Hamra Abbas (b. 1976 Kuwait) works in a variety of media including sculpture, painting, photography, stained glass, neon and video. Her works draw upon widely accepted traditions, often in a playful manner. By appropriating culturally rich imagery and iconography, and transforming them into works that can be experienced spatially and temporally, she builds new platforms from which to view notions of cultural ownership, tradition and exchange. Religion, sexuality and power are recurring themes in her practice.

Hamra Abbas is the 2011 winner of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize and was awarded a Jury Prize at the Sharjah Biennial 9: Provisions for the Future. Her work has been included in 2011 Asian Art Biennial, Taiwan; Aluminium, 4th International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Baku, Azerbaijan; the International Artist’s Workshop of the2nd Thessaloniki Biennial; the 2nd International Incheon Women Artists Biennale, Korea (2009); the Guangzhou Triennial (2008); the 10th Istanbul Biennial (2007); the Biennale of Sydney (2006); and the Cetinje Biennial, (2004). She has had exhibitions at Museo Colecciones ICO, Madrid; Guangdong Times Museumin Guangzhou, China; the V&A Museum, London; ARTIUM de Álava, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; ifa Gallery, Berlin; the Manchester Art Gallery, UK; the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; the Asia Society Museum, New York; the Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute; and at REDCAT, LA; Devi Art Foundation, Gurgaon. She lives and works between Islamabad and Boston.

Hamra Abbas worked for four weeks over the summer of 2011 at the Gardner Museum. She spent many hours in the galleries soaking up the atmosphere and taking pictures. Abbas also viewed with Dr. Anne-Marie Eze, books and manuscripts from the collection including several commisioni, which were featured in a special exhibit, Illuminating the Serenissima: Books of the Republic of Venice. Most of the time however the artist could be found in the Archives, where she grew fascinated with Isabella Stewart Gardner herself. Abbas was particularly captivated by Gardner’s Travel albums from Egypt and the Holy Land in 1874 and from Singapore to Venice in 1883-1884. Abbas read correspondence, looked at photographs, and spent time perusing Gardner’s personal recipe book and watercolors. Other materials of interest included Gardner’s Art History notes from a class she attended at Harvard in 1883, her Will, the meticulous list of instructions that Gardner wrote for her funeral, and files on the 1992 theft.

Abbas was also drawn to Gardner interest in fabric. The artist toured the galleries with Textile Conservator Tess Fredette and learned about various pieces in the collection. They spoke about several textile preservation and refurbishment projects that had been completed over the years, including the 2010 Yellow Room refurbishment. In the Conservation Lab, Fredette showed her photographs, records, and an assortment of fabrics, decorative trims, and cords from the Yellow Room. These included the small example of the original 18th century silk fabric that Gardner used in 1902, the cotton fabric that replaced it in 1974, and the carefully replicated silk fabric that has recently been installed. They were joined by Steve Alphonse, an inspiring artist and student in the YouthBuild program, who spent the day job shadowing Abbas.