WHO WAS ALI JABRI?
An aristocrat hailing from an old Aleppo family, Ali Jabri was born in Jerusalem, raised in Egypt and educated between Stanford University in California, where he studied architecture, and Bristol University, graduating with a degree in English literature. He returned to Egypt, infatuated with its history, Islamic architecture, people and streets, and finally settled in Amman in the 1980s, where his work took on more political and social themes, laced with satire and sarcasm. Very much a visual diarist, Jabri was fascinated by cultural heritage, archaeology and social structures. In 2002, he was mysteriously murdered in his Amman apartment. Several years later, the Ali Jabri Human Heritage Foundation was established by his late sister, Diala, and some of his close friends, among them Rula and Fadi Ghandour, to preserve his legacy and work. Initially chaired by Fadi, the Foundation is no longer operational. In 2017, Jabri was awarded the Special Prize at the Sharjah Biennial.
- Suha Lallas Founder, Wadi Finan Gallery
- Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi Founder, Barjeel Art Foundation
- Rula Atalla Ghandour art patron, co-founder of the Ali Jabri Human Heritage Foundation
- Moderated by Vali Mahlouji independent curator and member of Art Dubai Modern Advisory Committee