Alia Ali (Austria, 1985) is a Yemeni-Bosnian-American multi-media artist. She depicts her subjects in vividly patterned traditional textiles to reveal layered global histories of colonialism, migration, imperialism, and war. Her striking studio portraits conceal the identities of subjects entirely covered by these fabrics. The artist’s peripatetic life, which has brought her to nearly 70 countries, informs her interest in excavating and tracing the complex provenance of global textile techniques like indigo- and wax-resistant dyeing. Her series “FLUX” (2019–21), which considers the identity politics and colonial histories of wax-print textiles, has been widely exhibited, including in a 2020 solo exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art. While the visual appeal of her richly colored, enigmatic images registers immediately, Ali applies a rigorous research-based approach to every series. Her works, which present cultural exchanges and thefts across time, are in the collections of institutions including the British Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Tucson Museum of Art.
Solo Exhibitions
2022
Al-Falak, Arab American National Museum, work commissioned by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Dearborn, Michigan, USA (forthcoming)
حب (ḥub) // LOVE, curated by Rebecca McGrew, Benton Museum of Art, Claremont, CA
النجم الأحمر // The Red Star, FOTO WIEN 2022, Vienna, Austria (forthcoming)
WARP, Foto Relevance, Houston, TX, USA (forthcoming)
FLUX, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona, USA (forthcoming)
2021
Mot(if), 193 Gallery, Paris, France
FLOW, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Frankfurt, Germany
Vocal Motifs, Contour Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands (forthcoming)
Art BASEL Miami Beach, Artsy, Foto Relevance, Galerie Peter Sillem and 193 Gallery, Miami, FL
CONTEXT Art Miami, 193 Gallery, Miami, FL (forthcoming)
Cartographies of Pattern, Foto Relevance, Houston, Texas, USA
Patterned Paradigms, Octavia Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
FLUX & MIGRATION, Photo London Art Fair, Galerie Peter Sillem, London, UK
MIGRATION, PhotoBasel Art Fair, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Basel, Switzerland
MIGRATION, ArtParis Art Fair, 193 Gallery, Paris, France
FLUX, UNSEEN, Contour Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
INDIGO, DeKunstRAI Art Fair, Contour Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Refracted Futures, curated by Aubrey Hobart, Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, New Mexico, USA
FLUX, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2020
Project Series 53: ALIA ALI, Benton Museum of Art, Claremont, California, USA
Indigo, Intersect Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
FLUX, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
FLUX, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Photo London, London, United Kingdom
FLUX, Intersect Aspen, Aspen, Colorado, USA
Hommage, Galerie Siniya 28, Marrakech, Morocco
2019
FLUX, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Frankfurt, Germany
ALIA ALI, Galerie Siniya 28, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, El Fenn, Marrakech, Morocco
ALIA ALI, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, art KARLSRUHE, Karlsruhe, Germany
BORDERLAND, Galerie—Peter Sillem, Photo London, London, United Kingdom
UNDER THREAD, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA
FLUX, Galerie Siniya 28, Marrakech, Morocco
2018
BORDERLAND, East of West Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
BORDERLAND, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
BORDERLAND, Dana Hall, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
2017
BORDERLAND, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
BORDERLAND, Mondo Galeria, Madrid, Spain
BORDERLAND, Galerie Siniya 28, Marrakech, Morocco
+|-, Space Gallery, Portland, Maine, USA
BORDERLAND, Emery Arts Center, Farmington, Maine, USA
BORDERLAND, Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Frankfurt, Germany
2015
REFLECT, Center for Government & International Studies Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
PROCESS, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
Group Exhibitions
2021
Woven, curated by Yas Lime, Eastside Projects, Birmingham, UK (November)
BORDERLAND, Intersect 21 Palm Springs, California, USA
Reflections: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa, British Museum, London, UK
Conflict is More Profitable Than Peace and مهجر // Mahjar, FotoWien, Kunst Haus Wien, Museum HundertWasser, Vienna, Austria (postponed to 2022)
2020
Phantoms, Ruins, and Reflections: Contemporary Art from Yemen, curated by Sama'a Alhamdani, European Union High Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Billboard Creative 2020, Los Angeles, California, USA
2019
Modest Fashion, curated by Rajae El Mouhandiz and Alexandra van Dongen, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, The Netherlands
Text Comes from Textile, Currents Multi Media Festival, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
...from the dry wind we hear an echo, curated by Julie Cabral & Christina Niazian. SWANA Collective, Santa Clarita, California, USA
2018
Something Else, Off Biennale Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Tribe: Contemporary Photography from the Arab World, Katzen Museum, American University, Washington D.C., USA
I AM, Caravan Arts, St. Paul's Cathedral, Burlington, Vermont, USA
Whether Weather, True False Film & Art Festival, Columbia, Missouri, USA
I AM, Caravan Arts, Vanderbuilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
I AM, Caravan Arts, Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
2017
Tokyo International Foto Awards Exhibition (TIFA), Tokyo, Japan
Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN Festival), Arts Canteen, London, United Kingdom
I AM, Caravan Arts, National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan
I AM, Caravan Arts, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom
Ephemera Obscura curated by Aaron Levi Garvey, Group Show, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Alice C. Cole Alumnae Exhibition, Wellesley College, USA
I AM, Caravan Arts, Katzen Arts Center (American University), Washington D.C., USA
2016
Limitless ’n Infinite, Heritage Space, Hanoi, Vietnam
Red, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Masks, SE Center of Photography, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Collector’s Favorites, ROSEGALLERY, Los Angeles, California, USA
Stillness & Distance, Kuala Lumpur International Photo Festival, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015, PhotoLONDON, Somerset House, London, UK
Laboratoire de la Mondialité, KE’CH Collective, Marrakech Biennale 6, Marrakech, Morocco
2015
Currents 2015, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Shades of Inclusion, Open Door Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
+91, Le Dix Huit Espace d’Art, Marrakech, Morocco
Yo, la peor de todas (Nan Goldin paradigma), Mondo Galeria, Madrid, Spain
2014
Féminin Pluriel: Haiti Project, Dar Bellarj, Marrakech, Morocco
I SPEAK IN IMAGE, Permanent virtual exhibition - http://ispeakinimage.com,(Tanzania/Kyrgyzstan/Mongolia/Nepal/India)
Residencies
2017
Space Gallery, Portland, Maine, USA
Pico de Refigio Artist Residency, Riberia Grande, Azores, Portugal
2016
Indochina Arts Partnership, Hanoi, Vietnam
Paradise AiR, Matsudo, Japan
Obracadobra Artist Residency, Oaxaca, Mexico
KE’CH Collective, Marrakech, Morocco
2015
Rising Artist Residency, Arts Connect International, New Orleans, USA
Le 18, Marrakech, Morocco
Awards & Grants
2017
Winner, Emerging Artist Competition (US Jury), Magenta Foundation, Toronto, Canada
Finalist, Open Theme Award Judged by Loulou d’Aki. The Independent Photographer
Finalist, Siena International Photography Awards, Sienna, Italy
2016
Winner (Gold - Fine Art Category), Tokyo International Foto Awards 2016
Winner (Silver - Abstract Category), Tokyo International Foto Awards 2016
Winner, LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards 2016
Winner, Alice C. Cole ’42 Alumnae Award, Wellesley College
Winner, Top 3 Select Juror's Awards, Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards 2016
Finalist, International Emerging Artist Awards Art Fair Dubai ’16
2015
Finalist, LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015
Rising Artist Award, Arts Connect International
2014
Travel & Documentary Photography Award, Colors of Saudi Forum under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Ben Selman
2009
Most Distinguished Artist Award, Wellesley College
Lecturas / Workshops
2017
In dialogue with Joud Halawani al-Tamimi, Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN) Festival, Rich Mix, London, United Kingdom
Speaking in Image, Workshop, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2016
Conversation with Nguyen Qui Duc, Tadioto, Hanoi, Vietnam
Artist Talk, Heritage Space of Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
People of Pattern, Workshop, Heritage Space of Hanoi, Vietnam
Artist Talk, Paradise AiR, Matsudo, Japan
Artist Talk, Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Artist Talk, Obracadrobra Artist Residency, Oaxaca, Mexico
2015
I SPEAK IN IMAGE, Speaker, TEDxMarrakeshInto the Image, Speaker & Workshop, Harvard University
2014
Speaker & Panelist, Colors of Saudi Arabia Forum
Speaker, Diwan Artist Talk Series of Féminin Pluriel, Marrakech, Morocco
Speaker, Siddharta Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
“Can Biennials Expand and Democratize Culture?” Panelist, Biennial Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco
Groups
Member, LensCulture
Member, New Orleans Photo Alliance
Artist Leader, Arts Connect International