Some galleries are built around market reports. dar.nur|ART was built around a feeling. “It began really in 2006,” Noor Alzabin says, remembering the week she left finance after seven years to pursue something that felt more like herself. “I quit my job and decided to do something that was more me, more into the creative side. And I started dar.nur.” In the early days it was home accessories with “soft furnishings, some vintage furniture,” and a small constellation of art pieces that reflected her taste. What looked like a retail venture turned out to be the beginning of a personal curation philosophy that now anchors dar.nur|ART.
That philosophy is disarmingly simple, and entirely demanding. “The idea behind dar.nur|ART in general has always been very personal to me,” Noor says. “It’s not things that follow a trend or follow what is in demand. It’s basically what I personally would like. It’s what my eye gravitates towards, what my senses gravitate towards.” The result is an online gallery that feels intimate rather than algorithmic, guided by long relationships and honest conversations. “Art is very personal and it’s very revealing, it’s incredibly exposing,” she says. “I appreciate anyone that takes the leap to be open and put themselves out there.”
dar.nur|ART as we know it took shape during the pandemic, a moment that forced many creative businesses online. “dar.nur|ART started during COVID, it was a COVID project,” Noor explains. Footfall at her last physical space had waned, operating costs were punishing, and traffic-choked streets made visits harder. “The operating cost issue of running a traditional gallery is just not something that I would consider because that would then be imposed on the work,” she says. “It would affect the sale of the work and the livelihood of the artists.” The choice was clear: double down on digital, but design it with care. Clients now browse online, book private at-home viewings, and gather at the dar.nur|ART annual exhibition to meet the work in person. “We send the artwork to the client to view at home in the comfort of their own space during different times of the day,” Noor says. “And we do our annual exhibition where we interact with our clients.”
The annual show is where Noor’s curatorial ethos becomes a shared experience. There is no seasonal theme, no strict trend board. “I don’t have a theme,” she says. “Our annual exhibition is presenting very, very different artists that have very different backgrounds and different styles of expressing themselves put together in one space. The mood is: come and enjoy. Some things you will love, some things you will not feel drawn to, some things will make you think a little bit.” This year, visitors can expect “an exclusive collection by Rania Abulhasan” in her third collaboration with dar.nur|ART, “a few new works” by Ghadah Alkandari, and pieces by Amira Behbehani. There is also a first: “a new artist from Egypt, Mariam Abu-Talib, who does calligraphy on canvas,” Noor says. “It will be her first time showcasing in Kuwait.”
For Noor, location matters as much as the lineup, which is why dar.nur|ART has returned again and again to Sadu House. “It offers a bit of nostalgia, a bit of romance in terms of space,” she says. “The art that we showcase is relatively contemporary and the contrast between the old architecture, can really complement our work in bridging the gap between old and new.” She loves how the high ceilings and open doors extend a clear welcome. “Art is for everybody and anyone that walks in is welcome, to have a moment of calm in our busy lives.”
If calm is the feeling, conversation is the method. Noor’s selection process is rooted in relationship. “The majority of the people that I work with are friends,” she says. New collaborations start the same way. “It’s a conversation, how they’re going about expressing themselves and then see if this is something that we work with.” She keeps terms light on purpose. “My aim at the end of the day is to promote the work and to sell it because I know that artists are, many artists are, really underpaid and underrepresented. There’s so much talent out there, For me, it’s a pleasure to be working with people that need the extra help communicating with the outside world.”
This human-scale approach extends to the questions people ask about “regional” versus “global.” Noor resists boxes. “The focus more, for me at least, is on the transcendence of art,” she says. “It’s about a feeling, a point of view, which has no boundaries.” She points to the serenity in Rania Abulhasan’s practice, the flow of water and the intimate self-exploration in Ghadah Alkandari’s work. “It’s very personal, but it’s also universal because it’s an expression of herself.” She dreams of bridging gaps through feeling rather than labels. “Showcasing regional arts, transcend boundaries and tap into what it is that moves us as human beings, regardless of where we are or who we are.”
None of this means avoiding the world as it is. “The only work that I have that might have slightly political inspiration would be the work of William Kingswood from the UK,” Noor adds. “It is pro-Palestinian and completely against the genocide that’s happening in Palestine. We are appalled by what’s going on. We are pro-Palestinian because this stems from our desperate need for peace and justice.” The decision to show such work sits easily within dar.nur|ART’s values. Feeling, dignity, and a refusal to treat art as decor alone.
Digital platforms are part of dar.nur|ART’s present and future, but Noor is clear-eyed about their limits. “Life has turned to digital platforms, really, in every sense of our everyday,” she says. “In our case, the art makes it more accessible to a wider public to at least look and appreciate and follow and consider if someone wants to start collecting.” Still, she insists on the irreplaceable value of presence. “There is nothing like having a space where you see the art in person,” she says. “Making the effort to actually see something face-to-face when the opportunity arises is not something that you can ever replicate.”
What, then, is dar.nur|ART becoming? More of what it already is, and in more places. “I hope to continue supporting the artists that I’m working with,” Noor says. “We’d like to focus a little bit more on expanding outside of Kuwait and having a little bit of presence in other parts of the world, to take the artists that we work with and maybe showcase them to a wider audience.” She also wants to grow the calendar. “I’d like to have more pop-ups throughout the year, other than just the annual exhibition, and hope to continue promoting art that we feel very connected to.”
Creativity, for Noor, is not a trend but a lifeline. “We kind of fall into a copy paste sort of existence which is incredibly dangerous,” she says. “We don’t want to lose integrity to who we are and our differing points of view, our different ways of seeing things. It’s what really adds a little bit of magic to life which would otherwise be soulless, mundane, and really uninspiring.” That is the quiet power of dar.nur|ART: a space curated by a person, not a market; a gallery that trusts the long conversation; a platform that invites you to feel first, categorize later.
There is a line Noor repeats that could sit over the door at Sadu House on opening night. “Come and enjoy,” she says. “Some things you will love, some things you will not feel drawn to, The common theme is just to come and enjoy creativity in many different forms.” In a noisy, hurried world, that invitation sounds like a rare luxury. Or perhaps, like Noor’s curation, it sounds exactly like a necessary kind of care.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL QUESTIONNAIRE
What do you most value about your friends?
Honesty, vulnerability and non judgment
Which living person do you most admire?
I admire every person that finds peace with themselves and lives in kindness
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being alone after a long day surrounded by noise
What is your greatest extravagance?
Good food!
What is your most treasured possession?
My photo albums and art collection
What is your greatest fear?
Cockroaches!
What is your most marked characteristic?
You’d have to ask someone that knows me
Which talent would you most like to have?
To be able to paint, funnily enough. Can’t hold a brush
What is one trait you have that you are most grateful for?
Doing what needs to be done ahead of time, being organized, and knowing when to switch off
What is the human trait you most dislike about others?
Disrespecting time. 9 o’clock is not 9.10. And driving slow (sorry S)
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
We we we (as in oh no)
What are your favorite words to live by?
Eat the grilled cheese! don’t over think everything, simplify life, we are all stressed enough and time is passing by.. find joy and be kind, it really costs nothing
Where would you most like to live?
India stole my heart. The UK country side feels like home. My roots will always be in Kuwait. Maybe by the sea or in Ahmadi
If you could have any job, what would it be?
Lucky enough to say i would do what i am doing now
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising my boys
You can catch this year’s dar.nur|ART annual exhibition at Sadu House from the 17th of November to the 19th. For more details and timings follow @dar.nur.art on Instagram and visit dar-nur.com to see the digital gallery for yourself.
