Salmah Al Mansoori
Latest series
You brought me back to life
“For me, the act of painting is a way to heal and process what I am going through, processing visuals and emotions."
Emirati, B. 2001
Salmah Al Mansoori is an Abu Dhabi-based multidisciplinary artist, born in Ghayathi, Aldhafra, in 2001. Her studio practice investigates the intersections of identity through place, time, and memory, where she has developed a diverse body of work that includes site-specific installation, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and video. Her body of work is deeply inspired by her hometown, Ghayathi, the natural landscape surrounding their vast deserts, and the physical environment of the UAE. Scroll below for Salmah's full biography.
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Featured Artwork
Everyday Landscapes
In Salmah’s daily drives around the city, the stop signs always fascinated her in how they fit into both natural and man-made landscapes. In particular, when invasive plants grew around them, it seemed as though they were an integral part of this manufactured sign sculpture. The abstracted figurative form represents the relationship between the road signs and the plants that accumulate underneath, raising the question of whether these signs are becoming a seamless part of our everyday landscape.
Biography
“A place is more than just a geographical location; it is also a vortex for understanding the construction of our identities.”
Salmah believes we unintentionally imbue a physical location with thoughts, emotions, and memories. For the artist, a sense of place can connect us or lead us to reject our origins, culture, or identity. In her practice, she collects memories, either through the fluidity of the brush and acrylic, or by collecting materials and objects that serve as surfaces to explore drawing, painting, and mixed media. Her body of work is deeply inspired by her hometown Ghayathi, the natural landscape surrounding their vast deserts, and the physical environment of the UAE. Through the act of documenting, unrestrained by a singular artistic form, the artist merges a seemingly disparate array of media in her practice. This enables her to construct a visual language that transcends traditional boundaries and stimulates a deeper exploration of the connections between our tangible and intangible worlds.
Salmah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art from Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2023. Her impressive resume includes the roles of Project Managment Coordinator at 421 Arts Campus in Abu Dhabi, Assistant Curator and Graphic Designer at artprojects, Sharjah, and Teaching Assistant at University Zayed, Abu Dhabi. Recent exhibitions include: A solo exhibition at The Warehouse, Dubai (2023); My Pet Ram Gallery, New York (2023); Manarat Alsaadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2023); Miza, Abu Dhabi (2023); Dubai Design District, Dubai (2023); Foundry Gallery, Dubai (2022); and Puertas Adentro, Punta Del Este, Uruguay (2022). She completed residency programs including The Canopy Program, New York, USA (2023), Volume 6, Samt Alternative Art School Residency Program, Dubai (2022), and MANGO Residencia Para Artistas, Argentina and Puertas Adentro, Casa de Artista, Uruguay (2022).
Education & Residencies
2019 - 2023 BFA Degree in Visual Arts. Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2023 - “I’M NOBODY” Residency, BONFIRE, Melbourne, Australia
2023 - The Canopy Program, NYC CRIT CLUB, New York, USA
2022 - Volume 6, Samt Alternative Art School, Virtual/Dubai, UAE
2022 - MANGO Residencia para Artistas together with Puertas Adentro, casa de artista, Argentina, Uruguay
2022 - Belgrade Art Studio Online Art Residency, Belgarde, Serbia
2022 - Visiting CRIT Program, NYC CRIT CLUB, New York, USA
Exhibition History
2023 Solo Exhibition: Ghayathi, The Warehouse, Dubai, UAE (curated by Fatima Alkurdi)
2023 Time and Identity, Al Safa Art and Design Library, Dubai, UAE
2023 Meets The Sun, The Warehouse, Dubai, UAE
2023 The International small Art Phenomenon, Rochester Contemporary Art Center 6x6, New York, USA
2023 Authentic Marks & Glow, Dubai Design District, Dubai, UAE
2023 ShowCase, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu`Dhabi, UAE
2023 State, Miza, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2023 Weaving Memory, Youth Hub, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2023 Unfolding, Sikka Art Fair, Al Fahidi Historical District, Dubai, UAE
2023 It’s Not Always Black & White, Sikka Art Fair, Al Fahidi Historical District, Dubai, UAE
2022 International Art Exhibition, Puertas Adentro, Punta Del Este, Uruguay
2022 Ren House Art Exhibition, The Ren House, Dubai, UAE
2022 Nondescript and Affective Places, Miza, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2022 Photography ShowCase, Cloud Space, Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2022 Authentic Marks & Glow, Dubai Design District, Dubai, UAE
2022 Nondescript and Affective Places, The Promenade Gallery, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2022 Cartography Collective, The Promenade Gallery, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2022 A Rendez-zous with COMET, Foundry, Dubai, UAE
2021 Video Work, Maria Library Auditorium, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE (curated by Yiannis Papavasileiou)
2021 Photography Exchange: My Secret Life, Partnership of an online exhibition between Zayed University students in Abu Dhabi and the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in the United States.
2021 Photography Exchange: 22 designs digital book, Partnership of an online exhibition between Zayed University students in Abu Dhabi and the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in the United States.
2021 4th INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MEDIA TRIENNIAL RADOM 2021, Uniwersytet Technologiczno-Humanistyczny, Radom, Poland
2021 Alternative Dimensions, The Promenade Gallery, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE