Sama Alshaibi

Situated within natural environments, Sama Alshaibi’s multimedia work explores spaces of conflict and the power struggles that arise in the aftermath of war and exile. She is particularly interested in how such clashes occur between citizens and the state, creating vexing crises that impact the physical and psychic realms of the individual as resources and land, mobility, political agency, and self-affirmation are compromised. Through performance, video, photography, and installation, Alshaibi positions her body as an allegorical site that makes the byproducts of war visible. Though the artist uses her body as the subject of the images, she does not consider the works self-portraits. By using elements of her experiences, anxieties, and curiosities, the artist is able to embody different characters that perform various issues, people, and concepts. Born in Basra to an Iraqi father and a Palestinian mother, Sama Alshaibi is based in the United States, where she is Chair and Regents Professor of Photography, Video Art, and Imagining at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Alshaibi holds a BA in Photography from Columbia College and an MFA in Photography, Video, and Media Arts from the University of Colorado. She was a recipient of the Fulbright Scholar Fellowship in 2014 as part of a residency at the Palestine Museum, where she developed an educational program while conducting independent research, as well as the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2021. Alshaibi has also participated in significant residencies including MacDowell, Bellagio, and Artpace.