Performance art born from lockdown
In a new body of work, Ammar Al Attar explores the monotonous labour of daily tasks and the pursuit of a new understanding of self.
By Anna Seaman
Covid-19 led Ammar Al Attar down the path of performance art. A self-taught artist with his studio in Sharjah, Al Attar has been producing archival and documentary photography for over 10 years while working full time at a government job. In the lead-up to the 2020 lockdown, he had been thinking about a new approach to his art. Having to wear the kandura, or Emirati national dress, for Zoom meetings inspired him to contemplate the “performance” aspect of working from home and to experiment with a new form of art.
“I always try to push myself with new forms and projects, and I’ve always been interested in performance. So, I wanted to challenge myself to do work that had a more radical way of expressing myself,” he says. “During the pandemic, I had more time to research and read.” The artist moved from behind the lens to in front of the camera and started to produce performance art that stemmed from the continual act of being in front of the screen during video conference calls.
In his first performance, Setting (2020), which is being shown in his Out of Range exhibition at Warehouse 421 in Abu Dhabi until May 8, the artist sits in front of a television staring at blurred content while closely examining mundane objects around him. It is a commentary on our countless hours in front of screens as well as the banality and monotony of office work. Al Attar frames sound and movement to create an intense multisensory experience that provokes a visceral response in the viewer.
The purposelessness of some work-related activities is shown again in Circle 2 (2020), in which the artist draws a circle around himself, repeating the physical rotation until he loses his balance and falls. While captivating to watch, Al Attar is asking us to consider the repetitive actions that we do without thinking. Automation and repetition speak to his concern that we are no longer thinking freely or using our imagination, and therefore, not pursuing our dreams. His performance asks us to recognise the slumber that we might be in, as individuals and society.
While Al Attar’s work is closely tied to Covid, it follows a long line of avant-garde artists committed to contemporary performance art. Hassan Sharif, considered the UAE’s most pioneering artist, began performance in the early 1980s, and his protégé, Mohammed Kazem, often photographed himself immersed in performative roles.
The show is the result of an Artistic Developmental Exhibition Program grant that Al Attar received in September. In partnership with The Institute for Emerging Art, Warehouse 421 launched this programme to support participants’ professional and creative development.
As Covid restrictions lifted, Al Attar revisited some remote spots that he had been to while scouting for photographic locations, including Al Dhaid. Historically, the Sharjah oasis town had relied on seasonally replenished wadis and underground aquifers to feed the falaj irrigation system for date-palm farms, but global warming and dropping water tables forced farmers to abandon these lands. The detritus of the work that used to happen in this landscape inspired another performance. In Covering 1 (2020), he attempts to cover the top of an abandoned water basin in 300 metres of black fabric, weaving back and forth across the space, frustrated by robust winds. This and other acts explore a theme of self-development and overcoming challenge—echoing the very act of pushing his own creative boundaries to enter performance art, which heightens the overall strength of the show.
“It has been an interesting journey into extending my practice, and the Warehouse 421 grant has been a great opportunity for me,” he says. “I look forward to seeing where my next path of discovery takes me.”
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
