Farah Al Qasimi: Abort, Retry, Fail

1 Oct-9 Nov 2024

Overview

“You are here, and it’s beautiful, and escaping isn’t always something bad.”*

Working with photography and film, Farah Al Qasimi creates a world which tells tales of identity, gender and colonial legacy.

‘Abort, Retry, Fail’ takes its title from the computer error message that flashes up on Farah Al Qasimi’s now defunct family computer. It connected her to the outside world and was a portal to escape from reality through gaming – as a pirate, a gun slinging biker, or a tiny ball bouncing off the edges of the screen.

This exhibition brings together photography and film in an index of attempts to transcend the natural world through entering fictional realities. We see gamers transported elsewhere – absorbed in fantasy realms of exploration, escapism and play. Interspersed amongst these images are photographs that capture overlooked moments of everyday life, where seemingly mundane places and objects converge in an attempt to reveal our estranged relationship to the natural world.

Our sometimes complex relationship with nature is further explored in Farah Al Qasimi’s film ‘Signs of Life’ also on show at Art Exchange.

This exhibition was originally commissioned by Delfina Foundation with the generous support of Abu Dhabi Festival and Delfina Foundation’s Family of Supporters, 2023.

*Adventure games developed by Campo Santo. Released in February 2016