Biography
In her SB9 project Smile, you're in Sharjah, Mariam Ghani studies the patterns and rhythms of human movement in the shared spaces of the city. Occasionally Ghani and Erin Ellen will intervene to highlight certain aspects of this social choreography but the final result is a work that gives a sense of the currents and connectivity underpinning and sustaining the life of Sharjah.
Ghani’s work was screened and exhibited internationally and some projects such as Kabul: Partial Reconstructions (2002-07) and Index of the Disappeared (2004-ongoing), span several years. Her work has been shown widely in exhibitions and screenings including at Futura, Prague, Czech Republic (2010); CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, New York (2010); Momenta Art, Brooklyn (2010); Beijing Biennial (2009); Sharjah Biennial (2009); Creative Time, New York (2008); National Gallery, Washington, DC (2008) and Tate Modern, London (2007).
Ghani has a BA in Comparative Literature from NYU (2000) and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York (2002). She teaches at Cooper Union and in the Art and Public Policy programme at NYU. She has been awarded the NYFA and Soros New Americans Fellowships as well as numerous grants and residencies in the USA and Europe, most recently the LMCC Swing Space Residency, Governors Island, (2010).
October 2010
This person was part of Sharjah Biennials 9 and 10
Related
The Trespassers
For The Trespassers, Mariam Ghani hired Afghan-Americans who had previously worked as translators for the US military in Afghanistan, translating documents related to US military prisons in Afghanistan.
Sharjah Biennial 10: Plot for a Biennial
Accompanying and complementing the main premise of Sharjah Biennial 10, Plot for a Biennial explores the concept of a ‘conversation’ through printed matter.