Residency + Research

Maya El Khalil is an independent curator and art advisor, based in Oxford, UK. As founding director of Athr Gallery in Jeddah from 2009 - 2016 , she pioneered exhibition approaches and cultural exchange in the absence of local public art institutions, making significant contributions to the establishment and development of a contemporary art scene in Saudi Arabia. For the last decade, she has continued to work with artists, collectors and institutions to develop the identity and ideas that have defined an art scene, participating in multiple artist mentorship programs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

El Khalil is currently collaborating with international institutions on progressive socially engaged exhibitions, developing multidisciplinary conversations that address the environmental and climate emergency, including the ongoing digital platform Take Me to the River https://takemetotheriver.net //, in collaboration with Goethe Institut and Prince Claus Fund. Other recent curatorial projects include Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, ADMAF Abu Dhabi ( 2022 ); Take Me to the River, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of Contemporary Art, Berlin ( 2021 ); I Love You, Urgently, 7 th edition 21,39 Jeddah Arts ( 2020 ); Architecture of Tomorrow: Frei Otto s Legacy in Saudi Arabia, co curated with Prof. Georg Vrachliotis ; The Clocks Are Striking Thirteen, Athr Gallery, Jeddah ( 2018 ); Amma Baad , Nasser Al Salem s first international solo show at the Delfina Foundation, London ( 2019 ) and Casa Arabe , Madrid 2019 ).

El Khalil holds a Bachelor s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the American University of Beirut. She is enrolled in MA Art and Politics at Goldsmiths College, University of London.