Amna AlBaker

Statement

I am a filmmaker, photographer, illustrator and writer. My work, everything I do, is fueled by a desire to express the experience of existing in the space and time in which I do, as an Arab woman in a patriarchal society. My creativity and practice is always an experimental process. I like working in layers and textures, using whichever medium calls to me at the moment, but language is always at the heart of it and self-discovery is its lifeblood. Much of my inspiration and subject matter comes from myself and the women around me. I am drawn to photography and filmmaking as an initial stepping stone and research, the foundation which I build my ideas on with illustration helps me cross the boundaries of what is not allowed to be captured by a lens or said out loud.

GlogauAIR Project

The story I wish to tell is a deeply personal one, through it I am embarking on a journey of self-discovery to get answers I have been in need of almost my whole life. The project is a visual documentation of my grandmother’s life, her experiences and her journey from India to Qatar as a young woman. Her story serves as the key to exploring the landscape of Qatar and its communities in the years after the discovery of oil. Through her eyes I wish to rediscover my lineage and the matriarchal legacy which unites several cultures and has made me who I am today. During the residency I am to develop my practice further with a focus on research and documentation. The focus of this work will serve as a jumping off point for this long-term storytelling project. I intend to experiment with hybrid comic forms, illustration techniques as well as found images and sound, in an attempt to create a visual style for the expansion of the project.

CV Summary

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Communication, Northwestern University 2014-2018.

Employment

• Assistant Producer, beIN Media Group 2019 – present
• Freelance illustrator and animator 2020 – present
• Doha Firestation Youth Program Tutor, 2021

Exhibitions

• “Currently” Group Exhibition, Tasweer Festival, Qatar, 2021
• “Transition” Group Exhibition, Reconnecting Arts, London, 2017

Awards and publications

• Dardishi Zine Issue 3, 2021
• Sumou Magazine (TBA) 2021
• Unootha Magazine Issue 8, 2021
• Qumra Film Festival Grant, 2019
• Pulitzer Journalism Grant: Pulitzer Center Grant for Crisis Reporting, 2018

Projects

• Director and Editor, UN Day CineConcert, United Nations (2019)
• Editor: Paper Kite, Studio 20Q Grantee, (2017) (Official Selection: Lebanese International Film Festival).
• Art Assistant: A Desert’s Tale, (2018). Studio 20Q Grantee.
• Art Director: Terima Kasih, (2017). Studio 20Q Grantee.
• Director and Producer: This is a Reclamation, (2017).

Gallery