Afra Aldhaheri
 MFA, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
Bio

Afra Al Dhaheri, born in 1988 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose work is profoundly shaped by the rapid transformations of her homeland. Working across mixed media, sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, photography, and printmaking, Al Dhaheri deftly explores concepts of time, adaptation, rigor, and fragility. Her artistic practice is characterized by a meticulous approach to experimentation, where each phase unveils new phenomena drawn from her distinct repertoire of cultural and personal references. Repetition serves as both a method to extend time and a tool for deep engagement with each stage of her work. Al Dhaheri's formal education, culminating in an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2017, has been complemented by formative residencies at institutions such as The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship, Porthmeor Studios in the UK, Viafarini in Milan, and The Watermill Center in New York. These experiences have contributed to her evolving artistic voice, firmly rooted in her Emirati heritage yet resonating with global contemporary art dialogues.

 
Office

Abu Dhabi - Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi

Phone:

+971 2 599 3697

Email:
Teaching Areas

As an Assistant Professor in the Visual Art Department at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, Afra Al Dhaheri plays a vital role in shaping the next generation of artists in the UAE. Her teaching responsibilities encompass a wide range of disciplines, including Ceramics, Sculpture, Painting, and the Senior Program. Al Dhaheri's approach to education is likely informed by her diverse artistic practice and international experiences, allowing her to bring a unique perspective to her students. Her position at Zayed University not only facilitates the transfer of technical skills but also encourages students to explore the intersection of traditional techniques with contemporary art practices, reflecting the dynamic cultural landscape of the UAE.

Research and Professional Activities

Afra Al Dhaheri's multidisciplinary explorations in material and form are characterized by a deep engagement with cultural memory, temporal shifts, and the tangible manifestations of change. Her work, spanning diverse media from sculpture and installation to painting and photography, demonstrates a nuanced interplay between rigorous conceptual inquiry and tactile experimentation. This approach has garnered international recognition, as evidenced by her selection as a finalist for the Richard Mille Art Prize in 2022. Al Dhaheri's recent projects showcase her commitment to pushing artistic boundaries while maintaining a dialogue with her cultural context. Notably, she is the Creator and Lead Artist for the project "Collective Exhaustion" (2024), supported by the National Grant for Culture and Creativity from the UAE's Ministry of Culture and Youth. Her public commissions, such as "Union of Artists" for Dubai Culture and Art Dubai, and "Pillow Fort Playground" for Expo 2020 Dubai, exemplify her ability to create impactful works that resonate in public spaces. Al Dhaheri's solo exhibitions, "Give Your Weight To The Ground" (2023) and "Split Ends" (2021) at Green Art Gallery in Dubai, served as pivotal platforms for introducing her work to a wider audience and elaborating on her distinctive material lexicon. These exhibitions allowed her to delve deeper into her exploration of materiality, showcasing her innovative use of diverse media to articulate complex ideas about time, memory, and cultural transformation. Al Dhaheri's work has gained significant international exposure through her participation in diverse exhibitions worldwide. These include "On Ma" at Galleria Pedro Cera in Lisbon, Portugal (2024), "Acacia Seeds" at Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris, France (2024), "Between the Sky and the Earth: Contemporary Art from the UAE" at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC (2021), and "Conscious Becoming" at Tatjana Pieters in Ghent, Belgium (2021). In her home country, she has been featured in notable exhibitions such as "Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial" at NYUAD Art Gallery and "Icon. Iconic." at Louvre Abu Dhabi, further solidifying her position as a significant voice in contemporary art from the Gulf region and beyond.

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