On view at Iris Projects in Abu Dhabi, Silent Residues is a solo exhibition by Emirati multidisciplinary artist Ammar Al Attar. Curated by Nasser Abdullah, it marks a new phase in Al Attar’s practice, expanding his long-standing interest in memory, place, and the traces of human presence into a deeply performative and poetic language. The show will be open to the public until 26 November 2025.
Al Attar’s art often gravitates toward spaces that lie on the margins of urban life, such as abandoned buildings, empty lots, half-forgotten cinemas, or construction sites: places where the built environment still carries silent evidence of human activity. In earlier projects, he approached these sites as an observer and documentarian. In Silent Residues, however, he steps directly into them, using his own body as both medium and subject.
Across a series of black-and-white photographs and videos, Al Attar performs solitary gestures within these deserted environments: for example, cycling in circles and balancing on spools. These repetitive, meditative actions explore ideas of ritual and endurance. Simple movements are turned into reflections on habit, time, and erasure. The artist then overlays his images with coloured shapes (circles, dots, and squares) that serve as abstract notations of mood and rhythm, giving visual form to the invisible pulse of these spaces.
The title of the exhibition evokes both material and emotional remnants: the residues of silence, of memory, of things once inhabited but now still. Through minimal yet resonant gestures, Al Attar captures the delicate balance between presence and absence, motion and stillness, creation and decay.
About the artist
Ammar Al Attar (b. 1981, the UAE) is regarded as one of the leading figures of the UAE’s contemporary avant-garde, who works across photography, performance, video, installation, and sculpture. He earned a BA from the Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai Men’s College (1999-2003) and an MBI from the University of Wollongong (Australia) (2007-2008).
Al Attar has displayed his works in many exhibitions and major art events, such as The Circle Was A Point (Barjeel Foundation, Sharjah, 2024); Out of Range (solo) (421, Abu Dhabi, 2022); and Sharjah Biennial 2013. He has also undertaken commissions for Mercedes-Benz, COP28, the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 and the Dubai International Film Festival.
Al Attar is the recipient of the First Prize for Installation at the Emirates Fine Arts Society Annual Exhibition (2014) and was a finalist at the Emirates Photography Exhibition the same year. He has taken part in several artist residencies, including Art Dubai’s 2013 programme. His art pieces are part of prominent collections, such as Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), British Museum (London, UK), Museum of the Future (Dubai), and Yinchuan Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) (China).
To get more information about Silent Residues, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
Additionally, you might be interested in exploring The Only Way Out Is Through: The Twentieth Line.
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