Sarah Abu Abdallah

Biography

Through references to gender roles and the female experience, Sarah Abu Abdallah's work explores issues of obscurity and value, probing the social and cultural conditions of contemporary Saudi Arabia.

Abu Abdallah’s work has been exhibited at numerous international venues, including Kunstverein, Hamburg (2019); Gwangju Biennial, South Korea (2018); Athr Gallery, Jeddah (2017); Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, US (2016); Gonzo Gallery, Aspen (2016); Station Museum, Texas (2016); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2015); Middle East Institute, Washington (2014); Rothko Chapel, Texas (2014); 55th Venice Biennale (2013); Alāan Artspace, Riyadh (2012); Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (2010); and the Tenri Cultural Institute, New York (2009).

Abu Abdallah was awarded the Commission for the Biennale of Moving Image from Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Switzerland (2018) and Sharjah Art Foundation Production Programme grant (2016). She was a shortlisted artist for Abraaj Group Art Prize, Dubai (2017). She completed residencies at Arts Initiative, Tokyo (2017); Production Programme Residency, Sharjah Art Foundation (2017); Creative Exchange Lab, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Oregon (2017) and This Time with FEELing, White Building, London (2016).

Initially trained as a painter, she was later attracted to the documentary capacities of the camera as well as the possibilities inherent in video and performance, and she now creates works in multiple media. Abu Abdallah earned a BFA from the University of Sharjah (2011) and a Master of Arts in Digital Media degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island (2015).
Abu Abdallah was born in 1990 in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, where she continues to live and work.

SAF participation:
Sharjah Film Platform (December 2019)
Sharjah Biennial 11