Through cultural exchange nations become closer, ideas become universal, and differences become understanding.

Roaming Images is a nomadic forum that highlights the concept of image – as a universal vehicle that tells us the story of how we speak, how we think and even envision the future – within art and science while bringing together East and West. 

On display at Maraya Art Centre from 22 June to 6 August, the exhibition – which takes place in collaboration with the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art of Greece (MMCA), the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale of Greece and the program Crossroads – forms part of an initiative to honor the admirable cultures of the Middle East.

By calling on contemporary artists to re-define their relation with the cultural heritage of the Arabic peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean as places of a long-standing artistic and cultural convergence, the project hopes to pull together artists, scholars and writers, encouraging them to contribute through their research and creativity. 

As part of the project, a series of workshops will be held at Maraya Art Centre. Invited curators will also take part in a residency program in Sharjah, exploring and documenting actions in the city and its villages, and interacting with the local community. 

While Sharjah is a major stop of the journey linking the Arabic peninsula to Greece, various other counties – including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey – are also involved. 

The exhibition at Maraya Art Centre will ultimately lead to the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale in Greece taking place in September.