Sama Alshaibi's photographs and videos situate her own body as a site of performance in consideration of the social and gendered impacts of war and migration. Her work complicates the coding of the Arab female figure found in the image history of photographs and moving images. Alshaibi’s sculptural installations evoke the disappearance of the body and act as counter-memorials to war and forced exile. Alshaibi’s monograph, Sand Rushes In, was published by Aperture, NYC. It features her 8-year Silsila series, which probes the human dimensions of borders, migration, and ecological demise. In 2021, Alshaibi was named a Guggenheim Fellow in Photography. She has been featured in several biennials including the Maldives Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale Italy) the 21st International Art Biennial of Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia, 2020) the 13th Cairo International Biennale Egypt, 2019) the 2017 Honolulu Biennial Hawaii) the 2016 Qalandia International Biennial Haifa) and FotoFest Biennial, Houston 2014) She was also selected as one of 60 artists for the ‘State of The Art 2020’ Crystal Bridges Museum of Art/the Momentary, Arkansas, 2020) and recently held solo exhibitions at Ayyam Gallery Dubai, 2019) and at Artpace, where she participated as the National Artist in Residence San Antonio, 2019) Alshaibi received the first prize Project Development Award from the Center Santa Fe, 2019) the 2018 Artist Grant from the Arizona Commission on The Arts, and the 2017 Visual Arts Grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture Beirut) She was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Fellowshiin 2014-2015 as part of a year-long residency at the Palestine Museum in Ramallah, where she developed an education program while conducting independent research. Alshaibi's solo exhibitions also include the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, NY 2017) Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ 2016) Ayyam Gallery, Dubai 2015) Ayyam Gallery, London 2015) Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, Dubai 2011) and Selma Feriani Gallery, London 2010) Her over 150 grouexhibitions include Pen Brush Gallery NYC, 2019) American University Museum Washington D.C. 2018) 2018 Breda Photo Festival Netherlands) Tucson Museum of Art, AZ 2017) Marta Herford Museum of Art, Germany 2017) CCS Bard Hessel Museum and Galleries, New York 2017) Museum De Wieger, The Netherlands 2017) Palais De La Culture Constantine, Algeria 2015) Pirineos Sur Festival, Spain 2015) Arab American National Museum, Michigan 2015) Venice Art Gallery, Los Angeles 2013) Edge of Arabia, London 2012) Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris 2012) Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah 2012) and Headlands Center for the Arts, California 2011) She has also exhibited at the Bronx Museum in NYC, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, CO. Her over 40 video artworks and films have screened in numerous festivals internationally, including Mapping Subjectivity, MoMA NYC) 24th Instants Video Festival Mexico and France) Thessaloniki International Film Festival Greece) and DOKUFEST Kosovo) Her art residencies include Artpace International Artist Residency San Antonio) Darat al Funun Amman) A.M. Qattan Foundation Ramallah) and Lightwork NY) Alshaibi's works have been collected by public institutions internationally, including the Center for Creative Photography Tuscon) the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell NY) The Houston Museum of Art Texas) Nadour Germany) the Barjeel Collection Sharjah) En Foco NYC) and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Tunis Tunisia) Alshaibi's art residencies include Artpace International Artist Residency San Antonio) Darat al Funun Amman) A.M. Qattan Foundation Ramallah) and Lightwork NY) Alshaibi's works have been collected by public institutions internationally, including the Center for Creative Photography Tuscon) the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell NY) The Houston Museum of Art Texas) Nadour Germany) the Barjeel Collection Sharjah) En Foco NYC) and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Tunis Tunisia) She has been featured in Photo District News, L’Oile de la Photographie, The Washington Post, Lensculture, NY Times, Ibraaz, Bluin Artinfo, Contact Sheet, Contemporary Practices, Harper's Bazaar, The Guardian, CNN, Huffington Post, and Hysteria. Born in Basra to an Iraqi father and Palestinian mother, Sama Alshaibi is based in the United States where she is Professor and Co-Chair of Photography, Video, and Imaging at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She holds a BA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA in Photography, Video, and Media Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder.