Asma Belhamar, Teach Me the Wind’s Song, 2026
Art Basel Paris 2026 takes place from 23 to 25 October 2026 at the Grand Palais. As student-led protests and demonstrations continue in the city, the cultural fair is proceeding as planned.
Paris has long played an important role in the history of art from the Arab world. For generations, the French capital has been a place for artists to study, exhibit and engage with international movements, while also reconsidering the traditions and visual languages of their own countries. Moroccan modernist Farid Belkahia, who studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris during the 1950s, is one example of that relationship.
Today, artists from the region are represented not only by Middle Eastern galleries but also by international dealers. As Karim Crippa, director of Art Basel Paris, explains, “This region is not only represented, of course, by the galleries that are participating, but also by the artists that will be showcased by galleries that may not be from this region.”
...
Asma Belhamar
Green Art Gallery | Emergence, Booth M40
Emirati artist Asma Belhamar examines how the UAE's rapidly changing architecture affects the way people experience and remember familiar places. For her Art Basel Paris debut, Green Art Gallery presents drawings and sculptural assemblages made from stoneware clay, wood and ceramic tiles, combining details observed during walks through Dubai with elements such as staircases, walls and balustrades.
Her sculptures distort the scale and proportions of these recognisable forms, creating objects that resemble both architecture and furniture. The drawings capture fleeting views of the city from a moving vehicle, with blurred outlines and shifting perspectives recalling the way buildings register in memory. Belhamar also incorporates 3D-printed ceramics, bringing digital fabrication together with traditional materials to examine the UAE's changing urban landscape.