Dr. Najat Makki
Najat Makki (b. Dubai, 1956) is a pioneering Emirati artist best known for her curiosity for color and dreamlike, abstracted depictions of the natural landscape in the UAE. What started as childlike wonder led her to Cairo, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in relief sculpture and metal from the College of Fine Arts (1982 and 1998, respectively). Upon returning to the UAE, the colorist and painter started exploring fluorescent paints through her work in scenography for children at the Ministry of Education, introducing the Gulf to a style of abstract painting that is characterized primarily by large fields of flat, solid color, spread across, creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane. Her use of this material in contemporary art contexts created an unconventional viewing experience, often accompanied by UV-A lights that elevate matter from canvas in lurid dimensionality. This experimentation was first debuted in her solo exhibition at Al Wasl Club in Dubai in 1987, marking a turning point in her career and gaining her regional recognition. Makki later returned to the Egyptian capital to pursue a doctorate degree, making her the first Emirati woman to formally specialize in the philosophy of art (2001), adding a theoretical dimension to her practical aptitude and visual flair.
Makki has exhibited widely in her home country and internationally in Egypt, France, Germany, India, Jordan, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Her recent highlights include Festival of Optical Arts–Dubai Expo 2024, Portrait of a Nation (2016), and Women/Creators: Visionary Women in the Emirates Art Scene (2014). Earlier exhibitions include Heritage Horizons Exhibition at Abu Dhabi Officers Club (2004), Book Fair Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany (2004), and a co-exhibition for UAE President Ascension Day held at Dubai International Airport (2004). That same year, she participated in the Immar International Arts Workshop and the Environment Exhibitionat Dubai Trade Center. She previously exhibited at Sharjah Antiquities Museum (2003), the Tehran Biennial (2002), Emirates Media Inc. Exhibition: For You Jerusalem in Abu Dhabi (2002), and Woman & Arts: International View Exhibition in Sharjah (2000).
Her works are held in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Art Museum, the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation in Dubai, the Women’s Museum in Dubai, and the Ministry of Culture and Youth in Abu Dhabi, among many.
Makki was the only female artist among the 15 showing at 1980–Today: Exhibitions in the UAE and represented the UAE at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), curated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi. Her acclaimed 2019 retrospective, Luminescence, was held at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
A multi-award-winning artist, Makki received the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Government (2023), the Emirates Appreciation Award (2015), and the National Award for Arts, Sciences, and Literature from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development (2008). Earlier distinctions include the Emirates Appreciation Award for Arts, Science and Literature (2007), the Al Mahabaa Syrian International Biennial Award (1999), the Gulf Cooperation Council Biennial Award (1998), the General Authority of Youth & Sports Welfare Silver Award(1996), the Sultan Bin Owais Cultural Award (1994), and the Jury Award at the first Sharjah Biennial (1993), in addition to numerous certificates of excellence and merit.
She is currently a member of the Dubai Cultural Council, the Emirates Plastic Arts Society, and the Art Friends Society. Najat Makki is represented by Aisha Alabbar Gallery in the United Arab Emirates.