Alia Ali, geboren 1985 in Österreich, ist eine jemenitisch-bosnisch-amerikanische Multi-Media-Künstlerin. Sie stellt ihre Motive in lebhaft gemusterten traditionellen Textilien dar, um die vielschichtige globale Geschichte von Kolonialismus, Migration, Imperialismus und Krieg aufzuzeigen. Ihre eindrucksvollen Studioporträts verbergen die Identität der Porträtierten, die vollständig von diesen Stoffen verhüllt sind. Das bewegte Leben der Künstlerin, das sie in fast 70 Länder geführt hat, prägt ihr Interesse an der Erforschung der komplexen Herkunft globaler Textiltechniken wie Indigo- und Wachsfärbung. Ihre Serie "FLUX" (2019-21), die sich mit der Identitätspolitik und der kolonialen Geschichte von Wax-Print-Textilien befasst, wurde bereits vielfach ausgestellt, unter anderem in einer Einzelausstellung 2020 im New Orleans Museum of Art. Während die visuelle Anziehungskraft ihrer farbenprächtigen, rätselhaften Bilder sofort ins Auge springt, verfolgt Alia Ali in jeder Serie einen rigoros forschungsbasierten Ansatz . Ihre Werke, die den kulturellen Austausch und Aneignung im Laufe der Zeit darstellen, befinden sich in institutionellen Sammlungen wie dem British Museum, dem Princeton University Art Museum und dem Tucson Museum of Art sowie in zahlreichen bedeutenden Privat- und Unternehmenssammlungen.
Einzelausstellungen
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
BORDERLAND, Galerie Siniya 28, Marrakesch
+|-, Space Gallery, Portland, Maine, USA
BORDERLAND, Emery Arts Center, Farmington, Maine, USA
BORDERLAND, Galerie Peter Sillem, Frankfurt am Main
2015
REFLECT, Center for Government & International Studies Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
PROCESS, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
Gruppenausstellungen
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), Tokio, Japan
Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN Festival), Arts Canteen, London
I AM, Caravan Arts, National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman
I AM, Caravan Arts, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London
Ephemera Obscura, kuratiert von 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
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
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015, PhotoLONDON, Somerset House, London
Laboratoire de la Mondialité, KE’CH Collective, Marrakech Biennale 6, Marrakesch
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, Marrakesch
Yo, la peor de todas (Nan Goldin paradigma), Mondo Galeria, Madrid
2014
Féminin Pluriel: Haiti Project, Dar Bellarj, Marrakesch
I SPEAK IN IMAGE, Permanent virtual exhibition - http://ispeakinimage.com,(Tanzania/Kyrgyzstan/Mongolia/Nepal/India)
Künstlerresidenzen
2021-22
Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
2020-21
Roswell Artist Residency (RAIR), Roswell Arts Foundation, Roswell, New Mexico, USA
2017
Space Gallery, Portland, Maine, USA
Pico de Refigio Artist Residency, Riberia Grande, Azores, Portugal
2016
Indochina Arts Partnership,Hanoi
Paradise AiR, Matsudo, Japan
Obracadobra Artist Residency, Oaxaca, Mexiko
KE’CH Collective, Marrakesch
2015
Rising Artist Residency, Arts Connect International, New Orleans, USA
Le 18, Marrakesch
Preise und Stipendien
2017
Erster Platz, Emerging Artist Competition (US Jury)
Magenta Foundation, Toronto, Kanada Finalistin
Open Theme Award, judged by Loulou d’Aki, The Independent Photographer
Finalistin, Siena International Photography Awards, Siena
2016
Gold – Fine Art Category, Tokyo International Foto Awards 2016
Silber – Abstract Category, Tokyo International Foto Awards 2016
LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards 2016
Alice C. Cole ’42 Alumnae Award, Wellesley College
Top 3 Select Juror's Awards, Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards 2016
2015
Finalistin LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015
Finalistin, International Emerging Artist Awards Art Fair Dubai 2015
Rising Artist Award, Arts Connect International
2014
Travel & Documentary Photography Award, Colors of Saudi Arabia Forum
2009
Most Distinguished Artist Award, Wellesley College
Vorträge und Workshops
2017
Im Gespräch mit Joud Halawani al-Tamimi, Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN) Festival
Rich Mix, London
Speaking in Image, Workshop, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai
2016
Gespräch mit Nguyen Qui Duc, Tadioto, Hanoi
Vortrag, Heritage Space of Hanoi, Hanoi
People of Pattern, Workshop, Heritage Space of Hanoi, Hanoi
Vortrag, Paradise AiR, Matsudo, Japan
Vortrag, Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards, Kuala Lumpur
Vortrag, Obracadrobra Artist Residency, Oaxaca, Mexiko
2015
I SPEAK IN IMAGE, TED-Talk, TEDxMarrakesh
Into the Image, Vortrag & Workshop, Harvard University
2014
Vortrag, Colors of Saudi Arabia Forum
Vortrag, Diwan Artist Talk Series of Féminin Pluriel, Marrakesch, Marokko
Vortrag, Siddharta Art Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
“Can Biennials Expand and Democratize Culture?” Podiumsteilnehmerin, Biennial Foundation, Marrakesch
Mitgliedschaften
LensCulture
New Orleans Photo Alliance
Arts Connect International