Born in Saida, Lebanon, in 1964, Jeffar Khaldi relocated to Texas at the age of 16 to avoid forcible militia recruitment during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90). He earned his BFA at the University of North Texas, Denton, before moving to Dubai in the mid-1990s. He founded the B21 Gallery in the Al Quoz industrial neighborhood in 2005.
Khaldi has exhibited his work in several solo exhibitions at Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York (2008); John Martin Gallery, London (2008); Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai (2010, 2011); Dar Al Funoon, Kuwait (2011–12); and Foundry, Dubai (2020–21). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions including Espejismos (Mirages): Contemporary Art from the Middle East and North Africa, Museo San Pedro de Arte, Puebla, Mexico (2007); Cultivating the Desert, Wunderbox B.V., Amsterdam (2007); Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East, Saatchi Gallery, London (2009); Told/Untold/Retold, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (2009); Jasmin Orientalischer Sommer, Galerie Sabine Knust, Munich (2011); Domination, Hegemony and the Panopticon, Traffic, Dubai (2012); Alienation, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2012); Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2012); and How Green Was My Valley, White Box, New York (2014).
In 1997, Khaldi showcased his work at the Sharjah Biennial, where he received the Grand Prize for overall best artist. His work is held in major private and institutional collections around the world including the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman; JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, New York; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; and Saatchi Collection, London, among others.
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