Join us for an odyssey through time and culture as we celebrate the dynamic development of art patronage across the Middle East. Mai Eldib takes us through the evolution of art sponsorship throughout the region by delving into the remarkable trajectories of key patrons and visionaries – uncovering and understanding their bold risks and long-term strategies.

You'll learn how key individual patrons with visions led the way and paved course for the regional art institutions of today.

Founded in 1744, Sotheby's has established itself as a cornerstone of the global art market, celebrated for its expertise in curating and auctioning fine art, rare collectibles, and luxury items.

Beyond auctions, Sotheby's provides comprehensive advisory services, cultural programming and represents a crucial platform for the global art world. The auction house plays a multifaceted role in connecting individuals with art and culture, continually shaping and enriching the landscape of the art market.

A special thank you to artist and art teacher Yasmin Sinai, who worked alongside Sotheby’s to assemble the workshop.

Since joining Sotheby’s in 2008, Mai Eldib has made a significant mark in the art world. Initially working with Jewellery and 19th Century Paintings in New York, she specialized in Orientalist art before relocating to Cairo in 2010. As SVP and regional head of sales and advisory for the Middle East, Mai has extensively promoted Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian Art. She has been pivotal in achieving record-breaking sales for Egyptian Modernists and recently set new records for Saudi artists like Abduljabar Alyehia and Mohammed Al Saleem.

As Saudi Arabia diversified from oil revenues under the historic Vision 2030 initiative, and as we witness a human species with declining intuitive capacities, the era of the Blue Lotus has dawned. A native species to western Africa and the southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Blue Lotus genetic code offers humanity a rare opportunity to reclaim its lost senses. In this moderated talk Panel between Sara Almutlaq and Rahel Aima, we explore the recent rise of the Blue Lotus from a naturally occurring ecological species, to a bio hacked genetic code that hopes to re-engineer our consciousness. Through the panel we explore the ethics of biogenetics and the strange events that surround it, from Neom, through Alula to the Blue Lotus urban agricultural initiative in Riyadh.

Sara Al Mutlaq, based in Riyadh, blends a background in architecture with critical theory to explore societal themes. With a Master's from Columbia University, she's contributed significantly to Saudi Arabia's cultural scene, developing programs and strategies for the Ministry of Culture and playing a key role in establishing Diriyah Art Futures and Fenaa Alawwal. Her curatorial work includes the upcoming exhibition "Unfolding the Embassy" at Fenaa Alawwal, and her writings and visual art have been featured in various platforms and exhibitions, including Noor Riyadh.

Rahel Aima is a writer and critic from Dubai. She's written for publications like Artforum, Frieze, and Art Review. Holding a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, she has directed a writing residency, edited the forthcoming BXD, and won the 2018 Andy Warhol Arts Writers grant. Aima's past roles include leading THE STATE, where she showcased projects at significant global events. She is currently focusing on a collection of essays that delve into Khaleeji Ideology and environmentalism in the Arabian Gulf.

We are surrounded by other than human life forms that make up to 99.9% of life on the planet. We ask important questions such as: Do non-human species have consciousness? Do they experience embodiment? How do they communicate and make decisions so that they can survive in any condition?

Join us as we take into consideration the alternative forms of experiencing the world.

Anna Kirikova

Anna Kirikova is an independent curator and cultural projects developer based in Paris. Between 2018 and 2022, she was the Director of the International Programme at The Manege Central Exhibition Hall in St. Petersburg, where she commissioned and organized programming for exhibitions and other cultural events. Her most notable projects at The Manege include ‘Éspirits’ by Christian Boltanski, ‘Utopia Saved’ by Lee Bul, ‘As They See Us’ in collaboration with Magnum Photos, and NEW NOW – a research project delving into ideas of the present moment and exploring potential scenarios for our shared future. As a result of the collaboration with the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Anna has created and is co-presenting a major public program, ‘Other Minds’, at the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.


Paco Calvo

Paco Calvo (Ph.D., University of Glasgow, 2000) is a Professor of Philosophy of Science, and Principal Investigator of the Minimal Intelligence Laboratory (MINTLab) at the University of Murcia (Spain). His research interests range broadly within the cognitive sciences, with special emphasis on plant intelligence, ecological psychology and embodied cognitive science, robotics, and AI. He uses time-lapse photography to explore perception-action and learning in plants. His scientific articles have appeared in Annals of Botany, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Frontiers in Neurorobotics, Frontiers in Robotics and AI, Journal of the Royal Society, Plant, Cell & Environment, Plant Signaling & Behavior, Scientific Reports, and Trends in Plant Science, among other journals. He is the author of the popular best-selling book Planta Sapiens (Norton 2023, with Natalie Lawrence).

Ayman Zedani

Ayman Zedani’s investigative practice works to upend our comprehension of the past and challenge our acceptance of the future. His work includes videos, installations, and immersive environments that consider the future of the Gulf. His resultant projects are platforms to invite audiences to observe human-nonhuman symbiosis, leaving his narratives open to a multitude of interpretations and questions. His arc of inquiry highlights the interactions and relationships of humans in the more-than-human world, framing his practices and projects as extended animism.