Alia Ali: The People of Pattern

Gulf Photo Plus presents “The People of Pattern”, a solo exhibition by the Yemeni-Bosnian-American multi-media artist and visual storyteller Alia Ali (1985): the artist deals with the medium of fabric as a reflection of our imagination and the environment that surrounds us, discovering the world through the variety of textiles and its making processes. Conceived as a reaction against the racism expressed by the Presidential candidates of the USA in 2016 towards minorities, the project developed by Ali aims to show the beauty of different cultures through the art and craftsmanship: “If we have forgotten that we have our humanity in common, then I introduce another thing we have in common, fabric.”
Ali’s project revolves around seven different regions and their textile production: Appliqué (Central America), Silk Weaving (Central Asia), Wax Printing (West Africa), Block Printing (South Asia), Floral Dyeing (South East Asia), Indigo Dyeing (South East Asia) and Hand Embroidery (Global).