Focal Point 2

About

In 2019, Vasl Artists’ Association was honored to be invited by the Sharjah Art Foundation to take part in FOCAL POINT, the foundation’s annual publishing event. Celebrated as a traveling art book fair, FOCAL POINT aimed to showcase and promote a wide array of printed materials—books, zines, posters, and editions—to audiences in Sharjah, the UAE, and the wider Middle East. Recognizing the scarcity of dedicated spaces within the region—particularly in the UAE—that support interdisciplinary and experimental publishing practices, the event sought to fill this gap by presenting diverse projects from independent publishers alongside a select number of established ones.

Over three days, FOCAL POINT combined a traditional fair layout with lively programming, including talks, performances, screenings, and interactive workshops. These activities fostered critical discussion around art publishing and celebrated the community of creators producing innovative printed matter. The event was hosted within the historic Bait Al Shamsi—an 1845 heritage building renovated in the late 1990s—offering an intimate setting that reflected Sharjah’s cultural history. The venue’s two floors and courtyard, used previously for artist studios and exhibitions during past Sharjah Biennials, created a rich atmosphere for dialogue and exchange.

As part of Vasl’s ongoing commitment to connecting thinkers, artists, and the public, the foundation’s Director, Hoor Al Qasimi, invited Vasl to participate in the curated tables section. Each participant received a personal table to collaborate with small and independent publishers from their networks, sourcing and displaying printed materials from a variety of languages and regions, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, and more from the MENASA area. Vasl collected over 250 publications from across Pakistan, alongside contributions from artists, institutions, museums, galleries, and private libraries. These diverse materials, some created independently by Vasl, were showcased in the EDIT section, alongside other notable entities such as Chimurenga, Khoj, African Art Book Fair, Terremoto, and the Sharjah Art Foundation itself. The event featured book launches, lectures, performances, art installations, workshops, and the Asia Art Archive Symposium, providing a vibrant platform for exploring contemporary art publishing and fostering international dialogue.