The UAE arts community was left "shocked and saddened" after the news that Kuwaiti-Palestinian artist Tarek Al-Ghoussein died suddenly in New York at the weekend.
The artist, who was a resident of Abu Dhabi, had worked rigorously, and steadily as a photographer, but was also an educator and mentor to a generation of young artists at the American University of Sharjah, and since 2013 at New York University Abu Dhabi.
To pay tribute to Al-Ghoussein, Warehouse421 in Abu Dhabi is hosting a memorial gathering on June 22, inviting all friends, family and fans of the artist to attend.
"It is often hard to find the right words at times like this," said Faisal Al Hassan, head of Warehouse421, in an email invite. "Tarek’s passing has hit us hard, and its shock is yet to dissipate. Tarek was a dear friend and a great support to many of us. He was a mentor to many artists and creatives from our community. He was kind to everyone who knew him, generous with his time and advice. He was a cornerstone to our creative community."
Hassan says everyone is invited to the event, which will take place at 6pm in the Zayed Port gallery.
Al-Ghoussein was born in 1962 in Kuwait to parents of Palestinian origin. His father was a diplomat and he grew up in various locations around the world, including the US, Morocco and Japan.
The artist earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in photography from New York University in 1985 and then a masters in photography from the University of New Mexico in 1989. He worked as a photojournalist after graduating, later transitioning into art photography.
His last work, the unfinished project Odysseus, set out to document all of Abu Dhabi’s 214 islands. He had begun working on the series in 2015, persevering through the Covid-19 pandemic, and had captured about 160 islands by the end of his life.
Scroll through the gallery below to see more of Tarek Al-Ghoussein's 'Odysseus' project
