Emirati artist Farah Al Qasimi has been named among the 33 medallists in the Emerging Artist category of the 2026 Art Basel Awards. The recognition places her within a global cohort of artists shaping contemporary visual culture through photography, film and interdisciplinary practice.
Global recognition across contemporary art ecosystems
The awards span nine categories and seek to recognise figures across the wider contemporary art world, including artists, curators, institutions, patrons and cultural platforms. This year’s medallists were selected by a nine-member international jury. Notably, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of Sharjah Art Foundation, served as a juror for the second cycle of the awards.
Born in Abu Dhabi, Al Qasimi is one of the UAE’s most internationally visible contemporary artists. Moreover, her inclusion in the Emerging Artist category reflects a broader institutional interest in artists working at the intersection of visual culture, identity and regional narratives.
Visual language rooted in everyday Gulf life
Her work has often focused on everyday life, domestic spaces and consumer culture in the Gulf, using vivid, carefully composed images that move between documentary observation and surreal detail across photography and film, with projects shown internationally from New York to London.
Consequently, her visual approach blends staged composition with observational detail, creating layered narratives around identity, taste and material culture. In addition, her projects often highlight overlooked interiors and objects, positioning them within a broader discourse on globalised aesthetics.
Last year, a selection of Al Qasimi’s photographs went on free public display at the Tate Modern in London. In 2021, she contributed to the UAE National Pavilion’s Venice Architecture Biennale presentation, for which she created large-scale photographs of the sabkha landscape.
Expanding presence at Venice Biennale 2026
Al Qasimi is also among the six artists selected for the National Pavilion UAE’s 2026 Venice Biennale exhibition, Washwasha. Accordingly, her participation signals continued institutional support for UAE-based contemporary practices on an international stage.
Al Qasimi will participate in the upcoming Venice Biennale 2026 on behalf of the National Pavilion UAE. Photo: National Pavilion UAE
The full list of artist medallists includes Barbara Kruger, Howardena Pindell and Jenny Holzer in the Icon Artist category; Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Arthur Jafa, Julie Mehretu, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Theaster Gates in Established Artist; and Al Qasimi alongside Aziza Kadyri, Carla Gueye, Diego Marcon, Precious Okoyomon and Tiffany Sia in Emerging Artist.
Meanwhile, Diriyah Biennale Foundation is recognised in the Museum and Institution category, highlighting the Gulf region’s growing presence in global art infrastructure.
The medallists will be honoured during the flagship fair in Basel in June, before Gold Awardees are selected later in the year and announced during Art Basel Miami Beach in December. Furthermore, the Gold Awards in the artist categories will provide more than $250,000 annually in flexible support through honorariums, philanthropic contributions and public commissions.