Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim b. 1962
Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (b.1962) is part of the UAE's first generation of contemporary artists from the late 1980s, an avant-garde scene that included Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Hussein Sharif, and Mohammed Kazem. Ibrahim’s work has been inspired by a lifelong relationship with the environment of Khorfakkan, his place of birth, with the Gulf of Oman on one side and the Hajar Mountains on the other. This deep connection to his local environment repeats itself throughout his studio practice, whether through his installations, drawings or objects, and the materials he has worked with for over three decades. His hand made objects are shaped like primitive tools, bones or parts of trees and appear to have been unearthed from some ancient den, rather than handcrafted. His works on paper reveal his own form of language - inscriptions, lines and abstract forms that are reminiscent of ancient cave drawings - marking time and memory through meditative repetition.
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Pile of Bricks, 2002
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Khorfakkan, 2005
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Fruit basket , 2010
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Fruit basket , 2010
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Sitting Man, 2012
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Fruits , 2012
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Chair, 2012
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Mineral Water, 2013
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Sitting Man , 2013
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Lemon Tree, 2013
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Sitting Man, 2013
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Tomato Tree, 2013 TBC
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Green Apple Tree, 2013 tbc
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Animal 3, 2014
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Animal 1, 2014
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Animal 2, 2014
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Untitled, 2015
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Untitled , 2015
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Untitled , 2016
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Untitled , 2016
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Untitled , 2016
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Black form on white , 2016
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Untitled, 2017
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Untitled, 2017
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Tower 2, 2017
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Untitled , 2017
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Window bar 3, 2017
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Untitled , 2017
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Untitled , 2017
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Untitled, 2018
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Spike, 2018
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Bouquet 2, 2018
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One pink flower in a vase, 2018
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Sapling, 2018
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Robot 5, 2018
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Robot, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Dancer Contessa, 2020
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Lady Going to a Party in a Hurry, 2020
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Blue Boulevard, 2020
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Green Boulevard, 2020
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Pinky Boulevard, 2020
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3 Blue Flowers, 2020
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3 Yellow Flowers, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
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Untitled, 2020
Ibrahim came of age as an artist in the UAE in an era in which the visual arts were not yet valued culturally or taught in university degree programs. In 1986, when he met the late artist Hassan Sharif (a founding member of the influential Emirates Fine Art Society), Ibrahim was pulled out of a secluded practice and carved out unshakable friendships and collaborations that have formed the foundation for the creative community that defines the UAE today.
In March 2018 Elements, a survey of works spanning three decades of his practice, was presented at the Sharjah Art Foundation, curated by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi. Ibrahim's recent solo exhibitions include Memory Drum (2020) and The Space between the Eyelid and the Eyeball (2019) at Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai, as well as a series of solo shows at Cuadro Gallery, Dubai (2018, 2016, 2015, 2013).
Ibrahim’s public works include: Falling Stones Garden (2020), Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, commissioned by the Royal Commission for Al Ula and Desert X; Grocery (2019), Madinat Zayed Market, Abu Dhabi, UAE, commissioned by Ghadan 21, Government of Abu Dhabi as part of the For Abu Dhabi initiative; Untitled (2019), Reem Central Park, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, commissioned by Aldar Properties PJSC in partnership with Abu Dhabi Art; Kids' Garden (2019), Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE, commissioned by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company; and Bait Al Hurma (2018), Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah, commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation as part of the exhibition Elements.
Ibrahim's group exhibitions include participations in But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 at The NYUAD Art Gallery (2017); The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Yay Gallery, Baku (2015); the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi (2016); the 53rd Venice Biennale, Venice (2009); the Sharjah Biennial (1993, 2003 and 2007); and the Dhaka Biennial (2002 and 1993). Select institutional exhibitions include the Kunstmuseum, Bonn (2005); the Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah (2005 and 1996), the Ludwig Forum for International Art, Aachen (2002); Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris (1998); Sittard Art Centre, the Netherlands (1995), and the Exhibition for the Emirates Fine Art Society in the Soviet Union, Moscow (1990).
He received the first prize for sculpture at the Sharjah Biennial in 1999 and 2001 and has been a member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society since 1986, founding Art Atelier at the Khor Fakkan Art Centre in 1997. He has participated in artist residencies at Trans Indian Ocean Artist Exchange, Kochi Murzi Biennale, India (2016); A.i.R Dubai (2015); Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2009) and Kunstcentrum Sittard, the Netherlands (1994-1996, 1998-2000).
His works have been acquired by significant international collections, including Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah; Art Jameel Collection, Dubai; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Kunstcentrum Sittard, Sittard; The British Museum, London; and Le Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Ibrahim works and lives in Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates.
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Memory Drum
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim 19 Sep - 12 Nov 2020 GalleryMemory Drum is the second solo exhibition of Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (b.1962) at the gallery, comprising a series of new paintings and sculptures, produced during his time in isolation in...Read more -
Upsurge: Waves, Colour and Illusion
18 Mar - 1 Sep 2020 GalleryBringing together the diverse range of practices of a multi-generational group of artists - Mohamed Melehi (b.1936, Morocco), Mona Saudi (b.1945, Jordan), Hamra Abbas (b.1976, Kuwait), Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (b....Read more -
Materialize
Maliheh Afnan, Farhad Ahrarnia, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Asad Faulwell, Fathi Hassan, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Mona Saudi, Driss Ouadahi, Shahpour Pouyan 18 Mar - 7 Apr 2019 GalleryOpening 18 March in Warehouse 13 -a large space just across from its gallery within Alserkal Avenue- Lawrie Shabibi presents a major group exhibition to coincide with the 12th edition...Read more -
The Space Between the Eyelid and the Eyeball
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim 5 Mar - 9 May 2019 GalleryFor his solo exhibition and debut at the gallery, Khorfakkan-based artist, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim presents The Space Between the Eyelid and the Eyeball, comprising three bodies of work that span...Read more -
Elements
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim at Sharjah Art Foundation 16 Mar - 16 Jun 2018 MuseumsSharjah Art Foundation presents a survey of works by Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim in Gallery 3 at Al Mureijah Square. Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, the exhibition will feature...Read more -
Vernacular Automatisms
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim at Aicon Art, New YorkMohamed Ahmed Ibrahim's first virtual exhibition - Vernacular Automatisms - is now live. Presented by New York-based Aicon Art Gallery, the two-artist show is curated by Murtaza Vali and features...Read more
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The Sun Never Sets: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim’s Landscapes of Light
Evan Moffitt, Frieze.com, June 1, 2019 -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim in Gulf News: The Pioneers of Contemporary Art in the UAE
Jyoti Kalsi, Gulf News, April 24, 2019 -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim - Art Forum Critics' Picks
Rahel Aima, Art Forum, April 17, 2019 -
An Artist Meditation: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Anna Seaman , Folio, March 15, 2019 -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim in Selections
Selections, December 1, 2018 -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim in Harper's Bazaar Art Arabia
Anna Seaman, Harper's Bazaar Art Arabia, June 18, 2018
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Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Memory Drum Exhibition at Lawrie Shabibi September 30, 2020 -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim in Conversation with Maya Allison
September 28, 2020Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim speaks with Maya Allison (Executive Director of The NYUAD Art Gallery and Chief Curator of NYUAD) about his process, the...Read more -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 September 20, 2020This interview was conducted as part of the extensive research leading to the exhibition 'But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008',...Read more -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Art Dubai Portraits March 1, 2020Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim talks about his practice and what it means to be an artist in the UAE.Read more -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
For Abu Dhabi Comission February 9, 2020This short film features a largescale public mural by Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. Entitled Grocerry (2019), the work was realized at Madinat Zayed Market...Read more -
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Meet the Artist April 3, 2019Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim talks about the different mediums he works in and the time he spent working on his colourful “Sitting Man” series....Read more