All the world’s a canvas

ENAR

“Moving [to London] shows that [modern and contemporary] art from the Middle East has matured to the point where it is ready for an international audience,” explains Hisham Samawi, co-owner of Ayyam Gallery, sitting in their space in London’s New Bond Street, nestled among Mayfair’s historic and established galleries.  Art collectors and cousins Khaled and Hisham Samawi set up Ayyam Gallery, a contemporary art gallery for Middle Eastern artists, in Syria’s capital Damascus in 2006. The pair were struck by the amount of untapped talent in their home country. “When we first started in Syria, there was no contemporary art scene, there was no market, no collector basis supporting it — the infrastructure wasn’t there,” explains Hisham.  Lebanese artist Nadim Karam’s exhibition at the Ayyam Gallery in London   Representing 28 artists from Tehran to Beirut, they have since expanded and opened spaces in Dubai, Beirut, London and Jeddah. “I