Mapping Sanctuaries, an exhibition of work by Alaa Alsaraji at the P21Gallery
Mapping Sanctuaries is a collection of digital illustrations and sound pieces exploring the notions of safety and the spaces that exist between isolation and belonging within Muslim communities.
Mapping Sanctuaries aims to platform the voices of British Muslims from different backgrounds to illustrate what these spaces look like, feel like and what they provide physically and emotionally for these communities.
About the Artist
Alaa is a London-based visual artist, designer and creative facilitator. Whilst maintaining her own creative practice through editorial work and exhibitions, she has also worked with various creative and educational organisations as a facilitator delivering creative workshops with children and adults. Throughout her various roles, her work always seeks to emphasise the value of using creativity as a pedagogical process to address and explore larger issues such as identity, faith and race.
Alaa is the arts editor of Khidr Collective, a multidisciplinary artist collective creating platforms and spaces for young Muslim creatives, where she is heavily involved in the visual production of the annual Khidr Zine and online platform.
About React
reACT is an innovative program, established by P21 Gallery & Amal (a Saïd Foundation programme) to promote and support emerging and student artists whose work is dedicated to or inspired by the Middle East & Arab world by providing a space within the P21 Gallery for artistic intervention. reACT aims to contribute to building and strengthening cultural ties and dialogues between the East and West on terms designed by a younger generation.
Curator
Mishelle Brito is a London based artistic programmer and curator working to create dialogues relating to societal concerns in the Middle East through art, culture and creative based methods
P21 Gallery
P21 is an independent London-based charitable trust established to promote contemporary Middle Eastern and Arab art and culture.
About Amal
Amal, meaning ‘hope’ in Arabic is a programme making grants in the UK in support of a rich diversity of art projects and activities. The Amal programme helps sponsor p21 exhibitions.
Due to the government lockdown, this exhibition is now available for view online and will reopen for in-person view at P21 Gallery: 8-19 December.