Caravan of Colors Through Time: A Retrospective on Mona Al Khaja

Mona Al Khaja (b. Sharjah, 1958) is an Emirati painter. Having graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Cairo at Helwan University in 1981, Mona studied under influential artists and educators from the Arab world, including Hamed Nada, Mohammed Riyadh, and Ahmed Nawar. She is considered among the founding artists of the contemporary art scene in the UAE.

As one of the first generation of UAE artists, Mona’s approach to painting is the result of formal study in the history of art, training in Egypt alongside artists such as Dr. Najat Makki and Abdulrahim Salim, as well as mastering techniques unique to Islamic culture. These sources provide her with abundant inspiration that she translates to the Emirati present, often blending symbolism and impressionist abstraction into her signature style. Mona uses figuration and abstraction, deliberately layering and blending colours and strokes to capture simplicity so elaborately. Her work mirrors her experiences, observing and recollecting acts of life both at home and abroad.

She has held several solo exhibitions across the UAE. Notable presentations include a solo exhibition at Abu Dhabi Art with Aisha Alabbar Gallery at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2021), Observe + Absorb at Majlis Gallery, Dubai (2019), Harmony: Aesthetics of Ornamentation in Emirati Heritage at Sharjah Heritage Museum, Sharjah (2019), and Chromatic Horizons at Sharjah University, Sharjah (2015).

Mona is a member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society and has continuously participated in its Annual Exhibition since its founding in 1980. She has also shown her work through the Society’s international exhibitions in Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Iran, India, and Morocco.

In the UAE, she has taken part in numerous significant exhibitions, including Spirit of Time, Emirates Fine Arts Society Annual Exhibition at Sharjah Art Museum (2023); 7+7 at Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, Dubai (2020); Artists and the Cultural Foundation: The Early Years at Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi (2018); The Perpetual Kingdom: Contemporary Arabic Calligraphy at Gallery Ward, Dubai (2016); Sikka Art Fair, Dubai (2015); Her Colourful Papers at Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, Sharjah (2010); and the Sharjah Biennial (2001 and 1999).

Internationally, Mona has participated in a number of high-profile exhibitions. These include the Kunooz Fine Art Exhibition and Auction at Bvlgari Hotel Knightsbridge and Christie’s, London (2015); Jewels from the Emirates at Delta City Mall, Podgorica, Montenegro (2011); The Reflective Mirror at the United Nations Headquarters, New York (2010); The International Exhibition of the Renaissance and Great Masterpieces of World Art in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (2009); the Cairo Biennial (2004); the Kuwait Biennial (2002); and the Oman Art Biennial (1990).

Mona has received several awards in recognition of her contributions to the arts. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Al Owais Award in Dubai (2019 and 2004), and was honored with the L’Officiel Arab Women Award in Dubai (2010). She also participated in the Fujairah International Arts Festival Residency in 2018.

Her passion for art was evident from a young age—she sold her first two paintings at the age of 14 to a prominent art patron in the UAE. Today, her works are part of many important collections. In the UAE, her work is held by institutions such as the American University of Sharjah; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Cultural Foundation; Mubadala Investment Company; Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage; the Dubai Collection; Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation; and Commercial Bank of Dubai. Internationally, her work is housed in the Museum of Modern Art in Kuwait and the Jordan Museum in Amman, Jordan. Her works are also found in numerous private collections in the UAE and abroad.