Jameel Arts Centre exhibition 'The Distance from Here' explores migration and liminal spaces in Dubai

A group exhibition titled 'The Distance from Here' at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai examines themes of migration, displacement, and liminal spaces through diverse artistic practices. Running from 8 September to 22 January 2022, the show features works by multiple artists including Anup Mathew Thomas, whose 'Nurses' (2014) presents 48 color photographs of healthcare workers in various landscapes, documenting migration routes from Kerala to Gulf states. Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige contribute 'A Letter Can Always Reach its Destination' (2012), featuring amateur actors performing spam emails that reveal economic anxieties. Sreshta Rit Premnath presents works linking Bangladeshi rose sellers in Rome with Polish conceptualist André Cadere, including 'Recto/Verso' (2017) and 'The Law of Identity' series (2017). Mona Ayyash's newly commissioned video 'Folding Bellies' (2020) shows movement exercises with repetitive gestures, while Hrair Sarkissian's 'Background' (2013) explores fading studio portraiture traditions. The exhibition also references earlier installations at the center, including Hiwa K's concrete staircase with a bed and antenna in the courtyard, and Do Ho Suh's 'Staircase-V' (2008), a gossamer recreation connecting his New York apartment to his landlord's. These works collectively address what novelist Deepak Unnikrishnan terms 'temporary people' in Gulf migration contexts, creating what the review describes as subtle metaphors for Dubai's transient nature.