- It's not about her as a person, it's about what she represents, as part of a kingdom that has ruled since the 1700s, says cultural writer Martin Schibli, who writes for HD and Sydsvenskan.

Art curator Hoor Al-Qasimi has a number of heavy credentials on her resume, she chairs a global organization for art biennials and leads the Sharjah biennial herself. It is run by a foundation funded by her father, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of one of the United Arab Emirates.

The country is investing heavily in art, but has also been a party to the bloody war, through agents in Yemen, and is regularly criticized for human rights violations.

"You cooperate with absolute power"

- I genuinely believe in classical cultural exchange, even with dictatorships and authoritarian states, but here we do not cooperate with an underground institution or a non-profit organization, but we cooperate with absolute power and that is where the criticism lies, says Martin Schibli.

- This is difficult, it is a balancing act that we were obviously aware of and considering. At the same time, I really wanted to show Hassan Sharif and introduce his work to a Swedish audience and that conviction weighed heavier somewhere, ”says Mats Stjernstedt, director of Malmö Kunsthall.

He points out that no financial support has been received from the United Arab Emirates.

Artwashing is increasingly being questioned

Artwashing is when, among other things, international big companies invest in art or sponsor art galleries to put their name in a good context, and at the same time wash their brand from criticism. The phenomenon has become increasingly questioned and perhaps one could argue that the oil countries around the Persian Gulf, in a similar way, devote themselves to trying to buy themselves a better reputation globally with art. Neighboring Saudi Arabia has also made major investments in arts and culture in recent years.

Is there a risk that Malmö Art Gallery will, by extension, legitimize the United Arab Emirates' attempt to buy itself a better reputation globally?

-I think there is always the risk that a regime like the United Arab Emirates is trying to gain legitimacy. At the same time, our intention is to lift Hassan Sharif's operations, in the context he has worked, says Mats Stjernstedt.