Adel Abdessemed

Adel Abdessemed, l'âge d'or is an artist book, published in cooperation with Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, on the occasion of the solo exhibition hosted between October 2013 to January 2014. A gold cloth covered box set contains three hardbound gold cloth-covered volumes: a drawing volume displaying all drawings, a photography volume displaying all exhibitions view and an essays volume with four texts in English and Arabic, including an interview to Adel Abdessemed by Hans-Ulrich Obrist.

Born in 1971 in Constantine, Algeria, he studied in Algiers, Lyon, Paris and New York and he now lives and works in Paris and in New York. Adel Abdessemed's works were displayed in group and solo exhibitions in many countries worldwide and he is one of the most important artists of his generation, a witness to his time.

Working across a wide range of media, Abdessemed transforms well-known materials and imagery into charged artistic declarations, he has described himself as “an artist of acts,” and his works are known for their forceful impact and symbolic resonance. Taking materials into great consideration, he is often provocative in their use; camel bones, gold, salt, brass, gum, and terracotta take on new and multiple meanings.

Doha, Mathaf, October 2013 - January 2014