Women’s Art Shaping New Realities: Fictional Landscapes Exhibit in the Heart of Dubai
By Islam Salah Eldin
The Fictional Landscapes exhibition is a bold and visionary art showcase that explores the powerful connections between landscapes, identity, and resilience through the lens of 28 female artists from across the globe.
Running from November 9 to December 15, 2024, at Foundry Downtown Dubai, this exhibition offers a platform for diverse artistic voices to reflect on the world’s changing landscapes, both physical and emotional.
What Is Fictional Landscapes?
Curated by Nadine Khalil, Alisa Bagdonaite, and Serafima Kostrova, Fictional Landscapes brings together artists from countries including the UAE, Russia, Iran, Armenia, India, Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Iceland, and the US.
The exhibition is a celebration of womanhood, resilience, and beauty, reimagining traditional concepts of space and place while challenging the boundaries of both art and culture.
The exhibition seeks to amplify the voices of women artists—who have historically been underrepresented—and showcase their unique perspectives on the world around them.
It also serves as a statement for equity and representation in the global art market, highlighting the persistent challenges women face in achieving recognition in contemporary art.
What to Expect
Through a range of media—painting, video, textile, and performance—the artists use the theme of landscape to address broader social issues like migration, patriarchal violence, gender dynamics, and political realities.
They explore how the environment extends beyond physical terrains to represent mental spaces, memory, and identity. Plus, they showcase the intersection of natural and man-made landscapes in ways that transcend traditional geographic and political boundaries.
Participating Artists
The exhibition features 28 female artists, each contributing their distinctive voice and artistic approach. Here are some of the key participants:
Anna Komarova (Russia)
A graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School, Anna Komarova’s works explore the relationship between humans and the environment, focusing on themes like memory, death, and the collision between the natural and man-made. She creates installations, objects, and digital art.
Maryam Ashkanian (Iran)
Maryam Ashkanian is an artist known for exploring themes of identity and gender through painting, graphic design, and textiles. She holds a BA in Painting from Gilan University and has exhibited widely, including solo shows at the Etemad Art Gallery in Tehran.
Vasilisa Palianina (Belarus)
Vasilisa Palianina uses mythology, sexual identity, and gender politics to explore human and animal natures. She works in graphics, installation, and performance art.
Richi Bhatia (India)
Richi Bhatia is an Indian artist based in the UAE whose work explores the intersection of the intimate and the imagined, blending effeminate qualities with a sense of vulnerability.
Her tactile sculptures, often rooted in personal experiences, draw from domestic spaces, like her mother’s kitchen, to reflect on themes of materiality, dependency, and time.
Other artists featured in the exhibition include Anna Afonina, Almagul Menlibayeva, and Irina Nakhova, to name a few. Each artist brings a unique perspective, enriching the exhibition’s narrative and creating a dynamic environment where visitors can engage with thought-provoking and diverse artistic expressions.
Fictional Landscapes: A Journey Through Art and Identity
Fictional Landscapes is not just an art exhibition; it’s a vital conversation about visibility, representation, and the need to reconsider the landscapes we inhabit—both physically and metaphorically. Don’t miss the chance to experience this transformative exhibition in Dubai this fall.
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