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Tarek Al-Ghoussein
Odysseus22 March – 5 May 2021
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Much like Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem of the Odyssey, Al-Ghoussein's work is as much about the journey as it is about the final images.
His fascination with the sheer existence of the islands sparked his curiosity to start documenting them back in 2015. Out of the 215 Islands, Al-Ghoussein visited and photographed approximately 30 so far, his pursuit of a complete survey has been challenged by gaps in public information about the islands, access restrictions, and most notably pending permission requests. While he remains hopeful the project can find a path to completion, like the odyssey, the journey is much longer than expected.
Skillfully employing a strong sense of surrealism with their dreamlike color spectrum and whimsical compositions, the world of Al-Ghoussein is at once both delightful and disquieting. Raising more questions than providing answers, the photographs lack specific geographical signifiers, despite being shot in real places. The playful and often absurd interaction between the artist and these dreamscapes leads the viewers to question the islands’ ambiguous reality, and perhaps existence. Gradually fading from his own consciousness, Al-Ghoussein chose to omit the islands completely from some of the images, where he can be seen alone at sea, until even himself is absent from the picture, perhaps pondering his own place, as an artist, or more significantly as an Abu Dhabi resident, in relation to the geopolitical landscape of the islands.
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Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Abu Dhabi Archipelago (Massnoua 3), 2015-
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Installation views
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About Tarek Al-Ghoussein
Tarek Al-Ghoussein was born in Kuwait in 1962. The child of Palestinian exiles, Tarek also spent part of his youth in the United States, Morocco, and Japan. He received his BFA (Photography) from New York University in 1985 and his MA (Photography) from the University of New Mexico in 1989. Initially working as a documentary photographer and photojournalist, Al-Ghoussein is currently a Professor of Visual Art at the NYU Abu Dhabi.
Tarek uses his practice to explore how identity is shaped within a context of inaccessibility and loss. Evocative photographs depicting abandoned spaces and objects examine both personal and general associations with the Middle East. His photographs of deteriorating buildings do not seek to glamorize the decay but neither are they a detached form of documentation. In these somewhat sardonic works, Al-Ghoussein lingers on the traces of human presence and the attempts to create expressions of individuality within an unsatisfactory habitat. Tarek captures images of places and objects that will soon cease to exist, preserving the narrative of the spaces and their former inhabitants.
His solo shows include Al Sawaber, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2017); K Files, CAP Kuwait, Kuwait (2017); K Files and Al Sawaber Series, Nevada Museum of Art, USA (2016); K Files, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2014); E Series, Kalfayan Galleries, Athens, Greece (2011); A Retrospective: Works from 2003-2010, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE (2010).
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Works
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Please click here for Tarek Al-Ghoussein's CV.
