Alaa Tarabzouni

Alaa Tarabzouni has a career that spans over ten years in the arts and culture sector, where she has honed her skills as a curator and a practicing artist. Building on her wide-ranging experience, she presently works as an independent curator, applying her skills to curate various art exhibitions.

Before stepping into the role of an independent curator, she served as the Director of ATHR Gallery, and prior to that as a Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia since its inception in 2018. Her diverse experience in both the public and private sector, coupled with her active art practice, has given her a deep and well-rounded understanding of the arts.

Tarabzouni’s career started with as a practicing architect at renowned firms such as Omrania and Associates in Riyadh, CAZA in New York City and Saudi Oger in Beirut. While Tarabzouni’s background in architecture subtly informs her approach, her main focus is context. She regards this as her primary medium and her work consistently explores the relationship between art, its environment, and the viewer’s experience.

In 2018, Tarabzouni co-founded Very Public, a multidisciplinary artist-run exhibition space in Riyadh. Tarabzouni’s academic pursuits have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to art and curation. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in architecture from Newcastle University in England and Pratt Institute in New York, respectively. She also holds a second master’s in arts and Cultural Enterprise from Central Saint Martins in London.

Apart from her work in the arts sector, Tarabzouni has also contributed to academia. She served as a lecturer in the School of Architecture at AlFaisal University in Riyadh.

With a broad array of professional, academic, and creative expertise, Alaa Tarabzouni continues to make significant contributions to the arts and culture sector.