The 421 gallery presents Solid Void by multidisciplinary Emirati artist Asma Belhamar, her solo show. On view is the collection of her latest works she has produced while taking part in the 421 Artistic Development Program. The exhibition is accompanied by her reflections on culture and ever-changing national identity. One is welcome to attend it until the 31st of December, 2023.
In the exhibited art pieces (mixed media artworks and installations), Belhamar examines the Emirates’ architectural history influenced by Western classical modernity, contemporary Islamic traditionalism, and historic trade relationships. She has created artificial landscapes referencing three scenes from the Esh Halkom Ya Arab music clip released in the 1970s by Emirati singer Abdullah Belkhair. Each scene captured by the artist reflects a particular cultural aspect from that time.
About the artist
Asma Belhamar (b. 1988) resides in Dubai, where she was born. In 2012, she obtained a BFA in Visual Arts from the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises (Zayed University, Dubai). In 2017, Belhamar graduated from Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, USA) with an MFA in Textiles. Since the same year, she has been an assistant professor at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises.
Belhamar’s practice involves installation, print, video, and 3D modelling. In her work, she delves into the phenomenon of the megastructure in her homeland and the impact it has on the topographical memory of local landscapes. The artist combines the architectural and the organic to create hybrid spaces that engage with such themes as temporality and spatial memory. Through her art pieces, Belhamar illustrates the effect that different architectural trends have had on perceptions of the Emirates locally and globally.
The artist has taken part in such group exhibitions as Evaporating Suns: Contemporary Myths of the Arabian Gulf (Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, Basel, Switzerland, 2023); Tales of Nostalgia (Misk Art Institute, Riyadh, KSA, 2022); Between The Sky and The Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE (Middle Eastern Institute, Washington, DC, USA, 2021); Playing Spaces (Engage 101, Dubai, UAE, 2020); Emerge III: Converging Lines (Sestiere Dorsoduro 47, Venice, Italy, 2019); UAE & Greece Cultural Week (Zappeion Exhibition Hall, Athens, Greece, 2018); and others.
Belhamar completed the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design (Abu Dhabi, 2014). In 2011, she also received the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award in the Fine Arts category. In 2019, Belhamar was an Artist-in-Residence at March Project (Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE) and Porthmeor Studio (St Ives, UK).
To get more information about Solid Void, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
You might also be interested in attending 33 Songs, 99 Words by Sawsan Al Bahar.
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