About the Artist
Tarek Al-Ghoussein’s position as a Palestinian-Kuwaiti shapes the dominant themes of identity, displacement and politico-structural control prominent in his work, which is comprised of photographs that often feature his figure silhouetted against barren landscapes and thus serving as a partial allegory for the obstacles and forms of control facing Palestinians and the diaspora, as well as troubling Western representations of Arabs as terrorists.
Other series use the desert as a stage for investigating the artist’s relationship to land and place, and are done amidst the rapid urban transformation of the United Arab Emirates. In the words of Sabine Vogel, his work “”goes beyond the specific,”” and “”transforms direct political references into the existentially universal.”” Transfigurations was published in collaboration with the Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York, coinciding with a solo exhibition at the Gallery in 2014.
About the Publisher
Black Dog Press produces a broad range of illustrated books that respond to and showcase developments in contemporary art and culture. Committed to delivering robust critical content, imaginative design and high production value in every title, Black Dog Press books are produced in collaboration with international artists and organisations, working with longstanding distributors to supply them to bookshops, galleries and organisations worldwide.
