Fatma Al Ali's Playful Reclamation of UAE History Through Multidisciplinary Art
Fatma Al Ali takes a clever and varied approach to explore the UAE's past. Her exhibition, Once Upon a Pirate Coast, which will be displayed at Abu Dhabi Art in 2024, is divided into three segments. The first, Of Ships, Sails and Misguided Labels, critiques British military actions against Ras Al Khaimah. The second, I Picked up a Coin and Heard a Whisper, features an installation of coins with audio that challenges traditional narratives. The final part, I Read Their Words, but I Heard my Own, contrasts articles from Arab and British newspapers about the region's history. Al Ali’s research relies on the National Archive and oral histories. Other notable works include It's not easy to persuade Arabs to do this (2023) and My Mother Told Me Not To Collect Bricks (2020).
Key facts
- Fatma Al Ali presented Once Upon a Pirate Coast (2024) at Abu Dhabi Art
- The installation includes three works examining British colonial history in the UAE
- Al Ali uses archival research from the National Archive and British Newspaper Archive
- Her work incorporates oral histories from family members to contrast colonial narratives
- It's not easy to persuade Arabs to do this (2023) addresses colonial agricultural influences
- My Mother Told Me Not To Collect Bricks (2020) explores personal and social norms
- The artist employs playful, satirical tones to make history accessible to Emirati youth
- Al Ali's practice combines sculpture, video, text, and audio to reclaim historical narratives
Entities
Artists
- Fatma Al Ali
Institutions
- Abu Dhabi Art
- National Archive
- British Newspaper Archive
- Canvas
Locations
- UAE
- Abu Dhabi
- Ras Al Khaimah