Untitled, 2025
Hana Al-Saadi
public intervention
This work will be an extension of my ongoing series Dress Code, which consists of paintings on traditional black-and-white tent fabric depicting figures presenting as Arab people of the Gulf. The paintings are created using cardboard laser-cut stencils and explore the notion of presentation in the region and its cultural significance.
Using the same fabric from the Dress Code series, I will create a costume of an imagined, humanoid creature. The features of the creature will be determined during the creation process, and the costume will be used in a performance.
The location is not yet finalized, but I am considering a site between the farthest point of 974 Beach—a public beach with designated women-only days—and the abandoned Beach Club (vacant since 2009). What draws me to this area is its contradictory nature: although the beach has women-only days, there is a room that allows men to observe the space.
This space is where the binaries—black and white—that this project embodies can align with the creature I'm creating.
Gallery
About the Artist
Hana Al-Saadi holds an MFA in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and received her BFA in painting and printmaking from VCUarts Qatar. Her work has been nationally and internationally exhibited, including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art; International Studios and Curatorial Program, NYC, USA; Cosmoscow, Moscow; the Saatchi Gallery, London; and the Fire Station, among others.
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