Alia AlShamsi

Alia AlShamsi born in Dubai in 1982, is an Emirati-Italian multidisciplinary artist, author, curator, and cultural strategist whose practice explores memory, archives, folklore, and identity through photography, literature, illustration, and textile art and design.

She studied photography with a focus on social documentary at Griffith University in Australia and later pursued a Master’s in Photo-Image from Durham University in the UK. Her thesis explored the UAE's archives and memory. In 2005, AlShamsi became the youngest photographer featured at the Biennale di Fotografia in Brescia, Italy, where she exhibited alongside renowned icons including Julia Margaret Cameron and Cindy Sherman.
AlShamsi is the recipient of the 2024 National Grant from the Ministry of Culture for her upcoming book project. She also served for seven years as Cultural Programming Manager at Louvre Abu Dhabi, significantly contributing to the cultural landscape of the region. She curated Interwoven: Art, Identity and the Gulf, an exhibition exploring the relationship between heritage visual language and contemporary art practices across the GCC. She is also Vice President of the board of Emirates Reprographic Rights Association, where she advocates for copyright and intellectual property rights.