It started as an adventure: in 1987, two sisters driven by an immense pride in their Arab roots and a fierce passion for art and culture opened a small bookstore in their hometown of Homs, Syria. Mouna and Mayla Atassi’s space came to attract the intelligentsia – poets, writers, artists – and became an intellectual meeting point. When Mayla moved to Dubai, she partnered with Amnah Al Dabbagh and the ‘bookstore’ was reborn in a small villa in the Jumeirah district in 1995 as Green Art Gallery. An intimate salon d’art dedicated to Arab modernism, it introduced to the UAE the art of pioneering Arab masters including Fateh Moudarres, Louay Kayyali, Dia Azzawi, Paul Guiragossian, Ismail Fattah, Hussein Madi, Suad Al Attar and Mona Saudi, among countless others. My mother, Mayla was passionate about the art and culture of our region, and felt it was imperative to showcase, celebrate and be inspired from it.  

When she passed away after a courageous battle with cancer in 2007, I was 25 years old and had just graduated from a degree in Computer Science. I had no plans to venture into the arts. A year later, just as the financial crisis was unfolding, I decided to continue her legacy. Since the very beginning, I have and continue to be interested in working with artists who help us question the way we see the world – the kind of artists who produce art that is critically representative of our current moment, within local, regional and international contexts.

While our presence has become global, Green Art Gallery is forever rooted in the region – a major component of our DNA and a facet of our identity. Our home, the UAE, has become a global cultural player, and a hub that houses some of the region’s most important museums and institutions, biennales and major international art fairs, alongside a vibrant ecosystem of galleries run by my passionate and dear colleagues. It is a pleasure and an honour to have witnessed the UAE achieve by leaps and strides across multiple sectors, particularly in the realms of art and culture. We are proud to have played a critical role in this ongoing journey and to represent the UAE and Arab world abroad. Green Art Gallery would not have achieved all that it has without the support of our leadership, and our collectors both in the UAE and all over the world. I am deeply indebted to our artists who help us see the world through their poetic and inquisitive practices.

And here we are, 30 years later. While Arab modernism remains a cornerstone of our history, we have, since 2008, infused the gallery’s roster with some of the most dynamic contemporary artists – among them, Afra Al Dhaheri, Kamrooz Aram, Nazgol Ansarinia, Rossella Biscotti, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Maryam Hoseini, Michael Rakowitz, Seher Shah, and Hale Tenger.    

I have no doubt that the next 30 years will be just as transformative and exciting. Although our beloved region is confronted by turmoil, I believe – as my mother did – in the power of art to understand and communicate with one other.

Happy 30th anniversary to us and a big thanks to you all for your support.

- Yasmin Atassi