The screening gathers three of Farah Al Qasimi's films that portray hybrid characters stuck in liminal spaces and states. The films center otherworldly figures—a jinn, a mermaid, an influencer trapped inside an app—that disrupt colonial and traditional Western narratives or accentuate the peculiarities of our hyperconnected world. Through music and quirky dialogue, these films also address tangible issues in the UAE, from gentrification to water pollution, with humor and wit.
Farah Al Qasimi’s practice engages with structures of power, gender, and taste in the Gulf Arab region. Dividing her time between Abu Dhabi and New York, Al Qasimi has integrated her practice as a social critique and observation of the nuanced aspects of each place. Working primarily with photography, video, and performance, the artist critically addresses the unspoken social norms and values embedded in a place, a moment, or an object. Her thought-provoking images invite the viewer to sense and discern the power dynamics at play in the scenes that she creates.
