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“Fun World” (2023)
iPhone photograph
Khaled Esguerra is a photographer, visual artist and designer from Abu Dhabi. — He holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from the American University of Sharjah. — His artistic practice tackles the complexities and nuances of migrant identity, urban narratives and claiming space in the Gulf, situated by his experience growing up and living in Abu Dhabi. — He mainly works with photography and other image-based methods on research-driven, longterm projects, and his work has been listed in news outlets and regional magazines such as The National, Arab News, Canvas Mag, and more.Exhibitions- “ABSOLUTE CHAOS” — CAAD, AUS, Sharjah, UAE — May ‘24 (Group Exhibition)
- “Process in Progress” — CAAD, AUS, Sharjah, UAE — Apr ‘24 (Duo Exhibition)
- “Crystal Clear” — Bayt AlMamzar, Dubai, UAE — Feb—May ‘24 (Group Exhibition)
- “The Disappearing Art Show 2024” — Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, UAE — Jan ‘24 (Group Exhibition)
- “Youth Takeover 2022” — Jameel Arts Center, Dubai, UAE — May—Jun ‘22 (Group Exhibition)
My work responds to the built environment that surrounds me. I investigate the self as a Gulf migrant through investigating the urban landscapes I research, document and archive. While I do not have a physical studio space, I consider the city my studio — observing how time affects the streets, alleyways, buildings, pedestrians, facades, street cats and buses; fervently archiving them in the present.
I draw influence from my formalist training in my design education, as well as through personal interests of urban research and migrant studies in the Gulf. I attempt to archive my own narrative in the context of temporality, observing how the ongoing changes and transformations in the city of Abu Dhabi (de)construct my own identity over time, and its wider implications on the city and its population as a consequence of rapid change and development.