Um Al Dhabaab (Mother of Fog)

2022 - Film & Video (Film & Video)

29:45 minutes

Farah Al Qasimi


Um Al Dhabaab (Mother of Fog) by Farah Al Qasimi addresses the myth of Al Qasimi tribe-instigated piracy in the Gulf, perpetuated by the British Empire and upheld by contemporary western academia. This narrative is contested through a fictional retelling of the 1819 siege of Al Dhayah fort and the subsequent Pax Britannica treaty that solidified Britain’s military presence in the Trucial States. Relayed across various locations and times in Ras Al Khaimah through the perspectives of an ancient jinn, the ghost of an Al Qasimi pirate, two RAK-based sisters, a Jack Sparrow impersonator and ship captain, and an 1819 British naval officer, the film challenges Western-centric historiographies of the Gulf and the lingering imperialist interests at play across Asia’s modern-day trade hubs. The film also grounds this conflict of portrayal in the twenty-first century by drawing parallels to pirate video games and movies in contemporary culture. The film was co-produced by Sharjah Art Foundation and KADIST, and premiered at the Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present opening in February 2023.


Working primarily with photography, video and performance, Farah Al Qasimi examines postcolonial structures of power, gender, and taste in the Gulf Arab states. Dividing her time between Dubai and New York, Al Qasimi has integrated her practice as a social critique and observation of the layered aspects of each place indirectly. Through her bold and vibrant photographs, she explores the unspoken social norms and values embedded in a place, a moment, or an object. Creating work that confront commonplace notions of figurative photography and portraiture, Al Qasimi’s works challenge the viewer to consider their own understanding of reality, aspiration, individuality, and the reflected image.


Colors:



Other related works, blended automatically  
» see more

It's Not Easy Being Seen 2
© » KADIST

Farah Al Qasimi

2017

Farah Al Qasimi’s approach to photography deviates from the norms and conventions of traditional figurative and portrait photography...

Related works sharing similar palette  
» see more

Work by an African Artist to Be Launched into Space to Highlight Effects of Global Warming - via The Art Newspaper
© » LARRY'S LIST

Piece will be fixed onto nose of an Ariane 5 launcher that will be collecting data on climate change's impact on Africa...

Review: Blockbuster Disney Exhibition Digs Deep To Deliver The Magic
© » LONDONIST

Review: Disney100 Exhibition At ExCeL London | Londonist Review: Blockbuster Disney Exhibition Digs Deep To Deliver The Magic Disney100: The Exhibition, ExCeL London ★★★★☆ By Will Noble Looks like this article is a bit old...

Fucking Good Art
© » KADIST

KADIST welcomes editors and artists Robert Hamelijnck and Nienke Terpsma of Fucking Good Art (FGA), Rotterdam, for the 6th year of its magazine residency...

L'exigence de la saudade
© » KADIST

L’exigence de la saudade Curated by Zasha Colah and Sumesh Sharma, Clark House Initiative, Bombay With: Padmini Chettur, Prajakta Potnis and Zamthingla Ruivah And the participation of: Nalini Malani, Krishna Reddy, Jean Bhownagary, Maarten Visser Intervention in the public space by: Justin Ponmany, Prabhakar Pachpute The exhibition brings together three artists from distant geographies within India – Padmini Chettur, a contemporary dancer, Prajakta Potnis, a visual artist, and Zamthingla Ruivah, a master weaver, whose works are conceptually engaged with remnant cultural forms, not as endangered traditions, rather to reinvent them in the present...

Other works by: » Farah Al Qasimi  
» see more

It's Not Easy Being Seen 2
© » KADIST

Farah Al Qasimi

2017

Farah Al Qasimi’s approach to photography deviates from the norms and conventions of traditional figurative and portrait photography...

Related works found in the same semantic group  
» see more

Farah Al Qasimi, Um Al Dhabaab (Mother of Fog)
© » KADIST

Premiered at the Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present opening in February 2023, Farah Al Qasimi’s new film was co-produced by Sharjah Art Foundation and KADIST...

Conversation | Farah Al Qasimi & Amal Khalaf : Um Al Dhabaab (Mother of Fog)
© » KADIST

Coproduced between KADIST and Sharjah Art Foundation in the context of Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present , Farah Al Qasimi’s Um Al Dhabaab (Mother of Fog) challenges colonial myths upheld by Western academia and the lingering imperialist interests at play across Asia’s modern-day trade hubs...

Dutch artist Anneke Eussen’s border-questioning sculpture acquired by the city of Miami Beach
© » THEARTNEWSPER

Dutch artist Anneke Eussen’s border-questioning sculpture acquired by the city of Miami Beach Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Art Basel in Miami Beach 2023 news Dutch artist Anneke Eussen’s border-questioning sculpture acquired by the city of Miami Beach The purchase is part of the city’s annual programme to acquire a work from Art Basel in Miami Beach Elena Goukassian 9 December 2023 Share A visitor to Art Basel in Miami Beach looks at Anneke Eussen’s It’s Alright (2023) on Document's stand Liliana Mora The citizens of Miami Beach have spoken, and the annual municipal Legacy Purchase Program selection from this year’s Art Basel in Miami Beach fair is Anneke Eussen’s It’s Alright (2023), a wall-mounted sculpture that will join previously acquired works on permanent display at the Miami Beach Convention Center...

Cinéma de poésie : film, performance et littérature
© » KADIST

This event convened by artist Bouchra Khalili will bring together Richard Copans (Cinélutte) and Philippe Tancelin (Al Assifa) for a conversation around the films made by Cinélutte as well as Les Tiers Idées , a book by Philippe Tancelin and Geneviève Clancy published in 1977...