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Exploring Archiving: Kutub Zaman [afikra x Liwan]

Join us as we interview the director of TypeAraby Basma W Hamdy, fine arts and graphic designer Zainab Alshibani & curator in residence at the Fire Station Gallery, Qatar Museums Hadeel Eltayeb as part of our collaboration with Liwan.

Date: Tuesday, January 4
Time: 12PM NYC | 5PM London | 7PM Beirut | 8PM Doha
Hosted By: Mikey Muhanna (afikra)
Location: Online on Zoom

Bio: Basma Hamdy is a research-based designer, author, curator and educator producing work that bridges historical, political and social issues with archival, documentarian and critical mechanisms. She is co-author of ‘Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution’, (2014), as well as co-author of ‘Khatt: Egypt’s Calligraphic Landscape’ (2018). She has been interviewed and featured in prominent international media and exhibited and spoke at art and design festivals and conferences around the world. She is Associate Professor of Graphic Design and founder of the ‘TypeAraby’ platform at VCUarts Qatar.

Zainab Al Shibani (@zainabnalshibani) is an Honors BFA Graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Exploring Mysticism and contemplation within Arabic letterforms, Zainab is passionate about creating pieces that deal with dream-like ideations of life, gender, self and creative work.

Hadeel Eltayeb is a curator who explores identity and cultural production in her work. She is currently Curator in Residence at the Fire Station Gallery, Qatar Museums. Her research has explored facing down the haunting effects of ghosts in the archive, negotiating narratives of ownership through oral histories, and negotiating the tension between individual, social and public remembering through cultural practices. She was previously Associate Curator at Northwestern University in Qatar (2017-2021), curator at Al Riwaq Art Space in Bahrain (2015-2017).

The Liwan, Design Studios & Labs department at Qatar Museums assists with developing content, visuals and detailed plans for social media announcements. Additionally, they work on planning related events, programs and activities.


This event is being videotaped for subsequent broadcast on the library website and other media. The audience is encouraged to offer comments and raise questions during the formal question and answer period, but please be advised that your voice and image may be recorded and later broadcast as part of this event. By participating in the question and answer period you are consenting to the possible reproduction and transmission of your remarks.


Use the form below to RSVP for the online event.

Earlier Event: December 21
In Partnership with Al Burda Festival 2021
Later Event: January 5
Poet Safia Elhillo [Book Club]