HOMEGROWN HERO
Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim will represent the UAE at the 2022 edition of the Venice Biennale.
By Anna Seaman
Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim has never been one to crave wide audiences. For decades, he has worked consistently and instinctively from his home studio in Khorfakkan, between the mountains and the sea. His work draws from nature and some of it is moulded from what he collects during walks foraging in the wilderness.
He has made mulch from leaves, sculptures from large, heavy stones and has become known for his abstract and organic shapes that are non-specific but somehow familiar to his viewers. He has not changed his methods or his attitude even as his prominence has grown. In fact, it could still be called a somewhat insular practice that has, over the years, brought him international attention. Nevertheless, he is undoubtedly a jewel in the crown of the UAE’s nascent artistic community and it is fitting that he will represent the UAE at the 2022 edition of the Venice Biennale. The presentation will be curated by Maya Allison, executive director and chief curator of the NYUAD Art Gallery, who champions Ibrahim’s innovation and the continual development of his artistic voice, something that she has witnessed personally through different collaborations with the artist.
Since the inaugural presentation of the National Pavilion of the UAE at the Venice Biennale in 2009, when Ibrahim was part of the group exhibition titled It’s Not You, It’s Me, there has been a deliberate drive to a more artist-led approach. Truly homegrown and authentic, Ibrahim is the perfect choice for this respected platform.
photo courtesy of Lawrie Shabibi Gallery.
