This exhibition catalogue was created in July 2023 for the Independent Study Project module that is part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian art at SOAS, University of London. It was presented in conjunction with a proposal for a retrospective of the works of artist Rina Banerjee at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, United Kingdom.
This monograph by British-Indian artist Mukesh Shah came into being through my conversations with him while working at XVA Gallery Dubai. It was published by Akkadia Press in 2021 and reflects the zeitgeist of an era – from 9/11 to COVID-19 – and tells the story through the pithy language of protestors’ placards.
This piece was written for Jaddaf Aloud! and performed at Jameel Arts Center in response to an opportunity extended by the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. I used images of an unknown artwork as a source of inspiration while also attempting to decipher its meaning and purpose of creation.
The story of my first book, Humr An-Naʿam, Treasure of the Desert begins in 1988, when my mother and I moved to the UAE to join my veterinarian father, who had recently been hired by a local Emirati businessman, Faraj Ali Bin Hamoodah. At the time, the Bin Hamoodah family owned a flock of two hundred camels that needed a dedicated caregiver.
