Tebra

Tebra was formed in 1994 by Maha AL-Mazroie, Sawsan AL-Qasimi and Manal AL-Shamlan, student friends with a passion for art. Tebra quite literally began as a hobby, offering the young women a chance to get together and enjoy art and artistic endeavor.

It was at Dubai Women's College that the group had the opportunity to produce their first collaborative piece, a 16ft by 8ft canvas entitled "Heritage" which now hangs in the college cafe.

News spread fast and the three original members were soon joined by Fatima AL-Ghaith, Hessa Maktoum AL-Maktoum, Ayesha Majid, Sarah AL-Futaim and Khalood Mattar and it was in this stage that tebra, as an association of artists was born.

The meaning of the word Tebra, like many words in Arabic, almost defines translation and its rendering in English is the source of constant argument. The most accepted translation is the "Shimmer of the water's surface above a pearl bed".

Tebra is the appropriate name of a group that is so keenly aware of the role of tradition in what is the constantly evolving cosmopolitan emirate of Dubai.