Mona KhazindarMona Khazindar, a Saudi national, has been Director General of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (Arab World Institute) since March 2011. A cultural organization founded by the French government and the 22 countries of the Arab League, the Institu's mission is to disseminate knowledge about the Arab World, its civilization, culture and language, and promote cultural exchanges between France and the Arab World. From 1987 till her appointment as Director General she headed the Department of Contemporary Art and Photography in the museum of the Institut du Monde Arabe. During that period she focused on modern and contemporary art from the Middle East. For the past 25 years she has curated numerous successful and well-received exhibitions (including Palestine, Creation in all its States; Oum Kalsoum, the Fourth Pyramid; and Vision of Arab Photographers). Khazindar's immersion in the world of Arab art has led her to the belief that contemporary art from the region takes place within a wider socio-political context of dialogue and globalization. This led Khazindar, a curator and cultural engineering consultant, to pioneer academic artistic exploration and exposure of outstanding artists by commissioning artists to create site-specific artworks taking into account a thematic discourse and an architectural space. Read More Read Less