Alia AlShamsi

Alia AlShamsi (b. 1982, Dubai) is an Emirati-Italian artist, author and curator. Her work covers photography, illustration and poetry, and she has written and illustrated books for children. Her career began in photojournalism, and she later taught photography at the American University of Sharjah as adjunct faculty.

She holds a BA in photography from Griffith University in Australia (2014) and an MA in Photo-Image from Durham University in the United Kingdom (2018). Her books include Alayah and the silent picture book Night and Day (2018). She has worked as Cultural Programming Manager at Louvre Abu Dhabi. She also serves as vice president of the Emirates Reprographic Rights Association.

Her photographs were shown at a photography biennale in Italy in 2005. Her work is held by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, and by Rove Hotels. She received the EDAAD Scholarship in 2007 and the British Council Cultural Leadership International award in 2010. She was named Emirates Woman Artist of the Year in 2011 and received a National Grant in 2024.