2025
6:18, The Dawn.
Dubai
A group exhibition exploring renewal, resilience and the possibility of a new beginning.
View catalogue ↗Signed by Line · Dubai / Damascus
Art in
conversation.
Exhibitions, artist talks and cultural programmes connecting Syrian artists and audiences across borders.
Art in the cityThe practice
Art opens a space to meet, to remember, and to see familiar places differently.
Signed by Line began by sharing exhibitions and supporting Syrian artists. It has grown through curated group shows, artist conversations and creative programmes, bringing voices from Syria and the wider region into dialogue.
Its most ambitious project to date is Art Week Syria: an invitation to encounter Syrian art and its makers in Damascus.
Featured project · First Edition · 2026
Art Week
Syria.
An art week rooted in the place and people behind the work.
Founded and curated by Line Kouwatli, the first edition took place at Masar Rose in Damascus from 11 to 18 September 2026. It brought Syrian artists across generations into direct conversation with audiences through visual art, photography, cinema, music and art talks.
47Syrian artists
8Days in Damascus
Masar Rose · Damascus11—18 September 2026
Selected exhibitions
Curator.
Projects shaped around artists, place and the shared threads that connect us.
2024
The Power of Synergy
Atelier 14, Al Khayat Avenue · Dubai
An exhibition built around collaboration and the creative energy of artists working together.
View catalogue ↗
2023
Lights Through the Wounds
Foundry Downtown Dubai
A gathering of artistic voices reflecting on memory, adversity and light.
View catalogue ↗Conversations
Art talks.
Conversations with artists and cultural voices about their work, new forms of expression and identity.
Artist conversation · Urbanist
Nawar Shartouh
Line introduced the Syrian artist in a conversation about his work, visual language and ideas.
View event post ↗
Panel · Urbanist Art
Digital art, metaverse & NFTs
Artist Stephany Sanossian with Talal Al Afghani and Ali Al Hamwi, moderated by Line.
View event post ↗
Artist conversation · Urbanist
Mohannad Orabi
A discussion of the artist’s journey and his work to encourage new creative generations.
View event post ↗
Panel participation · Her Land
Curating Her Land
Line joined “The Art of Narrating Identity” roundtable as part of the Her Land exhibition in Dubai.
View event post ↗
Panel participation · Lavinia
Challenges and triumphs
Balancing artistic ambitions and personal lives. Line joined Zina Khair and Suzi Nassif in a panel moderated by Hana Sammak Kurdi at DIFC.
View event post ↗
Community initiative · July 2021
Traces.
A five-day creative programme for children from refugee communities, created with My Homeland Watani.
Across five workshops, children used different materials from their surroundings to create art and explore self-reflection, hope and dreams for the future. The programme offered a welcoming space to express feelings and make their own memorable traces.
See the programme ↗The founder
Line
Kouwatli.
Curator, collector and founder of Art Week Syria, based between Dubai and Damascus.
Born in Paris to Syrian parents and raised in Damascus, Line’s work focuses on artists from Syria and the wider region. Through exhibitions, art talks and programmes for children in displaced communities, she has made space for expression and connection.
Before dedicating herself to art, Line worked with Nestlé and BRF. She and her husband Bisher collect and support contemporary Middle Eastern art; their collection participates in Dubai Collection.
Signed by Line is a cultural and community venture by Challah Enterprises, bringing these experiences together in a growing programme of projects.
Collecting & patronage
The Line and Bisher Challah Private Collection
A shared commitment to art and the people who create it.
Based in Dubai, Line Kouwatli and Bisher Challah collect art and support the local arts community. For Line, collecting is closely connected to building relationships with artists and engaging with their practice.
Bisher brings the perspective of an entrepreneur and investor, with business ventures across the Levant, the UAE and East Africa. Together, their collecting and patronage form part of their wider involvement in cultural life.
Their private collection participates in Dubai Collection, with works by Syrian artists including Mohannad Orabi, Tammam Azzam, Leila Nseir, Kais Salman and Elias Izoli, amongst others from various generations.
Selected coverage
In the press.
Dubai Culture · Google Arts & CultureConversations on Collecting Practices in Dubai: Line and Bisher Challah↗The Sandy Times · Interview“Once You Begin, It Is Very Hard to Stop” — Line Kouwatli↗The National · Art Week SyriaSyria’s first Art Week seeks to revive cultural scene after years of war↗GQ Middle East · Art Week SyriaInside the First Art Week Syria↗AD Middle East · Art Week SyriaArt Week Syria Kicks Off This Month in Damascus↗L’Orient-Le Jour · Art Week SyriaÀ Damas, la première Syria Art Week ouvre un nouveau chapitre↗Marie Claire Maison Arabia · Art Week SyriaInside Art Week Syria, the Exhibition Bringing Contemporary Art Back to Damascus↗Arab News · Art Week SyriaArt Week Syria launches inaugural edition in Damascus↗
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