Tamara Al Samerraei's 'Promise You Made' at Marfa’ Projects
At Marfa’ Projects, Tamara Al Samerraei unveils her latest collection, 'Promise You Made', which explores both familiar and uncharted territories, including the realm of painting itself. Central to the exhibition is her Black Book series, created from photographic records of a watercolor diary maintained from 2020 to 2022—a time characterized by solitude, sorrow, and healing. Photography plays a crucial role in her artistic journey, enabling her to reconnect with painting and locations she had to leave behind. The showcased spaces, such as her studio walls, reflect remnants of a previous life and a fragile workspace, termed 'evidence of work and the evidence of life'. Additionally, Al Samerraei revisits earlier figurative works, highlighting recent voids. The pieces examine her connection to her art, the interplay between photography and painting, and the dynamics of experience versus reproduction. Through re-staging and re-composition, she uncovers a landscape devoid of human interaction. A painting of her studio's exterior, once a sanctuary, is paired with 'Soupir' (2020), a solo piano composition by musician Jana Saleh, serving as a tribute to a period of recovery.
Key facts
- Tamara Al Samerraei's exhibition 'Promise You Made' is at Marfa’ Projects.
- The exhibition includes the Black Book series, based on a diary of watercolor drawings from 2020-2022.
- The period 2020-2022 involved isolation, heartbreak, and recovery.
- Photography is key to Al Samerraei's practice, used to return to painting and past spaces.
- Al Samerraei depicts studio walls as 'evidence of work and the evidence of life'.
- She revisits older paintings about figuration and absence.
- The works explore relations between artist and work, photography and painting, experience and reproduction.
- Jana Saleh's piano piece 'Soupir' (2020) accompanies a painting of the studio exterior.
Entities
Artists
- Tamara Al Samerraei
- Jana Saleh
Institutions
- Marfa’ Projects