Biography

Working primarily in painting and video, Aliyah Adel's practice explores girlhood, adolescence, the body, and femininity, often drawing from speculative fiction, internet culture, and alternate realities.

Aliyah Adel (b.1996, UAE) is an artist, writer, and curator based in Abu Dhabi. She received her BFA in Animation Design with a Minor in Curatorial Practices from Zayed University in 2020.

 

She was an editor and member of the Banat Collective, a grassroots project aimed at representing femme-centered artistry in the MENA region and was a chosen member of the 2020 Youth Assembly courtesy of Art Jameel, culminating in the Youth Takeover event hosted by the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. She was also one of the participating artists for the 101 initiative's inaugural sale, "Outside In, Inside Out" (2020) at Bait 15 curated by Munira Al Sayegh and Ghaith Abdulla, to promote non-gallery represented artists. She was also a fellow in the 8th cohort of the Salama Bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design.

 

She has appeared in several exhibitions locally and internationally, including "This lark sips at every pond" (2021) at Maisan15 in Dubai, "Ybna Al3eid" (2022) at Bayt Al Mamzar in Dubai and the inaugural Banat Collective-curated exhibition “As We Gaze Upon Her” (2021-22) at Warehouse 421 as well as “East-East Vol. 4: The Curio Shop” (2021) held at HB Nezu in Tokyo and “Boundless/Binding” (2024) curated by Emergeast and shown at Subliminal Projects in Los Angeles, USA.

 

In 2025, Aliyah Adel presented her first solo exhibition, 'Girl Parts' with Hunna Art at Bayt Al Mamzar (Dubai).

Works
  • Aliyah Adel, Milk Powder, 2024
    Milk Powder, 2024
  • Aliyah Adel, Love I, 2025
    Love I, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Star Chips, 2025
    Star Chips, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Embrace, 2025
    Embrace, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Sugar Teeth, 2025
    Sugar Teeth, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, The Solarium, 2025
    The Solarium, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Grief, 2024
    Grief, 2024
  • Aliyah Adel, Devour, 2025
    Devour, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Weather Condition
    Weather Condition
  • Aliyah Adel, Feed Me, 2023
    Feed Me, 2023
  • Aliyah Adel, Woman with lamp, 2024
    Woman with lamp, 2024
  • Aliyah Adel, Half-sick of shadows, 2025
    Half-sick of shadows, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Beastly Season, 2025
    Beastly Season, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Love II, 2025
    Love II, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, You be the eyes, 2025
    You be the eyes, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Mother of Ants, 2025
    Mother of Ants, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Harbinger, 2025
    Harbinger, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Heavy II, 2025
    Heavy II, 2025
  • Aliyah Adel, Dove, 2024
    Dove, 2024
Exhibitions
Art Fairs
Essays and Publications
Press