Seham: Almaha Jaralla

Seham is the solo exhibition of emerging Emirati artist, Almaha Jaralla. Jaralla’s mixed media works on canvas pioneer new notions of the conventional portrait. For Jaralla, architecture is, for example, a concrete portrait of a society, one that offers her endless sources of inspiration. For her first solo exhibition at Tabari Artspace, Almaha Jaralla invites the audience to join her on a journey through Abu Dhabi’s constructed and social worlds from the 1980s until the present day. 

For Seham, the visual artist has produced a series of mixed media works on canvas that depart from the artist’s own archival family portraits taken in Abu Dhabi during the 1980s. Jaralla understands these intimate portraits as a window into the essence of the city during a period of rapid social and physical transformation in the Gulf. Jaralla's work highlights the fashions and familial dynamics of that era, a moment when parks and beaches were key physical spaces that shaped the community, and when large family outings were commonplace. The artist suggests that the pre-digital era was a time when in-person contact, time spent as a collective and inter-generational bonds were more prolific then the individualism that she witnesses today. Jaralla’s work establishes a sense of connection to the past while foregrounding the dramatic evolution of the city that she inhabits today.

Jaralla’s oil paintings are loaded upon unconventional canvases that the artist has fashioned from traditional men's garments referred to as Maawaz. The designs originate from Aden and materialise the artist’s desire to foreground the cultural and historical value of Yemeni heritage. The patterns and textures of the Maawaz contribute an unexpected visual element to Jaralla’s paintings and establish a dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity.

In addition to the 2-dimensional works on display the gallery space will be transformed into an immersive setting where visitors might sit and contemplate the significant shifts that have impacted the region over the decades.