Eman Ali

Eman Ali is an Omani-Bahraini visual artist working between Bahrain, Oman, and Kenya. Her practice spans photography, text, sound, and installation, exploring the intersection of gender, religion, and socio-political ideologies within Khaleeji culture and the layered histories of the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. She holds an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art and a BA in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins. Ali's work functions as both celebration and critique, drawn from her curiosity and personal experiences living in the Gulf. "For me, what's at the heart of my work is this genuine invitation to step into a different world," she says. Her cinematic images often centre on the body as a site of meaning: "I see the body as a vessel for storytelling in itself. Corporal gestures offer this incredibly intimate way of communicating emotions and experiences." Her acclaimed series "The Earth Would Die If The Sun Stopped Kissing Her" serves as a meditative love letter to Oman. "Photography is this incredible tool that crafts that space, allowing us to tune in to those subtle, often unnoticed, nuances that shape our experiences." Throughout her portraits of women in the region, a clear ethos emerges: "I am drawn to like-minded women who aren't afraid to be themselves." Ali won the 2020 Female in Focus Award from the British Journal of Photography and most recently the 2025 Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the Venice Architecture Biennale, representing the Kingdom of Bahrain.