Walid Raad Denied Entry to UAE Ahead of Sharjah Meetings

Walid Raad, an artist with Gulf Labor, was barred from entering the United Arab Emirates and returned to the United States. He intended to attend the Sharjah meetings scheduled for May 11–15. This incident follows similar denials for other Gulf Labor members, including Ashok Sukumaran earlier in May and Andrew Ross, a professor at New York University, in March. Gulf Labor is a coalition advocating against labor conditions linked to the construction of Louvre and Guggenheim museum branches in Abu Dhabi. In a statement on gulflabor.org, Raad criticized major institutions like the Sharjah Biennial, Guggenheim, British Museum, and NYU for their lack of support. He noted that these entities often engage with artists politically only when it avoids local or regional cultural exchanges. The event highlights ongoing tensions between artistic activism and institutional involvement in the Gulf region.