Mashael Alsaie is a photographer and video artist based between Bahrain and New York. Her work disassembles the compounded ideologies that have shaped her understanding of womanhood through the roots of her Arab heritage. In doing so, she confronts not only the nuanced narratives of women in the Middle East but also the history of regional representation and visual culture. Her work layers cultural ideologies such as the multi-consciousness of haram and halal culture, traditional standards of femininity, mythological storytelling, and the friction of the oil economy that has not only developed the contemporary Arabian Gulf’s landscape but its psyche as well. Through the process of representation and storytelling, she aims to blend the worlds of reality and fantasy, personal and generational, in order to conjure a dialectic representation of the region.
Alsaie holds a BA in Urban Studies from UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing an MA in Photography, Video, and Media Arts from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. Recently, Alsaie’s work has featured in group exhibitions at PS122, New York (2019); Bahrain Fine Arts Festival (2020), Art BAB, Bahrain (2019). She has recently completed a residency at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently developing a photo series connecting local folklore with the imagery of women in the region.
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Notable features in publications include Vogue Arabia & Italy, AlJazeera Plus, Emirates Woman, MinaaZine, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Mille Magazine, Nasi Magazine, GirlGaze,
Education
2012 - 2016
UC Berkeley, Urban Design
2019 - Present
NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, The Arab Female Body in Photo+ Video Art
Exhibitions
Group
2020
2020
2020
2019
2019
2019
2019
2018
2018
2017
Gallatin Fine Arts Festival, New York University, New York
Bahrain Fine Arts Festival, Bahrain
Art Space Inaugral Exhibit, Bahrain
Dynasty , PS122 Gallery, New York
Shado Presents: Global Womanhood , London, UK
Art BAB Festival , Bahrain
MOE Art from the Heart, United Arab Emirates.
Malja Exhibition, Bahrain
The Nest, Bahrain
Talks
2020
"Art and Feminist Activism", Conversation with Artist Mashael Alsaie and Curator Julia Hartmann, Residency Unlimited
2018
"The Importance of Narrative", The Amad Show, New York
2017
"Nature, Gender, and Nostalgia on Film", Minaa Zine, Fikra Design Bienalle, Sharjah
Awards
2023
1st Place, MOE Art from the Heart, United Arab Emirates.
Residencies
2020
Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn, New York.