Exhibitions
‘Selfie²’ Exhibition
Wednesday, Jun 10, 2015
6:00pm -> 10:00pm
From Jun 11 to Jun 27, 2015
10:00am -> 7:00pm
Daily [excluding Sundays]
Artspace Hamra
6:00pm -> 10:00pm
From Jun 11 to Jun 27, 2015
10:00am -> 7:00pm
Daily [excluding Sundays]
Artspace Hamra
Artspace Hamra is proud to announce ‘Selfie²’ a collaborative exhibition between Iraqi artist Mohammed Al Shammarey and Iranian artist Sara Niroobakhsh.
‘Selfie²’ explores self-documentation as a means of self-expression. Employing the language of the ‘selfie’, the exhibition examines personal narratives embedded within a larger problematic of regional conflict and rupture.
Al Shammarey, alternating between white and black traditional clothing, which are markers of sectarian division, is both a specter and a spectator, appearing faceless or lost in a self-replicating crowd. In Niroobakhsh’s photographs, traditional scenes of domestic life are disrupted by brutality: gun-toting children and cold-blooded maternities. In the age of the ‘selfie’, attention may be power but the ability to reveal what lies behind the image is what compels these autobiographical works.
About the artists
Mohammed Al Shammarey is an Iraqi artist born in 1962. He is a member of the UNESCO International Association for Plastic Arts (AIAP), the Iraqi Artist Association, and the Iraqi Society of Plastic Artists. His work has been exhibited throughout the Middle East, North Africa, North America and Europe, including the 9th Cairo International Biennale, 2003–2004, the Frankfurt International Book Fair, 2004 and 2005, and Imagining the Book International Biennial, Alexandria Library, Egypt, 2005. In 2004, he received an award from the Festival of Mediterranean People, Bisceglie, Italy, and in 2003, the prize of Arab Pioneers from the Arab Pioneers Festival under the patronage of the Arab League. In February 2015, he participated in ‘VIP’, a collective exhibition at EOA Projects in London, which included artists Damien Hirst, Chuck Close and Jeff Koons. His body of work comprises video art, photography, book art, painting, and sculpture. He currently resides in Texas, U.S.A.
Sara Niroobakhsh is an Iranian artist born in 1981. She holds a master degree in Arts from the Art University of Tehran in Iran. Since 2008, she has been working as a photographer, painter, video and conceptual artist. Her work explores the relationship between ancient culture, symbology, monuments, and memories. Her work was exhibited at the Iran-International Gallery Exposition and the 4th Contemporary Art Annual Persbook. She is also included in the Permanent Photo Exhibition at the Iranian Artist Forum. She currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada.