Afra Al Dhaheri, an Emirati artist, draws inspiration from her upbringing in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, exploring various mediums in her artistic practice. Her work encompasses mixed media, sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, photography, and printmaking. Al Dhaheri’s art delves into themes of time, adaptation, rigour, and fragility.
Born in 1988 in Abu Dhabi, Afra Al Dhaheri completed her MFA at Rhode Island School of Design in 2017. She participated in residencies with The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design in 2014, as well as Porthmeor Studios in St. Ives, Cornwall, UK, in 2019. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor in Visual Arts at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, Al Dhaheri’s creative vocabulary shapes her approach to each experiment, with repetition playing a pivotal role in extending time and fully realizing each stage of her work.
Al Dhaheri’s artistic journey has seen her present solo exhibitions such as “Split Ends” at the Green Art Gallery in Dubai, UAE (2021) and “Inevitable Ephemera” at the T + H Gallery in Boston, USA (2016). Her art has also been featured in notable group exhibitions, including “Beyond: Emerging Artists” at Cromwell Place in London, UK (2021), “Conscious Becoming” at Tatjana Pieters in Ghent, Belgium (2021), and “Beyond: Emerging Artists” at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, UAE (2020). Additional exhibitions showcasing her talent include “From Within” in Riyadh, KSA (2019), “Avoid Bad Dreams” at the Green Art Gallery in Dubai, UAE (2019), “Barcelona to Abu Dhabi” at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, UAE (2018), and “Emirati Expressions” at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, UAE (2011 and 2015).
Afra Al Dhaheri’s artistry reflects her unique perspective as an Emirati artist, blending diverse mediums to express her exploration of time, adaptation, and the delicate balance between rigour and fragility. Her contributions to the art world showcased through solo and group exhibitions, have established her as a prominent figure in the contemporary art scene.
