Alaa Abu Asad
B. 1989 Nazareth, based in the Netherlands
EDUCATION
2016 – 2018 Master of Arts, Dutch Art Institute (DAI), Arnhem (NL), supported by Rana Sadik and Samer Younis, and A. M. Qattan Foundation
2009 – 2013 Bachelors of Fine Art in Photography (Cum Laude), Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
2008 – 2009 Department of Animals Science, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2007 Graduated High School, St. Joseph High School and Seminary, Nazareth
EXPERIENCE
2022 – 2023 Fellow, TXT department, Gerrit Rietveld Academie (NL)
2023 External Expert, WDKA Rotterdam (NL)
2020 – Learning coordinator assistant, Dutch Art Institute (NL)
2018 – 2019 WALTER books in Arnhem (NL)
2017 – 2019 Communication team, Dutch Art Institute (NL)
2015 – 2016 Assistant Curator, Never Part exhibition, The Palestinian Museum (PS)
2013 Assistant Curator, The Long Journey - UNRWA audiovisual archive for Palestine refugees (JLM)
2013 Bezalel Academy Dean of Students Office (JLM)
2011 – 2013 Bezalel Academy Library (JLM)
ART RESIDENCIES
2024 The Konrad and Paweł Jarodzki Artist In Residence Programme, Krzyżowa (PL)
2022 Timelab, Ghent (B)
2021 Mophradat, Athens (GR)
2021 C. Rockefeller Centre for Contemporary Arts, Dresden (DE)
2019 – 2020 Jan Van Eyck Academy, Maastricht (NL)
2019 Kulturkontakt Austria, Vienna (AT)
2018 Dream Art Institute (with Ulufer Çelik), Arnhem (NL)
2016 UNIDEE – University of Ideas (The Shifting Place), Cittadellarte, Biella (IT)
2014 GAP-Global Art Programme Waiting for Expo 2015, Artegiovane Milano (IT)
2014 Arbeitsgruppe Gästeatelier Krone Aarau (CH)
MEDIA
2024 Durch den Asphalt gewachsen: Beikraut als Kunst, Cleo Wächter und Lusin Reinsch, Kultur Mitte
2023 A conversation and film on the political power of image and beauty, EastEast
2023 How long is this state gonna last?, misted.cc
2023 Alaa Abu Asad’s Wild Plants: An Interview, J Carrier, Asymptote
2023 World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 409 - Alaa Abu Asad, Marbella Marbella
2023 373 words to insult a plant, Luna Thissen in conversation with Alaa Abu Asad
2023 When local plants die out, Japanese Knotweed becomes the new companion, Walter van Teeffelen, if then is now
2022 "فن للحياة: أولوفير تشيليك وعلاء أبو أسعد يشرحان القصة وراء كلمة "طز, BBC News عربي
2022 The triffid’s day has come: designing with invasive plants, Debika Ray, Financial Times
2021 WORDPLAY AS ACTIVISM: Interview with Alaa Abu Asad & Ulufer Çelik, ArtAsiaPacific
2021 Plants, Language and Politics: Victoria DeBlassie in Conversation with Alaa Abu Asad, SUMAC SPACE
2020 عن عمل "حلقة مفرغة" المشارك في معرض الهيمنة على الحشائش في مؤسسة القطّان في رام اللّه
2019 Renouée : une histoire d’invasion, de colonisation, d’épuration, Le Monde
2019 علاء أبو أسعد وأولوفير تشِليك: تأمُّلات في إرث لغوي، العربي الجديد
PUBLICATION & TRANSLATION
2024 On Foraging in Palestine, Japan & Maastricht, Limestone, Maastricht (NL)
2023 Coreia, experimental publication printed on paper, Lisbon (P)
2022 Under the Tower, artist’s book, Arabic translator, content and copy editor (B)
2021 Moving narratives : Images de Palestine, Dazibao, Montreal | EN:AR translation (CA)
2021 Psychic Refuge, Sophie Hoyle | EN:AR translation (UK & PS)
2018 A hand I wished I’d never touched, Luleå biennal's fourth issue of the Lulu-journal (SE)
2017 The Griefers of Bandung, DAI (NL)
2017 Understanding Territoriality: Identity, Place and Possession, Fabrica et al., Brighton (UK)
2017 – 2021 Mudam, a cooperative online project of rethinking translation (PS)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS (SELECTION)
2024 yellow brick, blue brick, perpetually, B32 Artspace, Maastricht (NL)
2024 Dwaalkruis, stichting The Butterfly House, Zuid-Limburgse Bunde (NL)
2024 A Stream of Echoes, BFI London Film Festival, London (UK)
2024 We don't want to be stars (but parts of constellations), GROND, Amsterdam (NL/online)
2024 Invasion Ecology, Radical Ecology, Southcombe Barn (UK/online)
2024 Soundwalk Premiere, Fort Blauwkapel, Utrecht (NL)
2024 Falastin: A Digital Monument, Chapter II: Crack in the Mosaic, Col\ecteurs, The Museum of Private Collections (online)
2024 Foraging in Maastricht, Limestone, Maastricht (NL)
2024 Palestine Teach Outs #4, DAI, Vleeshal, Middelburg (NL)
2024 Solidarity screening for Palestine, House of Annetta, London (GB)
2024 Knots, Weeds & Roots, Mediamatic, Amsterdam (NL)
2024 In the Absence of the Invasive, The Mosaic Rooms, London (UK)
2024 Forages + Wild Plants of Palestine, KASKcinema, Ghent (B)
2024 Parables for the Future Sun, Images Festival, Toronto (CA)
2024 Knowledge share, Herban Cura (online)
2024 Farther Than the Eye Can See, Xinema, VIFF, Vancouver (CA)
2024 Views from Palestine, Artcite, Windsor (CA)
2023 De Aanschouw, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 For All Things Spoken and Unwritten, Images Festival, Toronto (CA)
2023 Confusions & Conclusions II, RIB, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Kortfilmprogramma Palestina & Sharing Corner, FOMU, Antwerp (B)
2023 Artistieke en culinaire interventie met de Japanse Duizendknoop als toekomstige compagnon, Timelab, Ghent (B)
2023 People of the Land, AFMI Arab Film and Media Institute (online)
2023 Curves of Inquiry, Gym, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (NL)
2023 Performance Night, Varia, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Tongue Twisting Dinners | SESSION 2, an other world, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Instant Modernism, A. M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah (PS)
2023 What form do I take to be able to speak?, Beirut Art Center (LB)
2023 Japanese Knotweed Festival, Mediamatic, Amsterdam (NL)
2023 Museumnacht: Boek Klup #1, PrintRoom, Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Autophagy: Eating in Its Destructive and Creative Nature, curatorial project (online)
2023 Look Who’s Talking, socially collaborative art project (online)
2022 earth nurture seed, storm studio, New York (USA)
2022 Onder de Kerktoren, book launch, WARP (B)
2022 Pink Whale, video screening program, Kunsthalle Bratislava (SK)
2022 Wild Summer of Art, Brutus, Rotterdam (NL)
2022 Imaginary Borders, Bel Art Gallery, Novi Sad (SRB)
2022 Read the Room, Kaaitheater, Brussels (B)
2022 I love it when translation can be found to agree with our weird desires, the mosaic rooms, London (UK)
2021 Psychic Refuge: Commissions Programme, Forma, London (UK)
2021 Blueprint, Antwerp (B)
2021 Freedom is One: Palestinian-Black Kinship Then, Now and Tomorrow, mpp-DC, Washington (USA)
2021 Toronto Palestine Film Festival TPFF (CA)
2021 Moving narratives : Images de Palestine, Dazibao, Montréal (CA)
2021 Noorderlicht International Photo Festival, Groningen (NL)
2021 Rijnhoutplein Festival: Moedertaal / Beeldverhaal, PrintRoom, Rotterdam (NL)
2021 Language & Plants, sound performance with Alwin Weber, C. Rockefeller Center, Dresden (DE)
2021 Society of Nature, OnCurating Project Space, Zurich (CH)
2021 Tejedora and Japanese knotweed, sound performance with Daniel Godínez Nivón (online)
2021 Mudam in conversation with Franco "Bifo" Berardi (working title), Dar Jacir, Bethlehem (PS)
2021 Under The Tower (4), The Arab Culture Association, Haifa (PS)
2020 Practice Sharing, language-based artistic research (SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP)
2020 With doors closed artists go viral 2, with Rana Hamadeh, Medrar for Contemporary Art, Cairo (EG)
2020 Future Materials Bank, Nature Research department at the Jan van Eyck Academy (NL)
2020 ACROSS THE WAY WITH..., series of informal readings, Shimmer, Rotterdam (NL)
2020 Weed Control, group exhibition, A. M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah (PS)
2020 +4(0)800001216, a voice message project (CH)
2020 Reel Palestine Shorts, Cinema Akil, Dubai (UEA)
2019 Smart Culture Conference: Future of Nature, Naturalis, Leiden (NL)
2019 Group Show: B, Belmacz, London (UK)
2019 Nightwatch Maastricht (NL)
2019 Toronto Palestine Film Festival TPFF (CA)
2019 Sleeping with a Vengeance, Dreaming of a Life, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart (DE)
2019 Hidden Bar 2019, Art Basel (CH)
2019 Translocal Scores, Project Space, Vienna (AT)
2019 Transcultural Emancipation, Fluc, Vienna (AT)
2019 Garden opening, #1 The Assembly, philomena+, Vienna (AT)
2019 Home Alone & Oh Parents! Oh Son!, Arnhemse Uitnacht 2019, Arnhem (NL)
2018 We Shall Be Monsters, Ramallah (PS)
2018 Sleeping with a Vengeance, Dreaming of a Life, Institute for Provocation, Beijing (CN); Lítost, Prague (CZ); Yellow Brick, Athens (GR)
2017 880 m ü. M. Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Palästina, Forum Schlossplatz, Aarau (CH)
2017 Offline, Up & Coming, Zurich (CH)
2017 Jornal, in the context of DAI Roaming Academy Teaching as a Form of Art, lead by Ruth Noack, Salvador de Bahia (BR)
2017 Erotisch – Offsite show organised by Clementine Edwards, Rotterdam (NL)
2016 OpenGround 2016, workshop for artists and curators, State of Concept, Athens (GR)
2016 Humans from Palestine: The Karimeh Abbud Award, Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture, Bethlehem (PS)
2016 Cultural Policy Module, Cultural Management Palestine, Goethe-Institut Ramallah (PS)
2016 Chapter 31:An Odd Piece of Research on the Many Virtues of the Oriental Imagination, P21 Gallery, London (UK)
2015 The Gift - Exhibition & Silent Auction, Al Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem (PS)
2015 FROM THE INTANGIBLE TO THE TANGIBLE, Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zurich (CH)
2015 Artists from Nazareth, The House of Culture & Art, Nazareth Orthodox Community Council (PS)
2015 GAP - global art programme waiting for EXPO 2015, La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan (IT)
2015 Alfilm - Arab Film Festival Berlin (DE)
2014 Love Letters to Mars, Office of Contemporary Art, Oslo (NO)
2014 The Lonely Crowd, Eye on Palestine - Arts and film festival, Pianofabriek, Brussels (B)
2014 Being with/the Other, Bärengasse Museum, Zurich (CH)
2013 5th Cairo Video Festival - Video Art & Experimental Films, Medrar, Cairo (EG)
2013 /Si:n/ Festival, Ramallah (PS)
2013 All the Other Lovers, 98 Weeks/Project Space, Beirut (LB)
2013 Reduction, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah (PS)
2012 All the Other Lovers, Evagoras Lanitis Cultural Centre, Limassol (CY)
2012 Crestfallen, Beit Al Karma, Haifa (PS)
2011 Open Studio Exhibition, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah (PS)
2011 Palestinian Film and Queer Identity, Yale University and NYU (USA)
GRANTS & AWARDS
2024 Praktijkbijdrage, CBK Rotterdam (NL)
2023 Artist Project, Monderiaan Fond (NL)
2023 Praktijkbijdrage, CBK Rotterdam (NL)
2021 Corona-overbrugging kunstenaar, Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdam (NL)
2020 Volumes Book Award 2020, Kunsthalle Zurich (CH)
2019 Publication grant, Mophradat, Brussels (B)
2011 Certificate for Excellence first year of BFA, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (JLM)
SOLO SHOWS
2015 Image : Imagination, Resurrection, Al Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem (PS); Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah (PS)
2014 Image : Imagination, Resurrection, Forum Schlossplatz, Aarau (CH)