Mayla Atassi and Dia al-Azzawi at Green Art Gallery Dubai (two-person exhibition with Ismail Fattah)
Thirty years since the Green Art Gallery in Dubai held its debut show, it has grown into a cutting-edge space in Alserkal Avenue, representing a roster of sixteen regional and international artists. But the story of this gallery began not in the UAE but in Syria with two culture-loving sisters, Mayla and Mouna Atassi. “I don’t think my mother thought it was going to last for thirty years,” the gallery's director and daughter of Mayla, Yasmin Atassi, told AD.
Back in the Eighties, the sisters opened Ornina, a small bookshop and exhibiting space named after the ancient goddess of music and art in their hometown of Homs. In 1993, Mouna moved to Damascus, establishing Atassi Gallery, which became a central venue that showcased Syrian and Arab artists. Whereas, in 1990, Mayla moved with her family to Dubai, where she founded Green Art Gallery with her partner Amna Dabbagh. At the time, Yasmin was thirteen years old, and still remembers the fancy opening night in 1995. “It was a grand thing. Even my grandfather flew in from Syria. He was very proud that his daughter was opening a gallery,” she recalled.
With its environmentally-friendly name, Green Art Gallery was ahead of its time in the city, acting as a meeting place that hosted pioneers of modern Arab art, including the likes of Paul Guiragossian, Dia Al-Azzawi, Hussein Madi, among others.