For the First Time in a Long Time
Overview
For the First Time in a Long Time is the first monograph on the work of Sarah Abu Abdallah and comprises works from 2012 to 2019. As a visual diary, the publication guides the reader through Abu Abdallah's artworks as a blend of artist book and exhibition catalogue.
Working across video, painting, text and installation Abu Abdallah’s work is a meditation on our media saturated present, and the tension between our virtual personas and real lived experiences. Influenced by the online flows of data and images as well as pop culture in the Gulf, her work is an intimate reflection on the anxieties of a hyperconnected present.
The book is published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibitions at Kunstverein in Hamburg and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai.
The publication was supported as Catalogue No 145 by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung under its support prize “Catalogues for Young Artists".
About the Artist
Sarah Abu Abdallah
Through references to gender roles and the female experience, Sara Abu Abdallah's work explores issues of obscurity and value, probing the social and cultural conditions of contemporary Saudi Arabia. Abu Abdallah’s work has been exhibited internationally, at venues including Ala–an Artspace, Riyadh (2012); Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation (2010) and the Tenri Cultural Institute, New York(2009). Initially trained as a painter, she was later attracted to the documentary capacities of the camera as well as the possibilities inherent in video and performance, and she now creates works in multiple media.
About the Author
Amal Khalaf
Amal Khalaf is the Assistant Curator of the Serpentine Gallery’s Edgeware Road Project, an international residency and site-specific research programme based in the Edgeware Road neighbourhood of London. Situated at the itinerant Centre for Possible Studies, the project links artists with local people and issues. Khalaf holds an MA in Visual Cultures from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her curatorial and research activities address themes of urbanism, community media activism and art through participatory projects and media initiatives. In her work as a researcher and curator, she has been involved in collaborative programming with artists and community groups in London and Cairo, in addition to running activities ranging from screenings, performances, seminar series and conferences. Previously, she worked at Gasworks, London, the Townhouse Gallery, Cairo and Al Riwaq Gallery, Bahrain, aswell as co-founding Hold and Freight, London, a project space based in an abandoned Victorian railway arch. Khalaf is also a Research Associate with the Department of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, co-authoring a book on moving image in public space.
Technical Details
- Publication Date:
- Thursday, January 16, 2020
- Language:
- English and Arabic
- Format:
- Hardcover
- Dimensions:
- 21.7 x 17.7 cm
- Weight:
- 483g
- ISBN:
- 978-614-8035-38-8
- Number of Pages:
- 180
- Publisher:
- Kaph Books
- Categories:
- The Arts
Related Events
