions | • 1981: Caricature, Arabic Cultural Club, Sharjah, U.A.E. • 1992: Paintings, Oil and Collage1, Sharjah Cultural Center, Sharjah, U.A.E. • 2001: Sharjah International Art Biennial, Sharjah, U.A.E. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | Year, 1961 |
| Age (as of 2025) | 64 Years |
| Birthplace | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Hometown | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| College/University | Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, Kuwait |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation in Theatre Design (1986) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Social Media | |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Mariam Al Zarooni (Poet) |
| Siblings | Brother- Hassan Sharif (Artist, Writer) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Hussain Sharif
- Hussain Sharif grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- After completing his graduation, he began working as a head designer at Sharjah TV.
- Hussain Sharif made his entry into the artistic world with Painting. He once said,
paint what you know, paint what you see, what is familiar to you and familiar to your community and culture.”
- Soon, he began showcasing his captivating artworks in exhibitions across the UAE and gained popularity.
Hussain Shariff’s artwork
- He has participated in numerous exhibitions in various countries, including the UAE, Russia, Holland, France, Egypt, and Germany.
Installation view of Hussein Sharif- Re-framing Reality at the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
- He has also participated in several collective shows and international art fairs.
Hussain Shariff’s Art Exhibition
- Credited as a pioneer of Emirati art, Hussain’s body of work includes painting, drawing, collage, installation, abstract, and figurative works.
A collage created by Hussain Shariff
- In 1980, Hussain Sharif, along with his brother Hassan Sharif, and other artists Mohammed Kazem, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Abdullah Al Saadi, founded the Emirates Fine Arts Society. Together, they are referred to as the original “Five” conceptual artist in the UAE.
- During the mid-80s, Hussain was deeply involved in the nascent art and culture scene.
- In 1986, he began his abstract series that experimented with colour while playing with different materials in oil, collage, and recycled objects.
An oil painting made by Hussain Shariff
- Committed to sustainability, Hussain Sharif uses recycled materials, such as cups, plastic bottles, a piece of wire, a scrap of magazine paper, a piece of cardboard, and metal cans, in his artwork “Cars, Faces, or Cements.”
An art piece from Hussain Shariff’s Mixed Media Collection 2019
- According to Sharif, artists shouldn’t stick only to traditional materials. Instead, they should embrace rapid and transformative changes occurring in society. In his words,
The streets of our cities are teeming with materials, and the sanctity of any individual material is lost. I find inspiration in working with recycled materials, breathing new life into discarded objects, and challenging the conventional notions of artistry.”
- He is the founder of the UAE’s first art magazine, Al Tashkeel.
- Sharif is considered one of the most experimental artists of his generation for his multidisciplinary practice. He encourages experimentation and concept-based artwork in his creations.
Face Artwork created by Hussain Shariff
- There is a use of repetition in many of Sharif’s art pieces. He uses repetitive patterns in his large abstract canvases, such as the black-and-orange-flecked Untitled (2021), mostly toned in intense and dark colours.
- In some of his paintings, Sharif has created eye-catching images depicting traditional landscapes with triangular houses, expressed in a modern, highly geometric way, marked with thick patches of paint. There is also an element of pointillism in his paintings.
- In his pen and paint drawings, Hussain uses small and intimate, featuring scribbled lines, mini squares and alphabet-like patterns. He also uses old Arabic language newspapers to create his art pieces by filling them with blue markings.
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