Leadership
Commissioner General
Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa
A leading figure in the Arab culture and art scenes, HE Shaikha Mai has spearheaded national efforts to develop the cultural infrastructure in the Kingdom of Bahrain for heritage conservation and the growth of sustainable tourism. The President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, amongst her myriad achievements have been the 2005 and 2012 inscriptions of the Bahrain Fort and the Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in addition to the establishment of the Bahrain Fort Site Museum and the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre.
Renowned as a local historian whose work has been published both in Bahrain and internationally, her pioneering work has been recognized around the world and she is the recipient of the Légion d’Honneur, the Moroccan Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Grand Officer) and the Order of the Italian Star as well as the First Class Order of Merit from HM King Hamad of Bahrain.
Deputy Commissioner General
Noura Al-Sayeh
Noura Al-Sayeh is an architect currently working at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) as Head of Architectural Affairs, where she is responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of cultural institutions and museums as well as the creation of an active agenda of exhibitions and academic exchange initiatives. Previously, she worked as an architect in New York, Jerusalem and Amsterdam. She was the co-curator of Reclaim, Bahrain's first participation at the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, which was awarded the Golden Lion for best national participation and the curator of Background, Bahrain's second participation at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012. Alongside her work for the BACA, she works as an independent architect on projects in Brazil, Nablus and Bahrain.
Design and Architecture
Pavilion Architect
Anne Holtrop
Anne Holtrop (born 1977, The Netherlands) is an independent architect based in Amsterdam. His work ranges from models to temporary spaces and buildings, on which he occasionally collaborates with the artists Krijn de Koning and Bas Princen. He is course director of the master Studio for Immediate Spaces at the Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam, and was editor of OASE, an architectural journal for architecture from 2005 till 2013. For his practice he has been awarded several grants from the Fonds BKVB, as well as receiving the Charlotte Köhler Prize for Architecture from the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation.
Landscape Architect
Anouk Vogel
Born in 1977, Anouk Vogel studied landscape architecture at the Metropolitan University of Manchester from which she graduated in 2001. Since then, she has been living and working in The Netherlands, where she also founded her own practice in 2007. The winner of the competition for new furniture of the Vondelpark, a Dutch national heritage monument, Vogel was also one of the finalists for the prestigious Prix de Rome for Architecture in 2010. Her work has been exhibited across Europe and she continues to lecture on a regular basis.
Exhibition
Archaeology Curator
Dr Nadine Boksmati-Fatouh
Nadine Boksmati-Fattouh is an advisor for the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities. With an MA in Archaeology (American University of Beirut) and a PhD in Classical Archaeology (University of Cambridge, UK), she worked for the Lebanese Directorate General of Antiquities between 1993 and 2007. In 2008, she moved to the Kingdom of Bahrain and soon after was appointed Director of Qalat al Bahrain Site Museum. In addition to her responsibilities at the site museum, Nadine was in charge of exhibitions and cultural programming at the Bahrain National Museum. In 2010, she was appointed Advisor for Museums Affairs and was in charge of the Museum department. Following her relocation to the United States, Nadine has curated a number of exhibitions at the Bahrain National Museum and is currently leading the National Museum permanent galleries remodeling project.
Director of Video Essay
Armin Linke
Armin Linke was born in 1966 and lives in Milan and Berlin. As a photographer and filmmaker he combines a range of contemporary image-processing technologies in order to blur the borders between fiction and reality. His artistic practice is concerned with different possibilities of dealing with photographic archives and their respective manifestations, as well as with the interrelations and transformative powers between urban, architectural or spatial functions and the human beings interacting with these environments. He is currently professor at the HfG Karlsruhe.
Partners
Supreme Council for Women
Agricultural Affairs Directorate- Ministry of Works and Municipalities
Bahrain in Italy
The Bahrain Pavilion in Expo Milano 2015 is an important opportunity for Bahrain to present its many cultural and heritage facets, in line with the theme of the Expo, to the world. The Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities is always looking for the widest cross-section of groups and entities interested in showcasing the Kingdom in Italy and has launched varied public participation programmes.
Volunteers
In December 2014, a call for volunteers was launched in Bahrain for the opportunity to represent the country at the Expo Milano 2015. In under two months, over 200 applications were received for participation by residents and Bahrainis alike interested in Archaeologies of Green, the Bahrain Pavilion, and its central objectives.
Filmmakers
Budding local filmmakers and youth talent were encouraged to participate in the 600sqm film showcase of Pavilion Zero at the Expo Milano 2015 by creating individual 30-60 second short films about food and life under the theme of ‘Feed Your Mind, Film Your Planet.’
Recipe Book
In line with the Bahrain Pavilion’s objectives to raise awareness of the Kingdom’s rich heritage from its agricultural history and practice to nutrition and local food, the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities embarked on a crowdsourced initiative for a recipe book dedicated to Bahraini cuisine.
Bahrain residents were invited to share a favourite recipe, and its associated memory, for inclusion within the cookbook, which will be sold both in Milan and Bahrain as part of the programme of activities undertaken for the Bahrain Pavilion.
Ambassadors
Spokespersons for Archaeologies of Green and Bahrain’s participation in Expo Milano 2015, our Ambassadors are a diverse group of Bahrainis representing a wide array of industries and specialisations, from nutrition, art and architecture to design and environmental advocacy, all invariably linked to the central theme of the Expo – Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.
Helping to increase awareness of the core objectives of Archaeologies of Green both within Bahrain and internationally, they are united in their interest in agrarian heritage, nutrition and energy, culture and sustainable development.
Alia Almoayed
Alia Almoayed is a Nutritional Therapist running a busy nutrition consultancy in the Kingdom of Bahrain, offering nutrition advice to the Middle East community and beyond. She writes health articles for various publications, runs TV and radio programmes on health and nutrition, holds lectures and seminars on the on the subject, leads annual health retreats, and heads a number of weight loss projects. Alia is the author of I Want Healthy Kids, a book on how to raise healthy children, The Dream Body Eating Plan, a weight loss guide, and I Want a Healthy Pregnancy, a book on how to enjoy natural pregnancy and childbirth; she is also co-author of 101 Ways To Improve Your Health. Alia is the founder and host of the Award-winning Arabic TV show ‘Shrayha Alia.’ Alia also runs the fast-growing seal of wellbeing in her AliaApproved family of products.
“I look forward to seeing Bahrain shine in Italy with its rich agrarian heritage. It’s a beautiful side of Bahrain that the whole world should see and that Bahrainis should be very proud of.”
Khalid Abdulla Al-Muharraqi
Born and raised in Bahrain, Khalid Al-Muharraqi is the Founder and Chief Creative of Muharraqi Studios where he creates 3D architectural visualizations; character animations; VFX and advertising materials. He has has won many international prizes for his varied work including several 3D World, CG Society and 3D Total awards. In 2010, Khalid presented at the influential Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s Circle Conference on the subject of stereography and 3D in filmmaking. Some of his visualization work includes the Bahrain World Trade Centre, the famous Durrat Al-Bahrain resort and accompanying marina as well as the stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Khalid’s animation work includes environment and world building for a famous television show in UAE and several more personal projects. He is also happy to get his hands dirty with sketching, sculpting and painting. Even with all the work, he still makes time to race his motorbike and engage in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
“Things will not change until we change them. We are the future and our time has come to step up and prove it. Art has no skin colour, religion or prejudice. It should always be beautiful and that is what I aim for.”
Narise Kambar
A Bahraini entrepreneur, passionate about cooking and creating dishes, Narise Kambar owns Saffron by Jena and Jena Bakery. Her outlets are very popular, launching a trend for the serving of Bahraini food at local eateries. The winner of the Time Out Award for best Bahraini restaurant in 2014, Saffron is a chic destination due to its modern execution of traditional dishes. Narise is recognized for her creativity and flair for cooking and has made a large number of appearances in television cooking programmes in addition to overseeing Bahraini cuisine lessons to visiting tourists and expatriates. Her skills led her to be nominated for the young female entrepreneur award within the Deauville Partnership with Arab countries in 2013.
“Bahrain’s participation in the Milan Expo is an excellent opportunity for Bahrainis to take part in the debate relating to food and nutrition in the world and will allow Bahrainis to reflect on existing challenges and how they are addressed.”
Reem Al Mealla
Reem Al Mealla is a Bahraini marine and conservation biologist who has worked on projects in each of Bahrain, Indonesia, Madagascar and South Africa. Her work involves addressing worldwide environmental concerns onto the UN negotiations table through her engagement in various platforms such as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Post 2015 Development Agenda. In Bahrain, she has been involved within the socio-economic and biological aspects of the Northern Oyster Bed Sites (Hayrs). Reem is also a recipient of the Abel Imray Prize and the author of ‘Resource Partitioning in the Indo-Pacific’. A co-founder of Re:man and the Arab Youth Climate Movement, Reem is determined to contribute towards creating the necessary shift in the region to bring environmental protection and conservation into the world’s priority list.
“It is not too late to re-write the story of man in Bahrain and ensure a future whereby man lives in harmony with nature.”
Ahmed Taleb
An urbanist, a property and urban development professional and a branding specialist.
Taleb holds a Masters degree in Property Development from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and has more than 11 years of experience in the field. He currently works with a number of developers on various projects in Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council region and the United Kingdom. Additionally, he runs the commercial side of a Bahrain based architecture and engineering practice.
Alongside his interest in urbanism, architecture, public realm and place making, Taleb is the co-founder of Khosh Hosh (a grassroots initiative focused on initiating a productive dialogue about the built environment and quality of life in Bahrain) and collaborates with art and cultural institutions on different projects. He also works with Interstate Creative Partners, a London-based branding and creative consultancy.
“I am honoured to be an ambassador of the Bahrain Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015. Bahrain’s participation will raise awareness about our island’s biodiversity, strengthen urban identity and endorse sustainable development in the long term. I also look forward to the relocation of the pavilion to Bahrain to be reconstructed as a much needed botanical garden and park.”