Start up: Karíma Al-Mukhtarová / Dear Valued Customers 28. 11. 2014 – 25. 1. 2015

Karíma Al-Mukhtarová is a conceptual artist, in her performances and installations, she transforms mundane household items, YouTube instructional videos or urban legends into scenic environments with sets featuring everyday paraphernalia. All of this is moreover laced with a light tinge of irony. Thus for instance, Karima has stitched up a tomato with spaghetti, swung propelled by the exhaust air stream of a vacuum cleaner, or sought a needle in a haystack.

Over the last year, she has concentrated chiefly on embroidery, “I’m seeking the technical limits of embroidery. My interest is purely in material and in the technical aspect of the matter. I try to erase the borderline between the concepts of art and design, for on the Czech scene there still exists a wide gap between designers and visual artists,” is how Karima outlines her aim.

In her exhibition Dear Valued Customers under the Start up project, she combines these two approaches – of visual art, and design – in a single whole. There, Karíma employs an ancient wooden frame, glass decorations, and a burka-clad figurine, completing them by embroidered details. Berlin has become a major source of inspiration for her, where she lives now, the city’s multicultural atmosphere and creative openness leave their indelible imprint in her work.

Karíma Al-Mukhtarová (b. 1989 in Prague) graduated from the art studio headed by Jiří Kovanda at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. She is currently a third-year student of the Intermedia Department headed by Jiří David, at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. She is recipient of the Essl Art Award 2013.