Aliyah Alawadhi

Aliyah Alawadhi (b.1996, UAE) is an artist, writer and curator. 

Based in Abu Dhabi, she uses her works to examine the subtleties of growing up in an environment of constant cultural and industrial flux. These influences are communicated through themes of nostalgia, gender, mysticism, globalization and internet culture. 

Portrait by Mariam Alkatheeri.

Aliyah Alawadhi, by Océane Sailly

Aliyah Alawadhi's artistic universe is an expansive and uncanny world made of glitches and pastel colors, saturated with Khaleeji cultural references along hijacks of art history, inhabited by hyper-feminized women with exaggerated, bizarre features performing alternatively mundane and surreal acts, a world in which nostalgia cohabits with satire to better grasp the intricacies of the artist's childhood and early adulthood in the United Arab Emirates. 

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Aliyah Alawadhi (b.1996, UAE) received her BFA in Animation Design with a Minor in Curatorial Practices from Zayed University in 2020.

She was an editor and member of the Banat Collective, a grassroots project aimed at representing femme-centered artistry in the MENA region and was a chosen member of the 2020 Youth Assembly courtesy of Art Jameel, culminating in the Youth Takeover event hosted by the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. She was also one of the participating artists for the 101 initiative's inaugural sale, "Outside In, Inside Out" (2020) at Bait 15 curated by Munira Al Sayegh and Ghaith Abdulla, to promote non-gallery represented artists. She was also a fellow in the 8th cohort of the Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design.

Aliyah Alawadhi has appeared in several exhibitions locally and internationally, including "This lark sips at every pond" (2021) at Maisan15 in Dubai, "The Disappearing Art Show" (2021) at Alserkal Avenue, "Ybna Al3eid" (2022) at Bayt Al Mamzar in Dubai and the inaugural Banat Collective-curated exhibition “As We Gaze Upon Her” (2021-22) at Warehouse 421 as well as “East-East Vol. 4: The Curio Shop” (2021) held at HB Nezu in Tokyo. 

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Maisan 15, glitched iPhone video Maisan 15, Dubai, UAE. “This lark sips at every pond: women as artist and muse”, 03/02-04/04, 2021. Image courtesy of Sara Daher

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In the press

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  • (Selection Arts) Boundless/Binding

    (Selection Arts) Boundless/Binding

    Emergeast teamed up with LA’s Subliminal Projects gallery for ‘Boundless/Binding’, an exhibition spotlighting globally-based Middle Eastern female artists. In a time of significant regional shifts, the showcase becomes a hub...

    (Selection Arts) Boundless/Binding

    Emergeast teamed up with LA’s Subliminal Projects gallery for ‘Boundless/Binding’, an exhibition spotlighting globally-based Middle Eastern female artists. In a time of significant regional shifts, the showcase becomes a hub...

  • (Hyperallergic) 10 Shows to See in Los Angeles This March

    (Hyperallergic) 10 Shows to See in Los Angeles ...

    Just as LA celebrates its annual fair week, the pinnacle of the commercial art ecosystem, several shows across the city take a different approach, offering alternative creative visions and celebrating...

    (Hyperallergic) 10 Shows to See in Los Angeles ...

    Just as LA celebrates its annual fair week, the pinnacle of the commercial art ecosystem, several shows across the city take a different approach, offering alternative creative visions and celebrating...

  • (Juxtapoz Magazine) Subliminal Projects Presents "Boundless/Binding" with Emergeast to Focus on Middle Eastern Female Artists

    (Juxtapoz Magazine) Subliminal Projects Present...

    Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles // February 17, 2024 - March 30, 2024 Subliminal Projects is pleased to present Boundless/Binding, a group exhibition presenting works by globally-based Middle Eastern female artists, curated in collaboration with Emergeast,...

    (Juxtapoz Magazine) Subliminal Projects Present...

    Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles // February 17, 2024 - March 30, 2024 Subliminal Projects is pleased to present Boundless/Binding, a group exhibition presenting works by globally-based Middle Eastern female artists, curated in collaboration with Emergeast,...

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