Artist Farah Al Qasimi’s ghostly images of strange comings and goings were inspired by the domestic horror films of the 1970s and 80s
A new exhibition by multidisciplinary media artist Farah Al Qasimi comprises photographs and video work influenced by the domestic-set horror films of the 1970s and 80s, tracking the traces of a poltergeist creating mischief within a home.
Fallen Flowers, 2021
Al Qasimi moves through private spaces with her camera, documenting everyday situations and objects in interiors and pristine bathrooms, always displaying her specific aesthetic and her unmistakable eye for cultural details.
Hand Print, 2021
Farah Al Qasimi: ‘How do you photograph something that is intangible? My friend had been leaning on this sofa for a while - when she got up, you could see the ghostly imprint of a hand. To me, this is a photograph of soft fabric, of a person resting, of a body’s weight’
Marrim’s Eye, 2023
Life is beautiful, life is strange. There was a serious conversation happening in this moment. I saw something funny and tried not to laugh. I photographed it instead’
Almonds, 2023
‘A bag of fresh almonds sits on the table. The mesh bag sits right up like a ghost is holding it. I don’t know if ghosts eat almonds’
Woman in Reflection, 2023
My work is filled with reflections, layers, optical illusions. I used to be a painter, and I was obsessed with density and dimension. When I photograph people, it’s usually quite indirect. I want the portrait to take a moment to land’
Leopard Print Blanket, 2022
‘This is my friend Anood, attempting to nap despite my invasive lens and camera flash, shrouded in fabric and pattern. In this moment, she looked like a Klimt figure, suspended in planar magic’
Woman in Bathroom Window, 2022
‘In the movie Poltergeist, there is an iconic image of hands trapped inside a television. It’s the little girl who was taken by spirits into purgatory. Reaching out, seeking an exit’
Fish Sandals, 2022
‘This is my friend Sophia, leaning over a balcony in her fish slippers. We had just been to a butterfly garden and were admiring the view of the ocean. Later on, I found a photograph of myself in a family album very similar to this one’
Plastic Still Life, 2023
‘I think of plastic as the ultimate ghost because its trace will never go away. We amass all these plastic objects that are produced in exponentially growing numbers. And yet where will they go? Who will inherit them?’
Women’s Only Swimming Pool, 2023
‘I was touring a date farm and tourist attraction, and this was the women’s swimming pool with green privacy tints. Right after this, I tried to climb a steep incline to a fort that is a historic site of resistance against British imperialist invasion. It was the peak of summer, I had already been outside for an hour carrying heavy equipment, and there was no shade. I fainted of heat stroke under a boulder. It was embarrassing in the moment, but I later learned that many people also faint there’
Poltergeist is on at C/O Berlin until 6 September.
From The Guardian Website
