Author: Lizzy Vartanian Collier

Lizzy Vartanian Collier is a London-based writer and curator. She is the founder of Gallery Girl - a London-based curatorial platform and website dedicated to modern and contemporary art from across the globe. Her work is primarily focused on supporting emerging female artists from the Middle East and the Caucasus. She has written for Canvas Magazine, Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Ibraaz, Jdeed Magazine, Suitcase and Vice Arabia among other publications. Her exhibitions in London and Armenia have been featured in Vogue Arabia, The Art Newspaper, The Art Gorgeous and numerous other news outlets. Gallery Girl has also spoken in the UK, UAE and Belgium about the contemporary art scene in the MENA region, and is planning further events in London and Amman.

Gallery Girl meets AVAH Collective

April 17, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

The modern day nation of Afghanistan is located in a geography with a long historical and cultural significance both locally and internationally. Yet how many of Gallery Girl’s readers know anything about Afghan art? I’m guessing that if any, there are very few who do. Most probably think of Afghanistan and immediately make associations with […]

Augustine Paredes @ Campus Art Dubai

April 10, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Leaving home to be a migrant worker in a different country is like cooking Adobo. Different ingredients in one pot, boiled and simmered – simultaneously stirred in different directions and ways, peppered with additional spices – until finally cooked through and ready to be served – Augustine Paredes At this year’s Art Dubai photography based […]

The Thousand and One Nights @ Artual

April 2, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

The tale of the One Thousand and One Nights is synonymous with the Middle East. In the story, King Shahryar marries a string of women, murdering them after just one night after discovering that his first wife was unfaithful to him. When his vizier could no longer find any women, his daughter Scheherazade offers herself […]

Gallery Girl meets Ripsy May

March 27, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

“This person could really do with a necklace or some boobs” – Ripsy May Artist, musician and zine-creator Ripsy May could be described as a triple threat. Her artwork enchants with the endearing yet mischievous energies her child-like characters emit, while her silky smooth voice provides the basis for songs that touch on love and […]

Hayv Kahraman @ De La Warr

March 19, 2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

“And here I am, calling myself part of you but I can’t read you. Am I betraying you? How can I love you if I abandon you? I dwell in between the us and them… Naked, with ruby lips and cadmium cheeks, she gives you what you desire because she knows you like it. She’s […]

Do You Keep Thinking There Must be Another Way @ Mimosa House

March 13, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

Are you awake? Are you still dreaming? Lining the corridors to the entrance of Mimosa House, a sprawling silk painting that blends colours, geometries and geographies together asks the viewer questions about their experiences of contemporary angst and the relationship between personal fulfilment, achievement and failure while living in a city. Emma Talbot’s (b. 1969, […]

Art and Law

March 6, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

To those who are unfamiliar about the mechanisms of the contemporary art world and the international art market, the whole prospect of working “in art” may seem frivolous and unimportant. And, while working within the arena of visual arts has many attractions, it is by no means a lightweight career option. Involvement in the organisation […]