Isabella Ellaheh Hughes

Isabella Ellaheh Hughes is the Artistic Director and Co-founder of the Honolulu Biennial Foundation, in addition to being a curator, editor and critic focused on art from the Asian continent, Pacific and their Diasporas. She’s written for a variety of printed and online publications, including: ArtAsiaPacific, Brownbook, Contemporary Practices, Frieze, Harper’s Art Bazaar Arabia, Ibraaz and Whitehot Magazine. A frequent contributor to and editor of books and exhibition catalogues, she is the editor of the monograph, “Sama Alshaibi: Sand Rushes In” (Aperture Foundation, 2015) and Barjeel Art Foundation’s 5th anniversary exhibition catalogue, “aide-mémoire: footnotes (Part II)” (Barjeel Art Foundation, 2015). Hughes has an MA in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Art History from Boston University. She’s served as a nominator for the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Program and Abraaj Capital Art Prize, as well as a juror for the YICCA 2013 International Contest of Contemporary Art and Art Omi International 2015’s visual artist residency program.  Interview conducted by Diana Lehr.