‘Having worked for several decades with materials from nature, his art speaks to the intimate relationship between humanity, the materiality of the land, and the foreboding estrangement of our contemporary lifestyles’.
S.Mikdadi, quoted in M. Allison, A Rhapsody on Reiteration, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim: Between Sunrise and Sunset/ Works 1986-2022 - National Pavilion UAE 2022 for the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Bienniale di Venezia, p. 18.
Known for his signature shapes and symbols, the work of Emirati artist Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim is instinctively recognisable. My Gardens Details, encapsulates the artist’s current practice, referencing his iconic sculptural work, Between Sunrise and Sunset, at the 59th Venice Bienniale in two dimensional form. Whilst preparing for the biennale, Ibrahim spent more time at home and in his garden, and was inspired by his surroundings – his garden, the potted plants and old trees. In this series of paintings, Ibrahim utilises these potted plants as his central motif, responding to his surroundings as he has always done.
‘The garden’s personality reflects that of the works in his art studio – joyous, jaunty, poignant, awkward, magnificent.’
M. Allison, A Rhapsody on Reiteration, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim: Between Sunrise and Sunset/ Works 1986-2022 - National Pavilion UAE 2022 for the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Bienniale di Venezia, p. 22.
A pioneer of Land Art in the Emirates, Ibrahim began making art in the 1980s after being introduced to Hassan Sharif at the Emirates Fine Art Society (becoming a member in 1986), ultimately becoming one of the generation of contemporary artists in the United Arab Emirates, latterly known as The Five (Hassan Sharif, Hussain Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, Abdullah Al Saadi and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim). The term “The Five” originates from the 2002 exhibition in Achen, Germany, titled 5/UAE, held at the Ludwig Forum fur Internationale Kunst.
Ibrahim lives and works in his native Khorfakkan, UAE, and his works can be found in Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; Jameel Art Collection, Dubai; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Mathaf Museum of Modern Art, Doha; British Museum, London and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.