Designers Alia Bin Omair, Faissal El-Malak and Lina Ghalib are the inaugural 2021-2023 recipients of Tashkeel's new scholarship fund for postgraduate studies. The designers will pursue postgraduate studies in the UK, USA and Italy in fine art, product design and contemporary jewellery.

The Tashkeel Scholarship Fund is an extension of the Tashkeel’s ongoing initiatives to aid, nurture and mentor art and design practitioners in the UAE. It aims to formalise Tashkeel’s support of postgraduate studies in visual art and design. Launching this month, the fund will provide funding for tuition fees, enabling selected practitioners to pursue postgraduate studies in visual art and design either nationally or internationally. Open to Tashkeel alumni and members, the Fund will call for submissions every two years. Once recipients have completed their studies, they will return to Tashkeel to spend a year furthering their practice and sharing their new-found knowledge and expertise with fellow practitioners.

The Tashkeel Scholarship Fund builds on Tashkeel’s commitment to professional development of art and design practitioners living and working in the UAE.

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Alia Bin Omair
"I am honoured to be one of the recipients of the Tashkeel Scholarship Fund, and appreciate the generous support that will enable me to further my practice and career." – Alia Bin Omair

A member of Tashkeel since 2014, the Emirati jewellery designer and maker works with different materials and objects from around the UAE, developing collections and commissions for both private individuals and public entities. Winner of the Expo2020 / Art Jameel Sabeel drinking fountain design competition with Faissal El Malak, Alia has presented her work at London Design Festival, Dubai Design Week, and Milan Design Week. In September, she will embark on a two-year MFA in Contemporary Jewellery at the prestigious Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence, Italy.

Faissal El Malak
“My membership at Tashkeel for the past five years has been an essential factor in my growth as a designer and now as an artist. It has allowed me to connect with the creative fabric of the UAE and truly find a home in Dubai. Tashkeel's generosity allowed the acquisition of two pieces by the V&A making me the first Palestinian fashion designer to enter their collection. I am now so proud to be the first recipient of the Tashkeel Scholarship Fund to further my knowledge and push the boundaries of my practice at the prestigious MFA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths in London to start in September 2021. I look forward to coming back after my studies to contribute to Tashkeel's mission of growing the creative community within the institution and in the UAE.”

Since establishing his fashion label, the Palestinian-Canadian creative has continued to expand his practice into a broad range of arts-based mediums. He will embark on the MFA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths University of London in September 2021. With notable alumni including Lucian Freud, Yinka Shonibare, Bridget Riley and Damien Hirst, this highly sought-after fine arts programme offers a unique blend of studio practice, theoretical and art-historical training.

Lina Ghalib
" I am truly humbled by the amount of support I am receiving from Tashkeel ever since joining the Tanween programme. It is as though they are my second home. I am honoured to be chosen for this Scholarship Fund. I intend to do my best on a daily basis as my small way of thanking Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum and the Tashkeel team for their ongoing generosity. This is, with the will of God, the next step in forging a successful design career."

Since graduating with a degree in Interior Architecture at the American University of Sharjah in 2017, Lina has been working as an interior and product designer in the UAE. A Tashkeel member since 2019, she completed the Tanween design programme at Tashkeel with the worldwide debut of her arish bench-seat ‘Yereed’ at Dubai Design Week 2020. In September, she will embark on a Master’s degree in Interior Design at Savannah College of Art and Design, USA.