In IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS, Bassam Al-Sabah presents a fantasy dreamscape which observes the multiple intersectional “glitches” between the body, gender, and technology. Combining 3D-rendered sculpture and CGI film, he builds a world in which selfhood and queer possibility intersect challenging preconceived narratives and social constructions of masculinity and transformation.
Artist’s Biography:
Bassam Al-Sabah works across digital animation, painting, sculpture and textiles to convey intricate visions of war, resistance and perseverance. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Solstice Arts Centre (2019), the LAB (2018) and with the Glucksman as an offsite installation (2021). Group exhibitions include Golden Thread Gallery (2020), the Dock (2021), Queer Embodiment and Social Fabric at IMMA (2021-2022) and Futures at the RHA (2018). His work has also been shown internationally, including solo exhibitions at Gasworks (London, 2021) and the De La Warr Pavillion (UK, 2022), and group exhibitions and screenings at Transmediale (Berlin, 2021), EX-IS (South Korea, 2021), Jeu de Paume (Paris, 2021) and the Barbican (London, 2022).
Bassam completed a BA in Visual Art Practice from Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in 2016, and was awarded the RHA Graduate Studio Award (2016-2017). His work is part of IMMA, the Arts Council and Dun Laoighaire Rathdown County Council collections. In 2021 he received the Golden Fleece Award and he is currently a studio member at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios
Fernando Sánchez-Migallón Cano
Fernando Sánchez-Migallón Cano is the Learning and Engagement Curator at The Douglas Hyde. He received his BA in Art History and Archaeology from University College Dublin. He completed his PhD, titled ‘The Power of Display: Exhibition Culture and Exhibited Culture in Ireland 1973 – 1991’, through the School of History and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin in 2020. His major field of research is contemporary art history and its application to museum studies focusing on the sociocultural impact of exhibition making.
Image : Bassam Al-Sabah, IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS, 2021, film still. Courtesy of the artist.
