Respite is a composition in acrylic on canvas board.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Artbooth Gallery, located in the national capital, is hosting an upcoming solo exhibition by acclaimed Emirati artist Sarah Alagroobi (Sept. 19 - Oct. 27). Titled “Slanted Dreamscape”, the exhibition will showcase Alagroobi’s evocative and textured landscapes, providing a glimpse into her dreamlike visions and innovative artistic approach. The show will be held in Artbooth Gallery space (ground floor, Centro Capital Centre by Rotana in ADNEC area). Alagroobi’s work invites viewers into a world at the intersection of reality and imagination. Her paintings are rich in texture and form, and explore dreamlike mountains and surreal terrains; they intend to provoke a sense of otherworldly contemplation.

Alagroobi celebrates both the physical and metaphysical worlds, using layers of acrylic paint to sculpt imagined landscapes that transcend boundaries of “normal” time and place. Each piece blurs the lines between the tangible and the abstract, all the while immersing the viewer in vibrant forms and colours that reflect the artist’s inner consciousness. The series reflect her journey through imagined lands, slanted by memory. Through repetitive motifs and dynamic compositions, it captures the fluidity of belonging to both familiar and unfamiliar worlds. Her paintings reveal a continuous search for the imaginary inside the landscapes of the mind; the journey celebrates both the known and the unknown.

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Alagroobi describes her artistic approach as one of raw authenticity and unapologetic expression. She emphasises her work is not constrained by fear or the need for explicit definitions. She strives to reflect her experiences of navigating multiple cultural identities directly. “Alagroobi’s paintings offer a direct and unfiltered representation of her artistic process, presenting depth and surface in their most authentic forms,” says Artbooth Gallery. “We invite art enthusiasts to experience this profound exhibition and engage with her unique vision.”

“Slanted Dreamscape” promises to be an inspiring journey through the intersections of reality and imagination, offering an exploration – and seeking an understanding - of the artist’s inner world. In an interview to Art Plugged, UK, Alagroobi said that “during these uncertain times, I have been very interested in exploring the expansiveness of place through various modes of nature and life outside of the four walls of my flat. The world has become very small; so this need for hypothetical spaces to exist in memory is something I have been researching. I have also been writing about identity politics through the lens of my own journey which sits on the fringes of existentialism.”

  Sarah Alagroobi in her studio.

In another interview to Emirates Woman, one of the region’s leading women’s fashion and lifestyle brands, she said that “a lot of my inspiration comes from my existing surroundings; I do enjoy discussing social commentary and that feeds into the topics I uncover in my art practice. Inspiration can stem from a simple conversation with a fellow artist, we are all in this journey together, so we protect each other and want the best for each other.” Sarah Alagroobi was born in Brussels, Belgium, and is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator. She is the second eldest of four children, born to an Emirati father and Syrian mother. At age seven, her family moved from Belgium to Ankara, Turkey, where she lived for eight years. She relocated to the United Arab Emirates and then returned to Brussels shortly after, to finish high school.

She holds an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in London. Exploring notions of culture and identity in both Arab and Western contexts through post-colonial discourse, including notions of whitewashing and ‘othering’, she uses her Emirati and Syrian heritage to mine personal and collective experiences that portray ever-moving places, borders and a sense of belonging amidst these. Her work has gathered the attention of leading design magazines such as ESTRO, ID and Close-Up and has been exhibited regionally and internationally, among others, at Somerset House, London; Salone del Mobile, Milan; Versus Art Project, Istanbul; Venice Biennale; Dutch Design Week; ME Collectors Room, Berlin; Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi; Art Jameel; Art Dubai; Abu Dhabi Art and Alserkal Avenue (the last four in Dubai).

The awards, grants and residencies she has been offered include BICAR Curatorial Residency x Warehouse421 (2020); samt Residency Programme VOL 03 – Blue (2020); ADMAF support with materials grant (2017); ADMAF support with materials grant awards (2016); Global Women’s Forum Rising Talent (2016) and Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award 1st Place Winner (Design) and 3rd Place Winner (Fine Arts, 2016). She is the founder of The Letters Project, an online platform that aims to showcase letters written by anonymous people; the project foregrounds social constructs within the Arab region by bringing forth cultural critique within contemporary society. She is also the co-curator of BANAT Collective, a creative community that discusses intersectionality, gender and identity politics in the Arab world.

Emerging from over a decade of experience in the art field, Roger El Khoury founded Artbooth Gallery in 2019 with the aim of creating global cross-cultural bridges between artists, audiences, and collectors. The gallery’s main space is located in Abu Dhabi. Artbooth has also opened its first branch in the bustling heart of Seoul, South Korea, often acclaimed as the rising art hub of Asia. The gallery aspires not only to cultivate a vibrant artistic community, but also spearhead global cultural exchanges, aiming to establish itself as a cornerstone in the realm of arts and culture.