Sarah Abu Abdallah’s (b.1990 in Qatif, KSA; lives and works in Riyadh) work challenges the impossible by piecing together improbable elements and connections as a gesture of hope and outlet for new narratives through video, installation, poetry, images and conversations. Initially trained as a painter, Abu Abdallah was later attracted to the documentary capacities of the camera, as well as the possibilities inherent in video and performance, leading her to create multimedia works. Through references to gender roles and the female experience, she explores issues of obscurity and value, probing the social and cultural conditions of contemporary Saudi Arabia.
Abu Abdallah earned a Masters in Digital Media Art Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, USA, and BFA from The College of Art and Design at the University of Sharjah.
Her most recent solo show was For the First Time in a Long Time, at the Kunstverein in Hamburg and Art Jameel, Dubai (2019). Her work has been shown in Al Obour, Jeddah Arts (2019); Gwangju Biennial, South Korea; Do it Arabic, Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE (2018); Fluidity at Kunstverein in Hamburg, Germany (2016); Co-Workers, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (2015-16); Prospectif Cinéma/Filter Bubble at Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Chicago Underground Film Festival, USA and Luma Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland (2015); Sharjah Biennial 11 (2013); Serpentine Galleries 89plus Marathons, London, UK; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Rhizoma at the 55th Venice Biennale, Italy (2013); amongst others.
She is the recipient of the Sharjah Art Foundation production grant (2016) in collaboration with Josh Bitelli for their project To Gaze at Ten Suns Shining. And was shortlisted for Abraaj Group Art Prize in 2017.