Exploring the World of Sama Alshaibi: An Arab-American Artist
Dubai: Discover the unique story of Sama Alshaibi, an Arizona-based professor and artist with a rich Arab heritage.
Born in Basrah to an Iraqi father and a Palestinian mother, Alshaibi’s 20-year career has been dedicated to video, photography, and performance art. Her upbringing during the Iran-Iraq war led her family to move around the region before settling in the American Midwest.
In an interview from Bellagio, Italy, where she is on a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation, Alshaibi reflects on her experience growing up in Iowa as a “different” family. Despite the lack of diversity, she found solace in the kindness of the people around her.
Alshaibi’s work is deeply influenced by her Arab roots and family’s reverence for the arts. Inspired by her father, who taught her to use a manual camera, she aspired to become a photojournalist like her idols Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson.
Through her art, Alshaibi challenges stereotypes of Arab women by creating powerful images that address political and social issues. Her series “Carry Over” showcases her carrying large objects above her head, symbolizing endurance and commenting on the effects of colonialism and cultural loss.
Delve into the world of Sama Alshaibi as she explores the aftermath of destruction and questions what we hold onto in a changing world.