ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

Mayssa and Alia Fattouh were raised in Lebanon and have lived across the Arab countries as well as the United States. They understand the importance of engaging in constructive and transparent dialogue around pressing issues that have gone underrepresented in the politically unstable regions of West Asia. Combining their respective backgrounds of art and curatorial practice with conflict resolution and development, they strongly believe in the power of socially-engaged initiatives as an effective tool to address issues such as women’s rights, racism, ill-treatment of migrant workers, corruption, architectural and cultural heritage, endangered marine life, urban biodiversity, air and water pollution, among other socio-political, cultural and environmental concerns. 

Alia Fattouh is Co-Founder and Director of TandemWorks. She previously served as Director at Lombard Freid Gallery in New York. During her tenure there, she worked closely with international artists who champion social practice and engage in critical discourse and introduced a number of artists such as Huguette Caland, Haig Aivazian and Kemang Wa Lehulere, and spearheaded initiatives with the West Asian market, introducing new clients and participating in Art Dubai. Before moving to New York, Alia was Education Manager at Canvas, Dubai, a publication dedicated to art and culture from West Asia, where she developed art classes for collectors across the Gulf. Alia received her BA from the American University in Beirut in Political Studies and holds a Masters degree from Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Science Po Paris in Conflict Resolution and Development. 

Mayssa Fattouh is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of TandemWorks. Throughout her career Mayssa forged a reputation as a fervent supporter of independently run spaces. She has spearheaded numerous formal and informal art platforms and is responsible for further developing spaces such as Katara Art Center in Doha, where she served as Artistic Director and Curator and Al Riwaq Gallery in Manama, where she was Curatorial and Program Manager. She is currently based in Doha and collaborates on independent initiatives as well as with institutions such as Mathaf. In her capacity as exhibition maker, speaker and writer Mayssa has contributed to several group and solo exhibitions including Sadik Alfraji at the Beirut Exhibition Center (2013), Beyond the Roadblocks by NeMe in Cyprus (2012); and participated in international roundtables and programs such as Stroom Den Haag (2015) and Tate Modern’s Young Curators Program (2009), FreeDimensional Wasan retreat (2009). She was nominator Abraaj Art Prize and Jameel Prize, guest speaker and moderator in places such as the Museum of Islamic Art, UCL, VCUQ, CiMAM conference, the Vienna Art Fair and has contributed to publications such as Fillip Magazine, Universes-in-Universe and Art Territories. Mayssa holds a BFA in Fine Arts from the Lebanese University.