Lamya Gargash 

SIG Learning Series | Lamya

Learning Series #5: Tracing Transitions: Exploring Spaces, Identity, and the Human Experience Through the Lens of an Emirati Artist

Emirati artist Lamya Gargash, born in 1982, explores inhabited and abandoned spaces, cultural heritage, and the tension between modernity and tradition. A graduate of the American University of Sharjah and Central Saint Martins in London, her work captures moments of transition through semi-abandoned interiors, questioning renewal and nomadism. Influenced by interior design, theater, and museum exhibits, her images blend anxiety, nostalgia, and restlessness. Recent projects include reframing ethnographic artifacts from the Al Ain Museum to highlight traces of human presence.

Gargash was the first artist to represent the UAE at the Venice Biennale in 2009 and has exhibited worldwide. Recently shortlisted for the Louvre Abu Dhabi 2024 Art Here Award, her show is set to open in mid-September 2024.

Notable solo shows include

  • Isthmus (2023) and Sahwa (2020) at The Third Line, Dubai.
  • Her works have been featured in exhibitions at Jameel Arts Center, Dubai (2023) and Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi (2018). 
  • Participation in major international film festivals, like the Locarno Film Festival and the Dubai International Film Festival.
  • Her pieces are held in the Barjeel Art Foundation and Sharjah Art Foundation collections. 

Join us as we delve into her creative process, exploration of tradition versus modernity, and how her Emirati heritage shapes her artistic voice.

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