Biography
In her photography, video and collage work, Hind Mezaina addresses her relationship with and reaction to the accelerated changes occurring in Dubai. She is interested in themes of cultural memory and change as well as the notion of heritage and the representation of Dubai in the media. Her work aims to communicate her anxieties in the face of change, preserve memories and create a ‘visual archaeology’ of Dubai.
She is the founder of The Culturist blog (2009), a platform for photography from the Arab world, and the co-founder of Tea with Culture podcast (2015). She has curated film screenings for several institutions, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Art Foundation and The Africa Institute, Alliance Francaise, Dubai.
Her work has been exhibited regionally and internationally in a number of group shows, including Sharjah Biennial 13: Tamawuj (2017); Al Haraka Baraka: In Movement There Is Blessing, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2016); Al Sourat Photo Festival: 40 Years of French and Emirati Photography, Abu Dhabi (2014); Encounter: Listen to the City, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah (2014); Women on the Verge, The Empty Quarter, Dubai (2012) and Fusion, Emerson Gallery, Berlin (2008). She has also worked on various commissioned projects, including The Wedding Project, Art Dubai (2016); In the Meanwhile, Global Art Forum, Art Dubai (2014); Cassette Project, Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp, Dubai (2013) and Mass Medium: Emirati TV on Home Video, Global Art Forum, Art Dubai (2012).
Mezaina participated in the 2016 Autumn Programme residency at Delfina Foundation, London, which was supported by Maraya Art Centre. She is also a graduate of the 2015–2016 Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Emerging Artists Fellowship, Abu Dhabi, offered in partnership with Rhode Island School of Design, and was selected for the artist-in-residence programme A.i.R Dubai 2015, a partnership between Delfina Foundation, London; Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Tashkeel, Dubai.
Mezaina was born in 1971 in Dubai, where she continues to live and work.
SAF participation:
Sharjah Biennial 13