Dalya IslamRiyadh · London · Los Angeles

Culture doesn't exist in a gallery alone. It happens in places, communities and experiences: and the interesting work is often where those things meet.

I'm interested in the moment when a project stops feeling like a development with some art in it - and starts feeling like somewhere.

Director of Arts & Culture, Red Sea GlobalCo-Founder, D+D

Dale Chihuly, Red Sea Fiori. Red Sea Global
Portrait of Dalya Islam

People see the finished artwork. They rarely see everything that had to happen to get it there.

Worked with luminaries such as Bjarke Ingels, Sumayya Vally, Dale Chihuly, Daniel Canogar and Wael Shawky.

5 master plansExecutive cultural leadership for $20B+ megaproject
2+2Led planning for 2 contemporary museums and 2 performing arts centers
7km²Arts-focused public realm and associated cultural infrastructure
30+Large scale commissions for renowned destinations and cultural institutions
Daniel Canogar's Shuttle, a suspended spiral of LED ribbons in the Welcome Centre at Red Sea International Airport
Daniel CanogarShuttle, 2025Red Sea Global

Experience

2003 - Present
  • 2023 - Present

    Director of Arts & Culture

    Red Sea Global · Riyadh

    Established - and delivering - the strategic and operational framework for a cultural ecosystem integrating cultural heritage, institutions and collections, and public art in a $20B+portfolio of world-class tourism destinations.

  • 2025 - Present

    Co-Founder

    D+D · Riyadh

    Co-founded a nomadic gallery promoting local and international artists to actively support the art movement at grassroots level, with a focus on female artists and building artist and collector communities.

  • 2023

    Senior Strategist

    Barker Langham · London

    Appointed to shape the curatorial and implementation strategy for a public art program at a large scale urban development of national significance.

  • 2022 - 2023

    Associate Curator

    Islamic Arts Biennale · Jeddah

    Responsible for 27 original commissions for the inaugural edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale under the artistic direction of Sumayya Vally.

  • 2020 - 2022

    Director of Collections

    Lymited · London

    Launched and led the collections division of a limited edition digital trading platform.

  • 2011 - 2020

    Founder

    Madder-Red Art Advisory · London

    Founded and led a curatorial and advisory agency.

  • 2003 - 2010

    Director, Middle East Department

    Sotheby's Auction House · London

    Pioneered Sotheby's Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auctions, establishing international recognition for these categories through scholarly expertise.

Education

  • MA, History of Art and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh

Boards & Advisory

  • Mimosa House, Trustee
  • Commagene LAR, Advisor
  • ILN Mentoring, Mentor

Languages

  • English, Arabic
Contact

Dalya Islam