In her poetic photographs of often empty, quiet interiors from across Emirati society, Lamya Gargash explores the shifts in tradition and culture that have occurred alongside rapid economic growth in the region.
Read MoreLamya Gargash gained early recognition with Wet Tiles (2003)—a short experimental film about two women and an arranged marriage—while studying at American University of Sharjah. The work was exhibited in a number of international film festivals, including the Arab Film Festival, Paris; Dubai International Film Festival; and the Osaka Asian Film Festival.
After completing her undergraduate studies, Lamya Gargash moved to London to attend Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. When she received her master's degree in 2007, her home city of Dubai was at the height of its development with a culture of people constantly moving into new homes and demolishing old ones. These abandoned or soon-to-be-vacated houses became the subject of her photographic series 'Presence' (2006–2007), which suggests varying degrees of human presence or absence through the organisation of interiors. In one photograph, for example, the television is still on and the curtains are drawn back, while the room in another is dimly lit and empty save for a lone sofa.
Lamya Gargash further claimed critical attention with her interior photographs that examine the psychological relationship between space and humans. 'Familial', which was shown at the UAE's first national participation in the Venice Biennale in 2009, consists of images of one-star hotels in Dubai. In some of the guest rooms, the artist placed her family's pictures to consider how unfamiliar spaces might be intimate.
In 2009 Gargash also participated in Sharjah Biennial 9, where she presented 'Majlis' (2008–2009). The series captures the meeting of tradition and modernity by photographing the reception rooms in Emirati houses, where traditional wall hangings contrast with relatively new additions such as televisions and sofas.
'Through the Looking Glass' (2012) is an exception to Lamya Gargash's work, which is usually devoid of people. Also the title of her 2012 solo exhibition at The Third Line, Dubai, the series comprises diptych portraits of young men and women. One shows the subject as the camera sees them, while the other reflects how they perceive themselves by adding a prosthesis to exaggerate the feature they most dislike about their bodies. Through the contrasting two portraits, Gargash alludes to the impossible standard of physical perfection that contemporary society demands of its members and how they are compelled to make efforts to conform.
Lamya Gargash's fascination with finding beauty in the mundane is evident in two later solo presentations at The Third Line. Traces (2014) included photographs of spaces that were of personal significance to her, such as the interior of her grandfather's home before it was demolished. Sahwa(2020), which means 'awakening' or 'rebirth' in Arabic, saw the artist capture ancient objects in the conservator's room at the Al Ain Museum in Abu Dhabi. Rendered in black and white or colour, the photographs imbue the artefacts—ordinary items on the surface—with new lives and narratives.
Biography by Sherry Paik | Ocula | 2020
