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Farah Abdessamad

@cosmofa.bsky.social
913 followers 326 following 255 posts

olive pulp from 🇫🇷🇹🇳 reader, writer, critic. Ani is my writing disrupter 🐈‍⬛ Book on Folk Art ‘25. Also novel & series of essays in progress on postcolonial identities, expansive genealogies, and affective art. www.farahabdessamad.com

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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
London dispatch II: a round up of artists not to miss at 1-54’s African contemporary art fair observer.com/list/nine-ar...
observer.com
Nine Artists Not to Miss at 1-54 London
The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is back at Somerset House for its 13th edition with special projects, live performances and work by 100 contemporary African and diasporic artists.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
London dispatch: Frieze London, very meh except for several of these booths: observer.com/list/the-eig...
observer.com
The Eight Best Booths at Frieze London 2025
Despite the commercial noise, a handful of galleries delivered powerful presentations that proved meaningful art can still cut through the fair’s gloss.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Very exciting shows in London ahead of Frieze Week. Here’s my roundup👇 observer.com/list/eight-e...
observer.com
Eight Exhibitions Not to Miss During Frieze Week London
As London prepares for another electrifying week of fairs, galleries across the city are showcasing a dynamic mix of historic rediscoveries and cutting-edge contemporary art.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Complete disgust
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
I spoke with curator Nada Shabout about the historical ebullience + legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group and its trailblazers for Observer. observer.com/2025/08/inte...
observer.com
Curator Nada Shabout Traces the Enduring Legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group
The Group played a seminal role in the reinvention of postcolonial identity through avant-garde art.
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Reposted by Farah Abdessamad
Alice Poon 潘慧嫻 @alicepoonauthor.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
I recently came across an article that lucidly explains why #wuxia novels can't attract more attention in the anglophone world. Summary: - Cultural barriers - Linguistic abyss & translational onus - Overabundance of names & proper nouns with cultural nuances. www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/lite...
thebubble.org.uk
Literary 'kung fu pandas': the Chinese wuxia genre and why Westerners don't know it (Part I) | The Bubble
In Part I of this article, Audrey Wong introduces the genre of Chinese wuxia novels and their sociocultural importance, and begins to explore the reasons behind their lack of traction in the Western w...
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Melissa Chemam @melissaontheroad.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Beyond the news: A few words on art restitutions #newsletter Once in a while, I’d like to offer a slight look away from hard news, politics, or humanitarian crises. France prepares new bill to facilitate the restitution of some colonial property… melissa.substack.com/p/beyond-the...
melissa.substack.com
Beyond the news: A few words on art restitutions
As France prepares new bill to facilitate the restitution of some colonial property, let’s reflect on the situation between Europe and Africa…
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Latest review on Afghanistan’s war rugs on show at the British Museum for Observer. Sparse despite rich material. Does it reduce a country to its violence? observer.com/2025/08/exhi...
observer.com
Afghanistan’s War Rugs Weave a Knotty History at the British Museum
These rugs probe the aestheticization of war and the risk of defining a country primarily by its violent past and present at the expense of other narratives.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Brave people everywhere
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
My latest review of Ali Cherri’s largest UK survey on show at the Baltic. On monuments, death, metamorphosis, and our constant struggle between sky and earth. observer.com/2025/07/exhi...
observer.com
Ali Cherri Honors Life, Loss and Defiance in ‘How I Am Monument’
Wide-ranging works illustrate the artist’s range and capture the exhibition’s parable: what is destined to live will die, as what dies may rise again.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
I reviewed Banu Mushtaq’s International Booker Prize win, Heart Lamp (translated by Deepa Bhasthi). Short stories amplifying the voice and lives of Indian Muslim women and recognition of Kannada language literature. For @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/features/hea...
newarab.com
Heart Lamp: 12 stories of Indian Muslim women under patriarchy
Book Club: International Booker winner Banu Mushtaq’s ’Heart Lamp’ highlights the lives of Muslim women in India, exploring love, loss, and societal pressures
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
I sat down to speak with Palestinian-Saudi artist Dana Awartani, whose show on Middle Eastern cultural destruction opened at Bristol’s Arnolfini last weekend. I really cherish our candid chat about Gaza, Aleppo, and much more. For @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/features/dan...
newarab.com
Dana Awartani’s show on Middle Eastern heritage lands in Bristol
Dana Awartani uses tile-making and textiles to tell stories of cultural loss in the Middle East. We spoke to her about her exhibition ’Standing by the Ruins’
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Beautiful no-screen day out in Leicestershire today. Fern forests, roaming deers, scintillating butterflies.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Predictable sentence in Tunisia’s revived dictatorship www.france24.com/en/africa/20...
france24.com
Tunisian court sentences prominent lawyer critical of president to two years
Sonia Dahmani, a prominent Tunisian lawyer known for her criticism of President Kais Saied, was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison, her lawyers said. Human rights groups say theTunisian presid...
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
My review of Liverpool’s biennial, BEDROCK, is out for Observer. Solid curation carrying an important message: forging deep and diverse connections enrich us. observer.com/2025/06/art-...
observer.com
The 13th Liverpool Biennial Celebrates a Vibrant World-City
The Biennial balances global perspectives with local voices proving the city remains a crossroads where art, history and lived experience collide.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
In Bristol today to chat with Palestinian-Saudi artist Dana Awartani ahead of the opening of her first European solo show at Arnolfini tomorrow, “Standing by the ruins” — more soon
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Fab day in Newcastle to see Ali Cherri’s latest show at the Baltic Centre. Review coming up. Remembrance, loss, defiance. We are from earth and sky — mud and gods.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
What are some of things you wish you knew before starting a substack for lit/art criticism?
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Reposted by Farah Abdessamad
Magali Lesauvage @maglesauvage.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
La biennale de Gaza a organisé sa première exposition à Londres. Par @cosmofa.bsky.social www.lequotidiendelart.com/articles/275... – @quotidiendelart.bsky.social
lequotidiendelart.com
La biennale de Gaza a organisé sa première exposition à Londres - Le Quotidien de l'Art
Il n’y a jamais eu de pavillon palestinien à la biennale de Venise (Israël en dispose dans les Giardini depuis 1952). L’Italie ne reconnaît pas l’État de Palestine. Les propositions précédentes pour l...
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Gaza is the story. In every sector, people are mobilizing against erasure. For Le Quotidien de l’Art, I wrote about the Gaza Bienniale, a grassroot effort to directly connect with Palestinian artists and their works. My report from London a few days ago. www.lequotidiendelart.com/articles/275...
lequotidiendelart.com
La biennale de Gaza a organisé sa première exposition à Londres - Le Quotidien de l'Art
Il n’y a jamais eu de pavillon palestinien à la biennale de Venise (Israël en dispose dans les Giardini depuis 1952). L’Italie ne reconnaît pas l’État de Palestine. Les propositions précédentes pour l...
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
What a beautiful story www.middleeasteye.net/discover/haj...
middleeasteye.net
From Spain to Mecca on horseback: the men performing Hajj like medieval pilgrims
Three Spanish Muslims set off from Andalusia for Mecca on horseback seven months ago, traversing Europe and the Alps in a historic journey
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
In Liverpool —
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
In England (where I am at the mo), there’s a fun fair in the park for upcoming Eid. It’s joyful. In France, my dad is scared for his safety when he goes to pray. And he has every reason to be given free license to harass and assault Muslims. What’s going on in France isn’t normal.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Book 20 read this year
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Currently reading for upcoming book review: Heart Lamp from Banu Mushtaq (trans Deepa Bhasthi) @andotherstories.bsky.social
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
My latest for wonderful @miznaarabart.bsky.social on Tunisia’s speculative futures and pasts. A dream! mizna.org/mizna-online...
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
An honour attending Gaza Biennale’s latest in London — a day of solidarity, art activism, and grief. More soon 🖊️
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Caught up with Malak Mattar’s show today in London — this large narrative painting on Gaza’s inferno & a gripping leporello
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Can’t stop raving about RBO’s new production of the Ring cycle. Watched Die Walküre in cinema last night (streaming live in 22 countries!). Just spectacular.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
For @thenewarab.bsky.social I reviewed “The Book of Sana’a” (@commapress.bsky.social), an anthology of ten short stories from Yemeni writers. A lovely read that left me wanting to grasp whether a city in literature can be more than ornamental geography: www.newarab.com/features/boo...
newarab.com
The Book of Sana’a: Yemen stories by Yemeni writers
Book Club: ​The Book of Sana’a features a collection of historical and fantastical stories by Yemeni writers that revolve around war, violence, and fate
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Unboxing my first book with my lovely feline critic! An Opinionated Guide to Folk Art is out now, by great Hoxton Mini Press — a fantastic team to work with. Immensely grateful to see this in the world 🤲📚🎨
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Young Aboubacar’s murder last Friday in a mosque is a stain on France after years of Islamophobic rhetoric churned by inept, racist politicians and mainstream media. It’s a terrifying time for Arabs and Muslims in so many countries right now, including my own.
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Reposted by Farah Abdessamad
Kaamil Ahmed @kaamilahmed.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
This is the scene in Tawila in Darfur after the RSF’s attack on Zamzam camp. People settling in the open after days-long journeys by foot or on carts with the elderly and injured. IOM says 180,000 people arrived in Tawila in less than a week.
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Reposted by Farah Abdessamad
Melissa Chemam @melissaontheroad.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
#Tunisia: Political opponents handed jail terms ranging between 13 and 66 years rfi.my/Bb5N.BS
rfi.my
Tunisian government opponents handed jail terms ranging between 13 and 66 years
A Tunisian court handed jail terms ranging from 13 to 66 years to 40 opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring against state security, Tunisia's state news agency TAP report...
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Reposted by Farah Abdessamad
Chitra @chitra.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Ben Okri giving a keynote at HKW’s Surreal Continuum festival: “Europe has lost the spirit of surrealism, forgotten its lessons and so remains as four square logical as before… it likes its art too often to make sense… art is not about making sense but renewing a relationship to reality.”
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Who knew parting with a desk would bring so many mixed emotions, mostly sadness & gratitude 😢
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Book 17 — A descent into the fog of madness
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
My latest art review looks at Fa Razavi’s debut at NYC’s Palo Gallery and her vibrant use of the sculptural nude to create modern mythologies. “Opera Rose” is such a strong stunning show. observer.com/2025/04/art-...
observer.com
Don’t Miss Fa Razavi’s Defiant Debut at Palo Gallery
In “Opera Rose,” the artist delivers a compelling meditation on form and modern mythology via an exploration of the classical nude and human archetypes.
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
We need more honest conversations like this one. lithub.com/viet-thanh-n...
lithub.com
Viet Thanh Nguyen: Most American Literature is the Literature of Empire
One way to understand the dilemma of contemporary American literature in the age of Donald Trump is to see it as an imperial literature. The United States is a different kind of empire, exerting gl…
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Superb Doowon Lee show at ACA galleries inspired by Pakistani art & craft
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Book 16 — a delight!
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
My latest art review looks at Fa Razavi’s debut at NYC’s Palo Gallery and her vibrant use of the sculptural nude to create modern mythologies. “Opera Rose” is such a strong stunning show. observer.com/2025/04/art-...
observer.com
Don’t Miss Fa Razavi’s Defiant Debut at Palo Gallery
In “Opera Rose,” the artist delivers a compelling meditation on form and modern mythology via an exploration of the classical nude and human archetypes.
001
Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Happy bday to Leonora Carrington 🎂
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Book 13 🎈 Book 14 🎈 Book 15 🎈
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Bearing witness vs amplifying dehumanising images
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Eid Mubarak! 🌙🤲 May God accept our fast and prayers and bring liberation closer to our oppressed brothers and sisters across the world. Art by Safia Latif (Palestine)
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
Recent reads, book 10 & 11
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Where is your light? 💙 @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Out on 24 April! A labour of much love 🌸
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Farah Abdessamad @cosmofa.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Book 8: jumped on the Clarice Lispector train for this sizzling meditation on time and existence.
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