Doha: The Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) is bringing the public an exhibition titled ‘Futurisms’, from March 7 to April 9, 2022.
The opening night will also feature an online panel discussion at 6 pm, between the artists Jasmine Murrell, Saba Taj, Alisha Wormsley, Saks Afridi, and the artist collective, ‘Hyphen Labs’, where participants will ‘initiate a conversation between Afrofuturism, Sci-fi Sufism, and Muslim Futures’. The discussion will be moderated by Ingrid LaFleur, a globally recognized curator, artist, activist and Afrofuturist.
Alisha B. Wormsley is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural producer who shot to fame with her work ‘There are Black People In The Future’, based on which she created a public program which gives mini-grants to open up discourse around displacement and gentrification. In 2020, Wormsley launched an art residency for Black creative mothers called ‘Sibyls Shrine’, which supports over 70 mothers annually.
Her work imagines the future of arts, science, and technology through the lens on being a black woman in America, challenging contemporary views of modern American life through multiple formats such as sculptures, billboard, performance art, or film. Through her work, she links social engagement, activism, redistribution of wealth, science fiction, public art, film, and media to reveal lesser-known histories, and possibilities of alternative futures. Wormsley was awarded a fellowship with Monument Lab and the Goethe Institute.
Jasmine Murrell is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary visual artist who employs several different mediums to create sculptures, installations, photography, performance, land art and films that blur the line between history and mythology. In her exploration of the African diaspora and ancient craft techniques, Murrell juxtaposes American artifacts with the products of other knowledge systems, troubling the historical record to reveal other truths and other narratives.
She has exhibited nationally and internationally, in venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art; the Bronx Museum; the Museum Contemporary Art Chicago; the Whitney Museum, the African-American Museum of Art, and the International Museum of Photography. Murrell has been a resident artist at the Bronx Museum AIM program; Baxter St. Gallery workspace; BRIClab contemporary art residency and Block Gallery workspace. Her work has been included in the book MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Hyperallergic, The Detroit Times, and several other publications.
Saks Afridi’s work exists in a genre he terms as ‘Sci-Fi Sufism’, which is about discovering galaxies and worlds within yourself. He tries to visualize this search by fusing mysticism and storytelling. He makes art objects in multiple mediums and he draws inspiration from Sufi poetry, Afrofuturism, South Asian folklore, Islamic mythology, Science Fiction, Architecture and Calligraphy.
Afridi, who studied advertising at the Academy of Art and later sculpture at the Art Students League of New York, entered the world of art with a background in advertising, as a Creative Director on brands such as MTV, Mercedes-Benz, and more recently, White Castle. He is the recipient of Cannes Lion Awards, D& AD Pencils, OneShow pencils and a United Nations Award for Peace & Understanding. His work has been featured in Artforum, The New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, and Stephen Colbert.
Hyphen-Labs is an international team of women of color working at the intersection of technology, art, science and the future. Drawing from their global vision and unique perspectives, they develop meaningful and engaging ways to explore emotional, human-centered and speculative design Through their global vision and multi-disciplinary backgrounds, they challenge conventions and stimulate conversations, placing collective needs and experiences at the center of evolving narratives.
‘Futurisms’ is being held in partnership with Tasmeem Doha, VCUarts Qatar’s biennial art and design conference. Tasmeem Doha is an international art and design conference hosted and organized by VCUarts Qatar since 2004, with attendees and participants typically consisting of international designers, artists, academics, students, industry professionals, and the local community.
This year’s edition of Tasmeem Doha is called Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures. The online event is open to the public. Further information on the conference is available at https://radicalfutures.qatar.vcu.edu/
