Born in Abu Dhabi, Azza Al Qubaisi studied in London where she received an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries HCT-CERT Abu Dhabi and a BA in Silversmithing, Jewellery Design, and Allied Crafts from London Guildhall. Often referred to as the Emirates’ First Jewellery Artist, Al Qubaisi produces wearable jewelry pieces and large-scale sculptural works that are influenced by the desert landscape of the United Arab Emirates and its rich ancestral past. She has contributed significantly to the UAE’s fast-growing cultural scene, founding two governmental projects to support and develop handicrafts and establishing ‘Made In UAE’, a platform to showcase local crafts and design. More recently, she established ‘ART Junction’, an initiative in collaboration with HCT Fujariah that seeks to support emerging creative Emirati talent by using materials from Fujairah. Her work won her the British Council 2011 YCE Award, and she has been exhibited internationally in Finland, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Cairo, Brussels, and London.
