As Rosi Braidotti, Italian-Dutch philosopher and theorist of posthumanism, writes, ‘the body is not a fixed entity but a process of becoming – a dynamic assemblage of forces, sensations, and relationships.’ This perspective frames the new show in RARARES Gallery Amina Illuminati, where family stories, cultural observations, and reflections on tradition and modernity converge in a discourse on the relationship between matter and memory.
The exhibition brings together five artists, exploring how matter becomes a carrier of memory and identity in the contemporary cultural context. Across different media, ‘Amina illuminati’ initiates a poetic dialogue around the question: in what ways does artistic form transforms personal experience and sensory knowledge into a visible, collective phenomenon, turning matter into meaning?
Though diverse in approach and practice, the works converge in their commitment to material honesty and emotional depth. The exhibition title ‘Amina Illuminati’ (‘enlightened soul’) serves as a multi-layered metaphor, pointing to the inner processes of artistic making: the instant when concealed memories, formative experiences, cultural and social imprints take on perceptible material shape. Medium becomes both, a vessel of experience, and narrative. Here, illumination is understood not as a mere symbol of the sublime, but as an active force that reveals the latent potential of matter. Enlightenment emerges not from outside, but from within – from memory, body, and artistic will, operating as an ongoing process of unfolding.
Together, these artists guide us through landscapes of energy, vulnerability, strength, and memory. The exhibition becomes a journey: from instinct to spirit, from matter to illumination, from concealment to revelation.
– Marina Baisel, curator and founder of RARARES gallery, puts it simply.
All participating artists approach materiality as a living archive, a site where memory, tradition, and cultural experience intersect.
- Alessandro Montalbano (Italy) channels primal force through bronze. His dynamic, weighty sculptures pulse with energy of movement, evoking the human form as both vessel and force of transformation.
- Alyazya Almansoori (UAE) constructs poetic assemblages using hijab, branches, and chain that interweave personal experience and cultural symbols. Her Unveil (2024) reflects the tension of a contrast dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity, softness and strength.
- Hadil Moufti (Saudi Arabia) uses mixed media to explore maternal memory and heritage. Her tactile materials — altered prints, thread, paper — turn intimate recollection into shared, resilient experience.
- Elnaz Javani (Iran/USA) maps the female body through fabric, embroidery, and sculpture. Her work traces the transition from private embodiment to collective voice, transforming skin and textile into layered, political surfaces.
- Valeriya Isyak (Russia) works in porcelain — historically a decorative, fragile material — to create pieces that resist categorization. Her subtle, minimal sculptures celebrate stillness, vulnerability, and interior space as forms of quiet resistance.
In an age of visual excess, ‘Amina Illuminati’ encourages the viewer to slow down and experience art as a process of becoming through its visceral and material unfolding.
Exhibition on view until 21 November 2025
About RARARES Gallery
Located in Gate Avenue, DIFC, RARARES Gallery is quickly becoming one of Dubai’s most compelling contemporary art spaces. Named after the Latin word “rarus” — meaning rare or exceptional — the gallery is dedicated to presenting works that are emotionally resonant, materially honest, and conceptually bold.
With its guiding motto “Art Globally, Act Locally”, RARARES connects international artists with the region’s growing cultural dialogue, supporting both emerging and established voices.