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Farah Abdessamad

Farah Abdessamad

Abdessamad

Farah Abdessamad is a New York City-based essayist/critic, from France and Tunisia.

Follow her on Twitter: @farahstlouis

Despite aiming to advance decolonial discourses and challenge power structures in the art world, the 12th Berlin Biennale continued to alienate local voices in favour of tokenisation and fetishisation, writes Farah Abdessamad.

22 August, 2022

The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there. At the turn of the 20th century, many Syrians came to settle in New York, spawning a thriving community. But what was a burgeoning community has been largely forgotten, until now.

26 May, 2022

The Beyond King Tut show soon to open in the US, is the latest expression of orientalism. The West is more interested in Egypt’s dead mummies than the living masses being criminalised for daring to search for a better life, writes Farah Abdessamad.

24 May, 2022

Inimitable Algerian artist Rachid Koraïchi's latest exhibition Le Chant de l’Ardent Désir is a transcendental and hypnotic experience that compels the viewer into examining our shared experiences of loss, longing, human suffering and dignity.

10 March, 2022

Film Review: Three Songs for Benazir is a touching account of Afghan lives amidst division and occupation. Available now on Netflix, the short-form documentary ensures we remember those lives changed beyond repair.

04 February, 2022

Much of Hrair Sarkissian's art is heavily influenced by his Syrian-Armenian roots. An expression of intergenerational trauma and contemporary uncertainty, Sarkissian's latest exhibition at the Sharjah Art Foundation is a must-see.

23 December, 2021

Putting pen to paper and brush to canvas, Etel Adnan's influence in the Arab world cannot be understated. Tackling themes of displacement and exile, her career epitomises Arab creative brilliance within a Western-centric art establishment.

02 December, 2021

Adnan Samman's latest exhibition at the P21 Gallery in London offers a unique window into the cultural ambiguity of Islamic art, and how, in an environment of appropriation and fetishisation, we can redefine our own tales.

16 November, 2021