Services
Curating, Advisory & Research
At Matin Curatorial House, we work across curating, art advisory and research, with a particular focus on contemporary art from the Middle East, West Asia and North Africa.
Our practice begins with looking closely: at an artwork, an artist, a collection, a space, and the histories that connect them. We are interested in the relationships that emerge between art and its context — and in the possibility of building collections and projects that carry a sense of meaning beyond the individual work.
Our services are developed around each project and its particular context. Some begin with an exhibition or an idea; others with a collection, a space, or a desire to discover artists and practices from the region.
Curatorial Projects
We develop and curate exhibitions and art projects from their initial concept through to their presentation.
Our curatorial work may include research, conceptual development, artist and artwork selection, curatorial writing, and the development of a coherent relationship between the works, the space and the audience.
We work with galleries, cultural institutions, private spaces and organisations seeking to develop exhibitions or cultural projects grounded in contemporary art and its wider cultural context.
Art Advisory & Collection Building
We approach collecting as more than the acquisition of individual works. A collection can become a way of thinking — a personal narrative shaped over time through the artists, ideas and histories it brings together.
We work with collectors and those beginning to build a collection, helping them discover artists and works that speak to their interests, while developing a considered direction for the collection as a whole.
Our advisory may include artist and artwork research, recommendations, contextual guidance and assistance throughout the acquisition process.
Curatorial Research
Research is an integral part of our curatorial practice.
We undertake research on contemporary Iranian and Middle Eastern art, artists, cultural histories and curatorial themes, both independently and in relation to specific exhibitions, collections and institutional projects.
Research may take the form of artist studies, thematic research, archival investigation, contextual writing or the development of a curatorial framework for a larger project.
Art & Space
We consider the relationship between art and space as part of the curatorial process.
For private residences, hospitality spaces, offices and other environments, we develop thoughtful selections of contemporary art in response to the character, architecture and atmosphere of a place.
Rather than approaching art as decoration, we look for works that can enter into a meaningful relationship with their surroundings — allowing the space and the artworks to shape one another.
A Shared Beginning
No two projects begin in the same way. A conversation may begin with a single artwork, an exhibition idea, a collection in formation, or simply a question about contemporary art from the region. We welcome conversations with collectors, institutions and cultural partners interested in developing a project, a collection, or a deeper engagement with the artistic and cultural landscapes of the region.