Disappear/Reappear

The Qatari national dress (Thob) is one of, if not the most respected garment in Qatari society. It is a taboo if it looks dirty, wrinkled, and/or unpresentable. When Hamad was in the midst in of his illness he could not wear it due to the fact that he had bandages under his clothes. The risk of the bandages leaking with fluid or blood resulting in staining the Thob was too high, so he forbade himself from wearing it. These images are self portraits where Hamad spreads streaks of red paint onto where his bandages were. A cathartic expression of reclaiming the body and the clothes he puts on it.

Shown at Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi, UAE