Farah Al Qasimi's 'Hello Future' Photobook-Monograph Critiques Consumerism with Maximalist Imagery

The publication 'Hello Future' by Emirati photographer Farah Al Qasimi, released through Capricious, offers a critique of consumer culture with its striking visual style. The book showcases a variety of subjects, including jelly cakes, perfume bottles, Gatorade, and artificial flowers. Its dustjacket features 'Lunch' (2018), enabling the rearrangement of objects as stickers. In a conversation with artist Meriem Bennani, Al Qasimi delves into themes like Islamic calligraphy and her experiences growing up between Emirati and American cultures, referring to her artistic approach as 'seasickness.' The work juxtaposes stark moments, such as figures hidden by hookah smoke, with serene interactions, including two men greeting. The central section is highlighted by blue monotone images, beginning with a storefront named 'Hello Future' and concluding with a still from 'The Legend of Snow White' (1994).