Sharjah: Sharjah Art Foundation announced the launch of Radial Histories, a six-part audio miniseries exploring lesser-known histories of visual art in Sharjah and the wider UAE from the 1960s to the early 1990s, just before the inception of the Sharjah Biennial in 1993.

According to Emirates News Agency, the series weaves together oral histories, archival recordings, and scholarly commentary to address questions about the emergence of the fine arts scene in Sharjah and its connections to cultural movements in the Gulf, the wider Arab world, and beyond. It also prompts a reevaluation of modernism in the region prior to the rise of today's global contemporary art scene.

Radial Histories offers insight into an earlier period of artistic exchange and experimentation at a time when the UAE is a major art hub and the Sharjah Biennial attracts global audiences. It traces the relationships between artists and institutions, developed amidst broader cultural and political shifts in the mid-to-late twentieth century.

Taking Sharjah as its starting point, the series explores the movement of people and ideas across expanding geographies. It reveals a layered, cosmopolitan art history shaped by local conditions, infrastructural developments, and global ideological currents.

Featuring interviews with pioneering artists, curators, critics, and institution-builders, the series combines lived experience with archival sound and historical analysis. Radial Histories offers a novel approach to understanding the past, enriching our comprehension of the present.

All six episodes of Radial Histories are now available on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. The episodes cover various themes, including the inflow and outflow of artistic influences, the dynamic art scene of the 1980s, and the transition from internationalism to globalization in art history.