Tarek Al Ghoussein

Photographer Tarek Al-Ghoussein explores through his practice how identity is shaped within a context of inaccessibility and loss. His evocative photographs depict abandoned spaces and objects, and examine both personal and general associations with the Middle East. In his ongoing Odysseus series, which documents Abu Dhabi’s islands, Al-Ghoussein lingers on the traces of human presence, capturing images of places and objects that will soon cease to exist. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents in exile, Al-Ghoussein has exhibited widely in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. His works are collected by museums worldwide including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Freer I Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian, Washington D.C.; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the British Museum, London. He is currently program director of the MFA in Art and Media degree program at NYU Abu Dhabi.