Ammar Al Attar Turns His Body into a Tool for Performance
Emirati artist Ammar Al Attar discusses his shift from documenting spaces to using his own body as a medium. His exhibition 'Out of Range' was held at 421 in early 2023. After his 'Prayer Room' series (2012) and 'Salah' series, he became fascinated with performance. During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, he researched performance art and began using everyday office materials like ink stamps. His work 'Covering' involved covering a concrete water tank in Sharjah with black cloth, adapting when wind disrupted the fabric. 'Moving' saw him crawling through a falaj (irrigation channel), resulting in a bloody shirt. He explores circles, lines, and squares as symbols of repetition and boundaries. His 'Visual Diaries' (2011) shared private daily moments, predating Instagram's culture of oversharing. The interview appears in Canvas 104: 'Let's Get Physical – The Body in Art'.
Key facts
- Ammar Al Attar is an Emirati artist.
- His show 'Out of Range' was exhibited at 421 in early 2023.
- He did not study photography formally but learned through workshops.
- His 'Prayer Room' series was created in 2012.
- The 'Salah' series features himself in the act of prayer.
- He began pursuing performance art in early 2020 during the pandemic lockdown.
- He used an ink stamp as a material in performances.
- His work 'Covering' involved a concrete water tank in Sharjah.
- The performance 'Moving' took place in a falaj (irrigation channel).
- His 'Visual Diaries' project started in 2011.
- The interview was published in Canvas 104.
Entities
Artists
- Ammar Al Attar
Institutions
- 421
- Canvas
Locations
- Sharjah
- United Arab Emirates