MENART Fair lands in Brussels | The galleries on our radar

MENART FAIR, an unprecedented art fair to be happening on occidental grounds is opening its doors in Brussels this February 3-5, promising to showcase some of the most recognised emerging and upcoming artists from the Middle East – North Africa region. It’s at the Fondation Boghossian, an art center that cherishes the dialogue between Oriental and Occidental cultures since 2010, and specifically at the Villa Empain that art lovers and collectors alike will be reunited next week-end to roam around a beautiful showcase of artistic productions.


A carefully curated selection of galleries will shine light on the particular works of extraordinary young Arab galleries and talents amongst which some of our favourite – La La Lande gallery, Zawyeh Gallery or The Great Design Disaster.


Here’s what’s on our radar for this first Belgian edition of MENART .

Zalfa Halabi, a Beirut-based gallery will be exhibiting Lebanese photgrapher Yasmina Hilal, whose work we’ve followed closely at JDEED since her debut. Here presenting “I see me in you”, Hilal wished to pay homage to the Lebanese women in our society that have acted as empowering personas in our lives.


As stated by the gallery in a text by Rami Sabi’s , Hilal shot 7 women in their 20s, “each wearing a clothing item that belongs to their mother, aunt and/or grandmother and posing in their homes.” A work in process for quite some time, we can’t wait to discover Hilal’s exclusive pieces featuring the artist’s preferred 35 or 120 mm with her signature cutting process.

Yasmina Hilal
Portrait of a lady in angst, (2022)
35 x 26 cm
Inkjet on Hahnemüle paper
Logo design by @dianawehbi
Text by @ramisaidi

Ayn Gallery will be presenting Algerian artist and videomaker Amina Zoubir whose works revolve on the notion of the body and how it interacts in public spaces to “question and analyse social and historical thoughts in North Africa,” as well as world-renown Lebanese photographer Roger Moukarzel who will be showcasing an exclusive collaboration with Marion Boehem.

Marion Boehm, in collaboration with Roger Moukarzel,”JAMILA”, 2022, mixed media collage, 166×118 cm

Gregory Gatselaria of The Great Design Disaster is also high on our list of the things we won’t miss – In an article published on JDEED before, we learned about that The Great Design Disaster “is quite revolutionizing and thought-provoking.“

When asked how can design disrupt someone’s life, Joy Herro, co-founder of this project answered: “TGDD tends to change the rules of the design game. We help our clients to evaluate their individual needs instead of imposing trends that could satisfy them for a very short time. Why not fulfill our needs as they arise, one person, one table? That person’s table.” Look out for their booth.

The Great Design Disaster

Last but not least, Zawyeh Gallery will be taking part of the fair, bringing along 3 Palestinian artists; Khaled Hourani, Nabil Anani, and Yazan Abu Salameh. The show ‘A Passage to Palestine‘ is a unique portraying of Palestine by these 3 artists, focusing on freedom and addressing a critique of the military occupation and its oppression.

Blue Cloud; Khaled Hourani 2022

To visit MENART, you can get your tickets here as of now!




Cover picture/.Eman Ali; Si’lat at Hunna Gallery