Farah Al Qasimi
Working primarily with photography, video and performance, Farah Al Qasimi (b. 1991, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) examines postcolonial structures of power, gender and taste in the Gulf Arab states.
Al Qasimi studied photography and music at Yale University in 2012 and received her MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2017. Dividing her time between Abu Dhabi and New York, Al Qasimi has integrated her practice as a social critique and observation of the layered aspects of each place indirectly. Through her bold and vibrant photographs, she explores the unspoken social norms and values embedded in a place, a moment or an object. Her thought-provoking images act as an invitation for the viewer to sense the unspoken boundaries that govern the scenes which they catch a glimpse of.
Al Qasimi’s recent works challenge the viewer to consider their own understanding of reality, aspiration, individuality and the reflected image. In series such as 'Funhouse', Al Qasimi demonstrates her skill with mise-en-scene in photographs that are richly detailed, evoking a tromp-l’oeil effect, which are at turns delightful, delirious and disturbing. Elsewhere, the artist creates works that confront commonplace notions of figurative photography and portraiture. Her recent commission with Public Art Fund, 'Back and Forth Disco', was on view at 100 bus shelters in New York City in 2019–20 and comprised of works offering a distinct representation of a subject without allowing the viewer full access to the person, highlighting the unique qualities that determine individuality and capturing the diverse essence of New York City.
Selected solo exhibitions include; Abort, Retry, Fail, Delfina Foundation, London, UK (2023); The Swarm, Plug in Institute of Contemporary Art, Winnipeg, Canada (2023); Poltergeist, C/O Berlin, Germany (2023); Everywhere there is splendor, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, USA (2021); Imitation of Life, The Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France (2021); Lady Lady, Cooper Cole, Toronto, Canada (2021); Funhouse, Helena Anrather Gallery, NY, USA (2020); Back and Forth Disco, Public Art Fund, New York, NY, USA (2020); Open Arm Sea, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX, USA (2020); Arrival, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2019); List Projects: Farah Al Qasimi, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA, USA (2019); Artist's Rooms, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE (2019); More Good News, Helena Anrather, New York (2017).
Selected group exhibitions include; A Convening of Civic Poets, KADIST, Paris (2023); Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond, LA County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA (2023); Perpetual Inventory, Volume 1: An Exercise in Looking, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2022); A Question of Taste, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey (2021); Lahore Biennale, Lahore, Pakistan (2020); March Projects, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE (2019); Age of You, MOCA Toronto, Canada (2019); Conversation 7 (with Marcela Pardo Ariza), San Francisco Arts Commission, SF, USA (2018); No to the Invasion: Breakdowns and Side Effects, CCS Bard Galleries, New York, USA (2017).
Al Qasimi has participated in residencies at the Delfina Foundation, London (2017); the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine (2017); and was also awarded the New York NADA Artadia Prize and the Aaron Siskind Individual Photographer's Fellowship (2018).
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Farah Al Qasimi
Toy World 27 Feb - 19 Apr 2024If I go to Google and ask it to define “actor,” I am greeted with the following secondary definition: “a person who behaves in a way that is not genuine.”...Read more -
Perpetual Inventory, Volume 1: An Exercise in Looking
Curated by Dr. Omar Kholeif 19 Dec 2022 - 29 Jan 2023Perpetual Inventory and Dr. O’s Pop Shop at The Third Line, Dubai this December. The Third Line presents Perpetual Inventory, Volume 1 and Dr. O’s Pop Shop: The Live Edition,...Read more -
THERE IS FICTION IN THE SPACE BETWEEN
23 Mar - 30 Jul 2020The Third Line is pleased to present There Is Fiction In The Space Between , a group exhibition celebrating the gallery’s fifteenth anniversary. This exhibition draws on the breadth of...Read more -
ARRIVAL
Farah Al Qasimi 18 Sep - 23 Nov 2019The Third Line is pleased to present Arrival, Farah Al Qasimi's third solo exhibition at the gallery. Using the language of horror cinema, Al Qasimi reveals a new body of...Read more
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Farah Al Qasimi Returns to The Third Line
Susanne Niemann, Global Art Daily, April 14, 2024 -
Farah Al Qasimi: Assortment of Truths
Sarah Chekfa, Flash Art , January 10, 2024 -
Farah Al Qasimi's Journey of Family and Migration
Allie Biswas, Frieze, October 16, 2023 -
Who opened that door? Modern poltergeists – in pictures
The Guardian, August 10, 2023 -
AGWA hosts Farah Al Qasimi’s first solo exhibition in Australia
Muhammad Yusuf, Gulf Today, April 6, 2023 -
Perpetual Inventory And Dr. O’s Pop Shop
Selections Magazine, December 31, 2022 -
Farah Al Qasimi by Elle Pérez
Elle Pérez, Bomb Magazine , October 27, 2022 -
Farah Al Qasimi: 'So many aspects of the world I photograph are deeply universal'
Stephanie Bailey, Ocula, August 3, 2022 -
Farah Al Qasimi: there is nostalgia attached to a certain kind of loss
Melissa Gronlund, The National News, July 8, 2022 -
‘Prints for Palestine’ founder explains powerful message behind fundraiser
Rawaa Talass, Arab News, May 23, 2021 -
How Artists Are Supporting Victims of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Tessa Solomon, ARTnews, May 20, 2021 -
UAE Pavilion will present eco-friendly cement prototype and photographs by Farah Al Qasimi
World Architecture Community, May 11, 2021 -
Timelines and topographies step up at The Third Line show
Muhammad Yusuf, Gulf Today, December 29, 2020 -
Spirit of the place – an interview with Farah Al Qasimi
Diane Smyth, Apollo Magazine, September 16, 2020 -
Why Farah Al Qasimi Has Her Eye on You
Brendan Embser, Aperture, April 21, 2020 -
Farah Al Qasimi’s vivid photographs offer a magnificent insight into life in the UAE
Kathryn O'Regan, Sleek Magazine, September 24, 2019 -
Spirit of the Emirates: an interview with Farah Al Qasimi
Aimee Dawson, Folio by Alserkal Avenue, September 22, 2019 -
Farah Al Qasimi Crosses ‘Unseen Boundaries’ With Photography
Ted Loos, The New York Times, June 11, 2019 -
Farah Al Qasimi
Rahel Aima, CURA, March 18, 2019 -
Farah Al Qasimi photographs Dubai’s decaying entertainment architecture
Billie Muraben, It's Nice That, March 24, 2015