Mashael Alsaie
Mashael Alsaie (b.1994, Bahrain) is a Bahraini multimedia artist and photographer.
Photo by Aqib Anwar
Mashael Alsaie is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '23
Mashael Alsaie (b.1994, Bahrain) is a Bahraini multimedia artist and photographer. Mashael’s practice expresses research-driven interpretation of Bahraini mythologies via text, image, and glass. Incorporating themes of science fiction and ecofeminism, her most recent work explores collective consciousness embedded in the myth of the Adhari Spring.
Alsaie’s work has been featured in exhibitions at Warehouse421 (2021), Misk Riyadh (2020), and PS122 New York (2019). She has been an Artist in Residence at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn (2020), Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation (2021), and Samt Alternative Art School (2022).
This body of 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.
The glass tears, which I made infusing glass and frankincense, is yet another reminder of the fragility of the material and spiritual worlds. Rendered as tears, the glass sculptures embody the weight and fragility of inherited traumas.
ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.
How would you describe your artistic style and what inspires your work?
My practice explores the themes of mythology, memory, and the body via lens-based work. I’m particularly drawn to the ways in which the etymology of land and female body coalesce.
Fabiana Dicuonzo
Curator
“The genuine simplicity of the work of the Bahraini multimedia artist and photographer Mashael Alsaie narrates the story of a woman and her identity. Mainly focused on the representation of the body and its multiplication in nature, landscape and mythology, Mashael Alsaie projects evoke ineffable and enigmatic visions of inner worlds and emotional geographies.
Her practice is a notable projection of her feminist perspective through an essential, enigmatic, powerful energy still to be developed.”
How has your work evolved over time?
I’m inspired by mythologies from my home in Bahrain. Working with oral histories has allowed me to unravel ideologies relating to land and body that evolved with my curiosity working across different mediums such as photography, sculpture, sound, video and glass.
What message or emotion do you hope to convey through your art?
I’m also very inspired by poetry & its ability to transcend language. If I could summarize my practice in a few words: liminal, ethereal, coded.
Can you talk about a specific piece or series that holds a special significance to you?
The Insatiable Desire to be Submerged is a multiple-exposure photograph of a female figure underwater. The work is an attempt to reimagine the transformation of the Adhari Maiden.
The folktale of Adhari tells the story of a young heroine who, upon coming across a man in a palm tree grove, begins to weep, gesturing toward sexual violence. As she weeps, the maiden transforms into an everlasting spring, thus escaping into the spiritual realm. The photograph’s haunting color and tonality echo the melancholy of the tale, while the anamorphic figure recalls a body in a state of flux.
This work, and my practice at large, aims to call into question our relationship with our land and the ideologies that collapse onto it.
What is your process for creating a new piece of art, how do you stay motivated?
My process involves a great deal of research, particularly into oral histories and archival methods. My motivation is derived from a deep curiosity to unravel my personhood through art.
Maintaining and fostering a genuine community of peers is essential. I look to my community for inspiration and collaboration often.
How do you see your work fitting within the larger context of contemporary art?
I hope to continue to be in conversation with other artists who are approaching similar themes.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists who are just starting out in their careers?
Lean into your curiosity.
