In the dynamic landscape of Omani arts and culture, few names have risen with the speed and impact of Zawraq Collective. Co-founded in 2021 by visionary partners Noor Al-Mahruqi and Zaima Al-Adawi, Zawraq emerged not from a grand plan, but from a shared frustration—a feeling that the rich, authentic stories of their culture were not being fully represented. As avid art enthusiasts, they recognized a disconnect between the vibrant creativity they knew existed and the more traditional narratives often showcased. This observation sparked a simple yet profound idea: to create a space where new, unheard voices could not only be seen but celebrated.
As Zawraq Collective moves forward, their vision is expanding beyond Oman to encompass the wider GCC region. In this interview, we learn more about their role as creative producers, their regional ambitions and their latest endeavour The Mukhawar Project.
Khaleejesque (K.M): Tell us a little bit about yourselves and how you decided to launch Zawraq Collective?
Zawraq Collective (Z.C.): My name is Noor Al-Mahruqi, and together with my partner Zaima Al-Adawi, we co-founded Zawraq Collective in 2021. It really started out of frustration — we kept attending art exhibitions and cultural events in Oman, but we felt the stories being told didn’t capture the full depth, creativity, and freshness of what our culture has to offer.
So, as avid art-goers, we decided to do something about it ourselves. What began as a side project quickly turned into our first exhibition, You Can’t Be Here in January 2022, where we invited creatives (many of whom had never exhibited before) to respond to how the pandemic impacted our five senses and how we experience the world around us. We expected maybe a hundred visitors, but instead, over 9,000 people came in just one week. That moment made us realize this wasn’t just a one-off project, there was real hunger for new ways of telling Omani stories.
Since then, Zawraq has grown into something far beyond what we imagined. We’ve continued creating platforms for creatives, telling stories that matter, and now, with the Mukhawar Project, we’re moving into our eighth project and expanding from Omani stories to Khaleeji stories, and aiming to share them on an international stage.
(K.M): Your profile notes that Zawraq Collective was created to fill the gap in organizational and financial support for young artists in Oman. How has your approach to art curation directly addressed this initial challenge since your founding in 2021?
(Z.C.): When we talk about “organizational and financial support,” what we really mean is the role of a “creative producer” or “curator”, someone who takes on the logistics, fundraising, and coordination so that artists can simply focus on being artists. We realized that many emerging artists and creatives were working in silos, trying to do everything themselves: funding, producing, and still finding time to create. We wanted to change that.
From the beginning, Zawraq’s role has been to create the space and support system for creativity to flourish. We take on the heavy lifting which is the planning, the partnerships and the logistics. That way, artists can pour their energy into their story and their work. Along the way, we’ve been fortunate to receive support from institutions like the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, who trusted us to experiment and push boundaries.
One example of that trust was when the Ministry of Culture gave us the creative freedom to lead Oman’s first pavilion at the London Design Biennale. That opportunity allowed us to share Oman’s story with the world and ultimately win the Best Design Medal. For us, that experience reaffirmed why Zawraq exists: to put the artist first, and to prove that when creativity is given the right support, it can thrive on any stage.
(K.M): Your past projects, like You Can't Be Here and Ahlam El Asr, attracted thousands of visitors in just a few days. How do you approach curating an exhibition to make it so accessible and engaging for a new generation of Omani art-goers?
(Z.C.): For us, every project always begins with a story. We ask ourselves: what is the authentic story we want to tell? Not the version we think the world wants to see, but the way we see ourselves, our memories, our culture, our perspective. That’s the foundation.
Once the story is clear, everything else follows like the research, the details, the artists we work with, and even the format: whether it becomes an exhibition, a performance, or a cultural activation. The form is secondary; the story always comes first.
I think the reason our projects resonate with so many people is because they’re deeply rooted in who we are as Omanis. We’re not only the creators, we’re also the audience. So we try to make work that we ourselves would want to experience, work that we feel has been missing. When you start from that place of authenticity, people naturally connect with it, because they can feel it’s being created for them, with them in mind.
(K.): The Memory Grid project won the "Best Design Medal" at the London Design Biennale. What does this international recognition mean for a young Omani collective, and what was the most surprising takeaway from that experience?
(Z.C.): Winning the Best Design Medal was an affirming moment for us as a young collective. To be recognized on such a prominent international stage showed that the stories we tell from Oman can carry meaning and excitement far beyond our borders.
That recognition gave us the confidence to dream bigger. It’s exactly why we’re now launching the Mukhawar Project; to move from telling Omani stories to telling a shared Khaleeji story, one that threads together our common cultural heritage and presents it in a cohesive and powerful way.
And while the award itself was incredible, one of the most meaningful takeaways was the chance to connect with other GCC artists. During the Biennale, we met peers from the Saudi and Abu Dhabi pavilions, and from VCU Qatar. Those conversations showed us just how much common ground we share in our ideas, our challenges, and our passion. It left us excited about building bridges and collaborations across the region.
(K.M): The Mukhawar Project proposal describes the garment as a "wearable archive" of "Khaleeji feminine expression." What do you hope to reveal about the legacy of Gulf women's lives, labor, and stories through this exhibition?
(Z.C.): With the Mukhawar Project, we hope to uncover the hidden layers of Khaleeji women’s lives. Stories that are often underestimated in their depth and beauty. The mukhawar is not just a garment; it is a living, wearable archive that carries within it the memories, labor, and creativity of generations of women.
Through this exhibition, we want to trace its many threads: the fabrics that traveled across oceans from China, Japan, and India to find a home in the Gulf; the evolution of patterns, floral codes, and embroidery that women reinterpreted with every generation; the culture of exchanging and gifting garments within families; the decades-long relationships built with tailors; the lively traditions of haggling in fabric shops; and the central role of the mukhawar in life’s most precious celebrations.
But more than anything, what excites us is that this is not a closed archive. Through the open call, we hope to hear stories that even we haven’t yet imagined, and to see how others bring their own voices and memories to the mukhawar. Each contribution adds another stitch to this collective tapestry of Khaleeji feminine expression.
(K.): The project mentions an open call for collaborators, including tailors, craftspeople, and community oral historians. Why is it so important for you to engage these specific groups, and how do you envision their stories enriching the exhibition?
(Z.C.): Just like the story of the mukhawar itself, this tradition has always been shaped by many hands and voices; from the tailors and craftspeople who bring it to life, to the women who wear it, exchange it, and pass it down. For us, it’s important to engage these groups because their stories are inseparable from the garment’s legacy. A mukhawar is never made in isolation; it’s the result of relationships, rituals, and collaborations that stretch across generations.
That’s why we want tailors, artisans, fashion designers, and even small businesses who still produce and sell mukhawar dresses today to be part of the project. We see the exhibition as more than a display; it should be immersive and alive. Alongside the artworks, we’re envisioning workshops, embroidery sessions, talks with historians, and conversations with community members who have lived with the mukhawar as part of their daily lives.
In bringing together all these perspectives, we hope the exhibition will feel less like a single narrative and more like a shared cultural experience, one that honors everyone who has kept this tradition vibrant.
(K.M): Your work highlights a desire to create a vibrant network of artists in Oman. With projects like Mukhawar and your growing portfolio, what's your vision for engaging with and connecting creative communities across the wider GCC? What are your thoughts on the creative scene in Oman and the GCC?
(Z.C.): At the heart of our work is a desire to build bridges between memory and culture, and just as importantly, between artists across borders. With our projects, we’ve seen how powerful it is when creatives come together not just to showcase outcomes, but to share their processes, risks, and experiments. That spirit of exchange is what we want to nurture across the region.
In Oman, we see a scene that is still emerging but rich with potential. There are so many ways Omani artists can collaborate with others in the GCC to create something remarkable, and in doing so, build another bridge for Oman into the regional art landscape. For us, collaboration is key, it’s about opening channels where authenticity and experimentation can thrive side by side.
(K.M): What is one personal memory of the mukhawar from your own lives that inspired or informed this project?
(Z.C.): We’ve always been inspired to tell the little stories from our lives that often aren’t showcased, the everyday rituals that quietly shape who we are. One of the memories that both of us share is the process, from a very young age, of going with our mothers to the tailoring shops. We would watch them choose fabrics, cut the material, and then follow the journey as it was transformed into this beautiful mukhawar we would eventually wear. It wasn’t just about the final garment, it was about the whole process, the anticipation, the conversations, the textures and details along the way. That journey, from raw cloth to cherished piece, stayed with us, and we thought it would be powerful to bring that experience into an exhibition. It felt like a way to honor those intimate memories while opening them up to a wider dialogue about culture, craft, and identity in the Khaleeji scene.
(K.M): As a collective that operates on a project-by-project basis, how do you sustain the momentum and community you've built? What does the long-term vision for Zawraq Collective look like?
(Z.C.): Because we work on a project-by-project basis, sustaining momentum has meant embracing fluidity rather than fixating on permanence. What drives us is the energy each project brings, the chance to create spaces that feel alive, collaborative, and meaningful in the moment. Every exhibition or initiative becomes a way of bringing people together, sparking dialogue, and leaving behind traces that carry on beyond the project itself. The community grows organically through these encounters, through the relationships and conversations that emerge along the way.
In terms of long-term vision, we don’t see Zawraq as something static. For us, it’s about building an evolving platform that can adapt, shift, and respond to different contexts in Oman and internationally. We imagine the collective as a bridge: a place that keeps creating opportunities for collaboration, highlighting overlooked stories, and experimenting with new ways of presenting art. Whether it’s through exhibitions, residencies, or unexpected formats, our hope is that Zawraq will remain a catalyst—sustaining not only our own practice but also a wider network of artists who are shaping the scene in fresh, authentic ways
(K.M): What piece of advice would you give to creatives who are just starting out?
(Z.C.): It would be to start with what feels most personal to you. Don’t underestimate the weight of your own lived experiences, even if they seem too small or ordinary, those are often the seeds of the most meaningful work. Allow yourself to experiment, fail, and try again, because the process is just as important as the outcome. And seek out your people: community, dialogue, and collaboration will sustain you far more than chasing trends or external validation.
For more information about Zawraq Collective, visit: https://www.instagram.com/zawraq.collective/
