The Insatiable Desire to be Submerged
This work speaks of the liminality of both land and body. The mythology of Adhari, as an origin story is juxtaposed against the reality of the dried up spring. The site itself is a site of contention and irony, where attitudes about climate justice and cultural memory coalesce. In answering the question, “where are you really from?”, I return to the physicality of the land in which I was born, and the ideologies that have attached themselves to that place. Living and working in New York, this work has become a lifeline to remind myself to return to land, often and with respect towards the weight and resonance of the stories beneath the surface.
Mashael Alsaie is a Bahraini photographer and video artist based between Bahrain and UAE. Alsaie’s work forms fractured narratives that reflect critical thinking about femininity, ritual, and representation. Mashael holds a BA in Urban Studies from UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing an MA in Photography, Video, and Media Arts from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. Alsaie’s work has been featured in group exhibitions at Warehouse 421 (Abudhabi), Misk, Riyadh (2020), PS122, New York (2019), and Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Festival (2020). She has completed residencies at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn, New York, and at Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation (2021). She is currently doing a residency at Samt Alternative Art School (SAAS), an experimental program for rethinking creative methodologies structured around themes of indigenous wisdom and holistic psychological wellness.
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