Bio | Statement

Sarah Almehairi, born in 1998, is a practicing artist from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and an Art and Art History major at New York University Abu Dhabi, class of 2019. Al Mehairi expresses herself in different mediums, including mixed media, sculpture, painting, book art, and fiber art. Her art explores the themes of identity, language, materiality and memory through narrative work as well as abstraction. Al Mehairi also authors poetry that inspire and are incorporated in her artwork. Her works challenge conventional modes of artistic production and questions the cultural and social constructs of traditional artistic practices. She has worked with Shoofi Art Calendar, interned with Abu Dhabi Art and the NYUAD Art Gallery. Al Mehairi has been a part of the 2019 Youth Takeover group show at Jameel Arts Centre, Tashkeel’s 2019 group exhibition “Play”, exhibited at the CultureSummit Abu Dhabi 2018, the 35th Annual Emirates Fine Art Society Exhibition in 2018, and exhibited her final capstone solo show in NYUAD’s Project Space titled “Between”.

“A thread is pulled through to make a mark. Time and time again the motion continues to complete a whole. With this, with every thread, a part of a story is being told. My art practice occurs at the intersection of narrative and abstraction. I explore ideas of place by looking at locations directly connected to my identity but know least about, while also engaging with geometric shapes, materials and form. New compositions–maps–are created, fitting shapes, making a place, “piecing” an identity. Through the process, moments of unfolding and repositioning take place, order is imposed and language asserts a structure. As a result, these elements towards telling a story is not so explicit, it is one exploring the push and pull of concealing and revealing.

Through this, I have gained inspiration and access to my inherited heritage. I use family archives of photos, recipes, and letters to ask questions; to find a way to position myself between it all. My artwork is mainly 2D, using fabric and paper, with subtle sculptural elements. I work with a restricted neutral color palette, and language, to lend structure to this investigation. My work fluctuates between image and poetry, narrative and abstract. Elements of lines and layers are used throughout my pieces to explore clarity and organization. The threads are used in an attempt to tie it all together.”