Watch highlights from the 2019 Festival Blog News 1 Dec 2019 We're really pleased to be able to share with you our 2019 highlights film. Watch it now...
The making of a mural Blog 21 Nov 2019 Get an insight into Mehdi Annassi’s process for his Shubbak 2019 public mural commission on St Mark’s Road, Ladbroke Grove...
SHUBBAK IS HIRING!… Blog News 18 Nov 2019 Are you ready to take your next leap? If so, we have a couple of new posts which may be…
Young Advisors Opportunity News 20 Sep 2019 Are you aged 16-25 and want to be part of an international multi-arts festival? Become a Shubbak Young Advisor. Get…
Syrian Artists Create – Report Blog 10 Jul 2019 More than 5 million Syrians have left the country since 2011, with the vast majority initially arriving in the neighbouring…
Eckhard Thiemann interview #HumansofShubbak 25 Jun 2019 Read the latest #HumansofShubbak interview with our artistic director Eckhard Thiemann
Mehdi Annassi interview #HumansofShubbak 16 Jun 2019 Shubbak talks to Moroccan visual artist Mehdi Annassi in the third of our #HumansofShubbak mini interviews
Najwa Aarras interview #HumansofShubbak 14 Jun 2019 Shubbak talks to Taekwondo champion & acrobat Najwa Aarras, member of Moroccan acrobatic collective Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger
Shubbak appoints Farès K Moussa as new Executive Director Blog News 12 Jun 2019 Shubbak is very pleased to announce the appointment of Farès K Moussa as new executive director replacing Daniel Gorman who…
Tania Saleh interview #HumansofShubbak 3 May 2019 Shubbak talks to Lebanese singer-songwriter Tania Saleh – the first in our new series of mini interviews
Watch the 2019 Festival trailer Blog 1 May 2019 Get a taste of our extraordinary festival of contemporary Arab culture taking place across London this summer
Shubbak Festival to receive 2018 UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture Blog News 10 Apr 2019 The Shubbak Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture and the Samandal Association, a collective of comic book artists from the Arab…
Shubbak seeks a Trustee Treasurer to join our board Blog News 8 Apr 2019 Role Title: Trustee Treasurer of Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture Location: Shubbak, LondonSalary: UnpaidStart date: As soon as possible Deadline for Applications:…
Volunteer at Shubbak Festival Blog News 26 Mar 2019 DThe deadline for this opportunity has passed. We will contact applicants soon. For any questions please email yasmeen@shubbak.co.uk Do you…
Hey North Kensington, do you have a story to tell? Blog News 25 Mar 2019 Are you into mural painting and graffiti? Can you visualize your identity? How would you define home? Are you…
Shubbak Festival 2019 Blog 1 Mar 2019 Shubbak returns this summer with events taking place across London from 28 June–14 July 2019. Early events are booking now.
Shubbak seeks an Evaluation Consultant News 28 Jan 2019 Shubbak, the UK’s largest festival of contemporary Arab culture, seeks tenders for an external Evaluation Consultant to focus on our…
Talks and Workshops with Aïcha El Beloui and Mehdi Annassi News 23 Nov 2018 We are excited to reveal some forthcoming events with Aïcha El Beloui and Mehdi Annassi, two award-winning artists from the…
We’re hiring – Shubbak seeks a Marketing Manager News 12 Nov 2018 Job Title: Marketing Manager of Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture Location: Shubbak, London Reports to: Executive Director and…
Kareem Samara, Kids on the Green and Salusbury World Blog 24 Sep 2018 Explore Ladbroke Grove and Queens Park through the eyes and ears of the children who live there. This inspiring project…
Review: Shift Exhibition at the Mosaic Rooms (Flavia Malusardi) Blog 12 Oct 2017 Review by Flavia Malusardi of Shift Exhibition at the Mosaic Rooms, which was part of Shubbak 2017. Shift, part…
Watch highlights from 2017 Blog 11 Oct 2017 For 16 days in the summer of 2017, Shubbak showcased work from over 130 artists, across 70 events to an…
Rasha Abbas – The Sword and Sheath Blog 30 Aug 2017 The Sword and Sheath By Rasha Abbas Translated by Elisabeth Jaquette There was no other woman I knew who could…
It’s a wrap! Blog 2 Aug 2017 It’s a wrap! 16 days across more than 30 venues, with over 70 events and more than 150 artists –…
Shubbak 2017 in pictures Blog 1 Aug 2017 As Shubbak’s 2017 Festival draws to a close, we’re looking back and remembering a few of our favourite moments from…
Edinburgh Festivals 2017 Blog 6 Jul 2017 Shubbak is delighted to be partnering on two events at the Edinburgh Festivals this August. Forever Arab? explores the reception…
Modern Poetry in Translation Blog 3 Jul 2017 Modern Poetry in Translation’s summer issue A Blossom Shroud focuses on poets and translators associated with Shubbak 2017 and it…
Tarek Yamani Trio @KingsPlace – Review Blog 3 Jul 2017 Following his show @KingsPlace, London, I met with Tarek Yamani to discuss his career so far, his latest album, and…
Tania Saleh & Cairokee – review Blog 3 Jul 2017 Lebanon’s Tania Saleh and Egypt’s Cairokee launched Shubbak and MARSM’s music programme with an exciting and emotional journey through the…
Interviewing Najwa Benshatwan Blog 2 Jul 2017 Interviewing Najwa Benshatwan: The Libyan female author ‘Under The Radar’ speaks to Nahla Al-Ageli for Shubbak An ugly shadow side…
King of Cups – Rasha Abbas Blog 1 Jul 2017 I shuffle the deck of tarot cards and deal three of them onto the table. The first one has a…
Nahla Al-Ageli Interviews Saleem Haddad About ‘Guapa’ Blog 21 Jun 2017 For Shubbak, Nahla Al-Ageli reviews Saleem Haddad’s ‘Guapa’ and interviews the author before he participates in the Literature Programme Living…
Professional Visitors Programme News 2 Jun 2017 SHUBBAK FESTIVAL // 1 – 16 July 2017 // PROFESSIONAL VISITORS PROGRAMME SHUBBAK (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) is London’s largest biennial…
Watch Shubbak’s 2017 festival programme launch Blog 3 May 2017 Watch the Shubbak 2017 Festival programme announced live on Facebook on 3 May 2017, as journalist Bidisha interviews Artistic Director…
Comics & Cartoon Art From the Arab World Blog 28 Apr 2017 Explore the art, history and significance of Arab comics, cartoons, caricatures and graphic novels through original examples taken from the…
Taha Blog 28 Apr 2017 A lyrical story of the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali, written and performed by Amer Hlehel. “With this…
Volunteers – We Need You! Blog 13 Apr 2017 Now in its fourth edition, Shubbak festival returns this summer from 1– 16 July 2017, with the best of contemporary…
Watch the 2017 Festival trailer Blog 1 Apr 2017 Watch the Shubbak festival trailer. Over 150 artists from across the Arab world at venues across London, 1–16 July 2017
Shubbak 2017 dates announced Blog 15 Mar 2017 Shubbak Festival dates announced: 1 – 16 July 2017 Shubbak has become a key moment in the arts calendar of…
Khaled Kurbeh and Raman Khalef at the BBC Arabic Festival Blog 10 Feb 2017 Sounds from the Syrian diaspora: Khaled Kurbeh and Raman Khalaf performed recently in London at the launch of the BBC…
Performance(s) between two shores – selected projects Blog 8 Nov 2016 We’re delighted to announce the selected projects for Performance(s) between two shores عروض بين شاطئي. After the jury’s deliberation in…
Shift – Women artists from Saudi Arabia Blog 1 Oct 2016 Negotiating Space is the UK’s first all women show of artists from Saudi Arabia. Featuring Dana Awartani, Reem al-Nasser and…
New commissions from Syrian artists Blog 12 Jul 2016 Shubbak is proud to announce a new programme to support Syrian artists through commissioning the creation of new work from…
Maha’s Music Show – Shubbak 2015 Blog 26 Oct 2015 Shubbak was delighted to be covered by Maha’s Music Show on K2K Radio. Maha’s Music Show mixes Arabic music and…
Watch Shubbak 2015 highlights Blog 13 Oct 2015 Shubbak 2015 showcased work by over 130 artists across 70 events in more than 40 venues, to a total audience…
Shubbak 2015 in pictures Blog 3 Aug 2015 As Shubbak’s 2015 Festival draws to a close, we’re looking back and remembering a few of our favourite moments from…
The Mix: Introducing our Music Maestros Blog 24 Jul 2015 Described as “possibly the biggest Arab musical event of 2015”, The Mix is set to be a show-stopping finale as…
Karama – Dignity through Music: An Interview with Soufian Saihi Blog 21 Jul 2015 In this interview Soufian Saihi, founder of the band Karama who will be playing at the Shubbak Festival’s musical finale…
Shubbak Literature Festival Blog 20 Jul 2015 On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July 2015, the British Library will host the Shubbak Literature Festival as part of…
A Homage to Michel Khleifi: Review of Forbidden Marriages in the Holy Land Blog 17 Jul 2015 “The holy sites here are this country’s identity but they are also its curse,” says playwright Yehoshua Sobol, “Religion does…
D-Sisyphe / décisif: Constructing a Better Future for Tunisia Blog 16 Jul 2015 D-Sisyphe (pronounced as in the French ‘décisif’, meaning ‘decisive’ in English) is an important piece of performance, both as a…
Behind the Scenes: A Selection of Arab Theatre Blog 16 Jul 2015 This year’s Shubbak Festival offers a selection of Arab theatre works from the sublime to the ridiculous including comedy Love,…
An Interview with Masasit Mati of Top Goon Blog 15 Jul 2015 Holding up a Mirror to the International Community In this interview with the Shubbak Blog, Masasit Mati talk about their…
When The Arabs Used to Dance: A Celebration of the Past and a Warning for the Future Blog 14 Jul 2015 When the Arabs Used to Dance is a somewhat contradictory title for a dance performance, using the past tense for…
Arab Feminist Voices Blog 13 Jul 2015 Razor Sharp showcases three pieces of new writing by Arab women. The title can be taken to refer to an…
A Collaborative Home Video for ‘Shahba’: An Interview with Hello Psychaleppo Blog 13 Jul 2015 In this interview, Samer Saem Eldahr (aka Hello Psychaleppo) talks about his new video for Shubbak entitled Shahba; his upcoming…
A Dream-like Nightmare and a Painful Joy: An Interview with Badke Blog 13 Jul 2015 The Shubbak blog caught up with Badke’s dramaturg Hildegard De Vuyst ahead of their performance at the Southbank Centre on…
Shubbak ‘In-Situ’ – The Middle East: Coming to a Street Near You… Blog 10 Jul 2015 This church is in Syria. And this book warehouse is in Iraq. Don’t believe us? It’s true – from 11–26…
The Art of Imagineering: An Interview with Khalid Shafar Blog 8 Jul 2015 Khalid Shafar is a pioneer of Emirati design. Born in Dubai, the American University in Dubai business graduate studied furniture…
Forming a Harmonious Collective: Zahed Sultan Discusses his Barbican Residency Blog 8 Jul 2015 The multimedia artist Zahed Sultan on his upcoming live set especially created for the Barbican Art Gallery as part of Doug…
From the Soul and the Heart: An Interview with Karima Skalli Blog 7 Jul 2015 One of the first events for the Shubbak Festival, and the opening event for the festival’s music programme at the…
An Awakening Blog 1 Jul 2015 Sevan K. Greene on his play Nahda, whose characters are modern Middle-Easterners from the real world Nahda is an interesting…
Kissing Amnesia: the work of Raed Yassin Blog 24 Jun 2015 The work of Lebanese multimedia artist Raed Yassin relates to mass media, pop culture, urban life and history – themes…
Brewing ideas for Shubbak Blog 12 Jun 2015 Playwright Hannah Khalil reflects on writing for the 2015 festival Everyone knows the writer’s enemy – more than enemy, horror…
Shubbak 2015 – First events now on sale News 2 Mar 2015 We’re delighted to announce our first events of Shubbak 2015! The Asil Ensemble with Karima Skalli opens our music programme…
Open call: expressions of interest News 16 May 2014 The third Shubbak festival of contemporary Arab culture will be held across London from 11?26 July 2015. The programme is…
ArtLyst: Shubbak Festival announces London Third Edition Press 16 Sep 2013 “The second edition of Shubbak, A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture, featuring artists from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon,…
Al Bawaba Press 10 Sep 2013 “Doubling up: UK’s Shubbak Festival knows how to multiply x 2…” Read the full article
Al Arabiya: Shubbak festival doubles audiences in 2013 Press 13 Aug 2013 “The second edition of Shubbak, a festival in London aiming to be a “window on contemporary Arab culture,” doubled its…
V&A blog: Culture in Defiance: Syria Speaks Press 10 Jul 2013 Nawara Mahfoud has blogged for the V&A on Rich Mix’s Culture in Defiance: Syria Speaks exhibition, part of the Shubbak…
The Observer: The 10 best Arab films Press 9 Jul 2013 Read The Observer’s article: ‘The 10 best Arab films’ as chosen by Omar al-Qattan, film-maker and chair of Shubbak.
Young Reporter’s Blogs, Ehtifal Family Day Blog 9 Jul 2013 On the closing day of Shubbak 2013 the Serpentine Gallery and the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) presented the Ehtifal Family…
The Guardian: Ibrahim el-Salahi: from Sudanese prison to Tate Modern show Press 4 Jul 2013 The Guardian covers Tate Modern’s Shubbak exhibition: Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist. “The first African artist to get a Tate…
The Independent on Culture in Defiance Press 4 Jul 2013 The Independent covers Rich Mix’s Shubbak exhibition: Culture in Defiance. “The hopes of Syria’s protests shine through in a new…
BBC Radio 3 Nightwaves: Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist Press 3 Jul 2013 BBC Radio 3 Nightwaves covers Tate Modern’s Shubbak exhibition: Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist. Listen to the programme
Al Arabiya: London’s Shubbak Festival: A window to edgy Arab culture Press 3 Jul 2013 Al Arabiya covers Shubbak 2013 in the article London’s Shubbak Festival: A window to edgy Arab culture. Read the full…
Financial Times: Pop culture diplomacy Press 1 Jul 2013 The Financial Times covers Shubbak in an article by Peter Aspden. “Among a people used to turmoil and defeat, trivial…
BBC Radio 3 In Tune: Features Nuba Nour Press 1 Jul 2013 BBC Radio 3 In Tune featured a live performance from Nuba Nour, and were joined by Eckhard Thiemann, Artistic Director…
The Times: Art imitates life in the burgeoning Palestinian art scene Press 27 Jun 2013 Read The Times coverage of Shubbak 2013 in the article Art imitates life in the burgeoning Palestinian art scene by Sophie…
The Guardian: Rachid Taha/Souad Massi review Press 27 Jun 2013 Read the Guardian’s review of the Barbican’s Shubbak event Rachid Taha & Souad Massi, on 22 June 2013. “Rachid Taha…
The Guardian: John Perkins’ best photograph – an Egyptian lion-tamer Press 27 Jun 2013 The Guardian’s coverage of Mr President’s Circus, on show at the Arab British Centre until 28 June 2013. “This is…
Alsharq Alawsat on Shubbak Press 27 Jun 2013 Alsharq Alawsat covers the Shubbak Festival 2013. Read the full article
Shubbak 2013 Opening Reception Blog 25 Jun 2013 The Shubbak festival opening reception took place on 24 June 2013 at The Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Speakers included…
The Observer reports on Top Goon Press 24 Jun 2013 The Observer reports on Masasit Mati, creators of the YouTube finger-puppet show Top Goon: Diaries of a Little Dictator, to…
The Majalla: Shubbak is Back Press 24 Jun 2013 Shubbak is Back: Contemporary Arab culture returns to London. Read the article by Celia Topping for The Majalla. “Following the…
Metro: The Barbican delivers a mash-up of Arabic art forms Press 24 Jun 2013 The Metro reports on Shubbak Festival 2013 in the article The Barbican delivers a mash-up of Arabic art forms by…
BBC Arabic Radio: Interview with Omar Al Qattan Press 22 Jun 2013 Omar Al Qattan, Chair of Shubbak, speaks about the Shubbak festival on BBC Arabic Radio Xtra. Listen to the full…
Spear’s Magazine: Check Point Press 19 Jun 2013 The thriving Palestinian art scene overcomes walls and barriers… Read the article Check Point by Sophie McBain, published in the…
