Amna Al Dabbagh
Born in Place, 12/12/2023
Lives and work in Um A Quwain (UAE)
Amna Al Dabbagh
Biography It is information and curiosity that motivates the research-based practice of Amna Al Dabbagh. An artist and designer, her broad practice befits her inquisitive nature. She trained in visual communication, graphic design, architecture and industrial design. Her work articulates information and knowledge and integrates concepts from literature, history and science. A persistent preoccupation with typography stems from a passion for the written word and a fascination with language, its power and structures. Upon graduation from the American University in Dubai, she received the Outstanding Graphic Design Student Award. She was also shortlisted for The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award in 2012. Her work has been exhibited in Dubai at Sikka Art Fair (2015) and DUCTAC’s Gallery of Light (2014). She undertook an artist’s residency at Yarat Contemporary Art Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015, which culminated in a solo exhibition ‘Mediator / Destroyer / Reviver’. In November 2015, she represented the American University in Dubai as part of ‘Crossing the Line’ conference in Florence and, in 2013, she participated in ‘Activating and Augmenting: The Dresden Damascus Room’, a collaborative programme seeking to reconfigure the space. Alongside her artistic practice, she works as a graphic designer at Abjad Design, a niche design studio working with clients in the culture, arts and fashion industries.
Artist Statement I am a curious person and a seeker of knowledge; the idea of learning captivates me. I aim to reflect this aspect in my art. When I learn a piece of information that amazes me, I aspire to make it into a statement through art and integrate it into my interpretation. I have been known as a person who loses herself in research, and this stems from my curiosity and enthusiasm to acquire more knowledge. Since I spend a significant amount of time researching about the topics I deal with, my art itself becomes a piece of research. I aspire to share my passion of knowledge with people, as well as knowledge itself.
