Farah Al Qasimi: Patterns

“One of my earliest memories is of a Persian rug at my childhood home in Abu Dhabi – I loved looking at it for hours, projecting myself into its maze of vines, trees and peacock feathers. I wanted so badly to teleport to this world that I believed was real and animated inside the carpet. Patterns are repetitions of form and theme, but beyond that, they are universes to fall into — geographic planes with rules of their own. Patterns, even when clashing, say something about aspiration, self -reflexiveness and belonging. They tell us about time and place, texture, touch, desire, and time. The universe beyond the pattern (and the medium photography, too) is a space where gravity gives way and where we are removed from our physical bodies, floating – a kind of paradise where we can leave the real world behind”. Farah Al Qasimi