Anhar Salem explores digital bodies, migration, and power in interview for Canvas magazine
Anhar Salem's creative work, shaped by her background in IT and graphic design, investigates both digital and tangible realities. Raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, she navigated limited social settings while enjoying the freedoms of the internet. Her film "Mashallah. Why Did You Cross The Indian Ocean? (2023)" delves into Hadhrami-Indonesian culture and migration within Jeddah's Indonesian and Yemeni populations. Another project, "…and the skies are a conquered paradise (2025)," critiques technology monopolies using found footage. For the 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale, she is set to present "Media Fountain (2025)," an interactive mosaic installation that tackles the issue of internet filter bubbles. Recently, she portrayed Nasreddin Hodja at the Bukhara Biennial, working alongside Majid Al-Remaihi and Hamza Kashgari.
Key facts
- Anhar Salem studied information technology and graphic design before turning to art
- She grew up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, experiencing gender-segregated spaces and immigrant dynamics
- Her film "Mashallah. Why Did You Cross The Indian Ocean? (2023)" examines Hadhrami-Indonesian matrilineal culture
- The work "…and the skies are a conquered paradise (2025)" combines religious, corporate, and military narratives
- "Media Fountain (2025)" was commissioned for the 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale
- She performed as Nasreddin Hodja at the inaugural Bukhara Biennial
- Salem collaborated with artist Majid Al-Remaihi and poet Hamza Kashgari on the Bukhara project
- The interview originally appeared in Canvas 119: Body Language
Entities
Artists
- Anhar Salem
- Majid Al-Remaihi
- Hamza Kashgari
- Muhannad Shono
- Joanna Chevalier
- Aram Abbas
Institutions
- Canvas
- Islamic Arts Biennale
- Bukhara Biennial
Locations
- Jeddah
- Saudi Arabia
- Indonesia
- Yemen
- Bukhara
- Uzbekistan
- Central Asia
- Middle East
- East Asia
- India