Saira Ansari (b. 1982, São Paulo, Brazil) is a researcher/writer with an interest in South Asian art history, publishing, alternative narratives, and science fiction. She has a BFA in Painting and an MA (Hons.) in Visual Arts from the National College of Arts, Lahore. Saira works in Publications and Research at the Sharjah Art Foundation and is a Contributing Editor for the South Asian literary journal Papercuts. Her curatorial projects include The importance of staying quiet (Hong Kong, 2014), a collaborative project with Umer Butt (Director, Grey Noise), exhibiting six decades of minimal art from Pakistan. She has also worked closely with artists from the MENASA region, and its diaspora. Currently, Saira is an independent Managing Editor on two artist monographs: Abbas Akhavan (SKIRA / Works on Paper, 2017-18) and Pouran Jinchi (Akkadia Press / Works on Paper, 2018).

Saira has contributed to various international publications across Pakistan, India, Brazil, USA, UK and Germany including Art Asia Pacific, The Rio Times, The State, Canvas, Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, Khaleej Times, Folio, ArtNow Pakistan, Herald Magazine, and The Friday Times. She has contributed essays for: Everything we do is music, Drawing Room and Cornerhouse Publications (UK, 2017); Rupak / 2016-2017: Lala Rukh’s commission for Documenta 14, Grey Noise (UAE, 2017); Anthology of Essays on Language and Accent, THE STATE and Maraya Art Centre (UAE, 2015); PIX: The Pakistan Issue (India, 2015); and Sohbet: Journal of Contemporary Arts and Culture, Vol. 2 (Pakistan, 2011). 

Back