#contemporaryarabart

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Ali Kaaf | Ali Kaaf (b. 1977) is an artist who was born in Oran, Algeria to Syrian parents. He graduated from the Institut des Beaux-Arts in Beirut, Lebanon and continued his studies at Universität der Künste (UdK) in Berlin. He is a recipient of numerous awards such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Prize for outstanding international students (2004) and the Honorary AIR Award by Kala Art Institute in Berkeley (2014).  Kaaf uses a multitude of mediums to explore his complex interests in point and line, shallow space, black and white, planes and shapes, rhythm, fire, erosion, light and shadow. Several of his works have been shown in solo exhibitions abroad such as Darat al Funun (Jordan), Galerie Haus am Lützowplatz (Berlin) and Yellowstone Art Museum (USA).  More information on the artist can be found on his personal website here: https://alikaaf.com/ This post is part of a series put together by Adela Foo, an intern at the P21 Gallery, featuring Arab artists on our social media platforms.
#AliKaaf #MiddleEastArtist #ContemporaryArt #ArabArt #AlgerianArtist #ContemporaryArabArt #MENA #ModernArabArtist #arabartist #AlgerianArt @p21gallery #adelafoo https://www.instagram.com/p/B37FHt3lSfp/?igshid=1lao6kcc7uckw

[p21gallery]

Ahlam Shibli Ahlam Shibli is a Palestinian artist (b. 1970) who works through the medium of photography. Shibli uses the aesthetics of documentary to explore the contradictory implications embedded in the notion of “ the home.” For instance, the subject matter of her photographs are often about the lives of Arabs in villages that are unrecognised by Israel in the Negev and northern Galilee regions. One the one hand, while her photographs of these individuals and their belongings serves to fight against their erasure, some of her images are also records and reflections pertaining to the loss of home. In Shibli’s own words, she notes that: I am not documenting reality. I am making the work out of reality by using its images. That’s why it’s much more correct to say  hese are political images and not a commentary or just documentary images. The artist’s work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions internationally from Barcelona to Dundee and Amman. Currently, Shibli lives and works in Haifa, Palestine. This post is part of a series put together by Adela Foo, an intern at the P21 Gallery, featuring Arab artists on our social media platforms. #AhlamShibli #MiddleEastArtist #ContemporaryArt #ArabArt #PalestinianArtist #ContemporaryArabArt #MENA #ModernArabArtist #arabartist #PalestinianArt @p21gallery #adelafoo https://www.instagram.com/p/BzQQpsCFeuu/?igshid=ivjuh0g058hh

[p21gallery]

Ali Jabri Ali Al Jabri (1943-2002) was born in Jerusalem and came from a prominent Aleppo family. A critical observer of everyday life, the artist’s works are not merely limited to paintings on paper. Rather, Jabri explores the various mediums of collage and installation to animate his ideas. Additionally, since Jabri’s formative years coincided with the period of Arab nationalism from the 1940s to the 1970s, themes from the period are clearly evident throughout the body of his work.  The artist received his early education from Victoria College in Cairo during the 1950s. Afterwhich, he moved to California to study architecture at Stanford University in the 1960s. Then, he took up English literature at Bristol University in the United Kingdom. Only in 1977 did the artist return to the Middle East to take up residency in Amman, Jordan.  Jabri’s work has been shown both within the Middle East and abroad. In addition to his artistic practice, Jabri was also the former Artistic Director and Curator of Amman’s Museum of Popular Traditions. This post is part of a series put together by Adela Foo, an intern at the P21 Gallery, featuring Arab artists on our social media platforms. #MiddleEastArtist #ContemporaryArt #ArabArt #SyrianArtist #ContemporaryArabArt #MENA #ModernArabArtist #arabartist #SyrianArt @p21gallery #adelafoo https://www.instagram.com/p/B312eA-FFZ7/?igshid=g5th5iyeyifw

[p21gallery]

Adnan Al Sharif Adnan Al Sharif (1949-2010) was a Palestinian artist who lived and worked in Amman, Jordan. Al Sharif’s work is influenced strongly by the style of Surrealism and his paintings frequently include symbols pertaining to Palestine. The majority of Al Sharif’s paintings are untitled because in the artist’s opinion, if his paintings are not perceived as visual messages, then they have failed to become paintings. Furthermore, Al Sharif also actively designed posters promoting the Palestinian cause for political organisations such as FATAH (The Palestinian National Liberation Movement), the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Filistin Al Thowra (Revolutionary Palestine Magazine). With regards to his posters, Al Sharif refuses to shy away from inserting graphic imagery in order to bring his message across. This post is part of a series put together by Adela Foo, an intern at the P21 Gallery, featuring Arab artists on our social media platforms. #AdnanAlSharif #ContemporaryArt #ContemporaryArabArt #MENA #ModernArabArtist #arabartist #arabart #PalestinianArtist #PalestinianArt @p21gallery #adelafoo https://www.instagram.com/p/ByvJB1HlYyf/?igshid=xlwrgsqs50v1

[p21gallery]

Adel Abidin Adel Abidin was born in Baghdad (1973) and currently works between Amman and Helsinki. Having received a B.A in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad (2000), he continued to pursue his studies and received a M.F.A from the Academy of Fine Arts in Time and Space in Art in Helsinki (2005). Abidin’s art spans a variety of mediums ranging from video and sound installations to multi-media sculptures. His work is characterised by a distinct blend of sarcasm and humour which the artist utilises to delve deeper and to explore social experiences dealing with cultural alienation. In his own words, “This sarcasm I use is nothing but a medium of provocation to serve the purpose of extending the mental borders of the artwork beyond the limits of the exhibition space. I am always interested in creating opportunities to prolong the discussions beyond my artwork.” Since Abidin’s representation of Finland at the Nordic Pavilion in the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), his work has been the subject of major exhibitions worldwide including the 5th Guangzhou Triennial at The Guang-dong Museum of Art (2015), The Pera Museum in Istanbul (2015) and Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan (2013). Abidin has also been selected for the Finland Prize for Arts (2015) and he has also been a recipient of the 5 years grant from the Art Council of Finland (2012-2017). Beyond his artistic practice, he has also been the subject of various documentaries produced by the BBC (UK) and ARTE (France). This post is part of a series put together by Adela Foo, an intern at the P21 Gallery, featuring Arab artists on our social media platforms. #AdelAbidin, #ContemporaryArt #ContemporaryArabArt #MENA #ModernArabArtist #arabartist #arabart #p21gallery #adelafoo (at P21 Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByaoESVFtcN/?igshid=4f8wa2pc6ji3