Omar Kholeif

Omar Kholeif is an Egyptian-born artist, curator, writer and editor. Kholeif's curatorial practice is concerned with the concept of 'dreamwork'—a form of social imagination concerned with safeguarding diasporic and marginalised aesthetic cultures in the slippery age of the internet.

Dr Kholeif is professor of global art theory and practice at the Glasgow School of Art. In 2025, the Glasgow School of Art's School of Fine Art appointed the "influential and acclaimed academic" as the programme leader for the Masters in Curatorial Practice of Contemporary Art—the first postgraduate curating programme in Scotland. Commenting on their appointment, Professor Martin Newth, head of the School of Fine Art commented, "Omar brings with them a truly global vision, a deep and sustained commitment to artists, and a powerful dedication to foregrounding marginalised and diverse perspectives. Their practice bridges the international with the local, and their return to Glasgow resonates with our ambition to cultivate new forms of curatorial thinking grounded in place, history and community."

Up until fall 2025, Professor Kholeif was a long-serving director at the Sharjah Art Foundation, where they eventually settled into the role of director of collections and senior curator at the foundation. Here, Kholeif was "charged with overseeing the foundation's acquisition strategy, developing exhibitions and other programming, and securing international partnerships". They also worked closely with Hoor Al Qasimi, the president and director of the foundation, supporting the organization open a new purpose built home its collection of twentieth century and contemporary art. Commenting on their appointment, Al Qasimi, the Sharjah Art Foundation president and director, said, "As a leading curator and scholar with a deep knowledge of both the artists and art history of the region and the broader international arts dialogue, Omar brings a critical new dimension that will greatly enhance the advancement of our mission both within the UAE and internationally."

Kholeif's tenure was marked by a series of high-profile exhibitions, the most talked-about of them being Art in the Age of Anxiety, which coincided with the global lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

They followed up this exhibition with an ambitious group show Unsettled Objects at the Foundation's Flying Saucer. The curator remarked that the exhibition sought to consider how "artworks serve as agents of an inclusive collective imagination' in a time of great difficulty".

Their in-depth mid-career exhibition of Hrair Sarkissian: The Other Side of Silence toured globally and secured Sarkissian a Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize nomination.

Among several other highlights, Kholeif curated Turner Prize winning artist, Lubaina Himid's first survey exhibition in the Afro-Asian context, as well as Turner Prize winning artist, Lawrence Abu Hamdan's first survey exhibition entitled, The Sonic Image.

They were named a 40 under 40 Global Influencer by international art magazine, ''Apollo'' for the third time for their contributions.

Before their time in the UAE, Kholeif's roles included senior curator at HOME Manchester; co-curator of the 14th Sharjah Biennial; curator of the V-A-C Foundation's Venice headquarters, Palazzo delle Zattere, during the 58th Venice Biennale; a curator for Abu Dhabi Art, and is a guest curator and advisor for numerous international festivals and biennials.

Kholeif was the Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Prior to that, they were curator at the Whitechapel Gallery, senior editor at Ibraaz Publishing and senior curator at Cornerhouse in Manchester. Previously, they were curator at the Whitechapel Gallery, senior editor at Ibraaz Publishing and senior visiting curator at HOME in Manchester. Provided by Wikipedia