Faris Alshafar (b. 1995, Dubai) is an Emirati artist based between Dubai and New York City. A self-taught artist, Alshafar's practice is deeply influenced by music and sensory experiences tied to time. He approaches songs as self-contained universes, with the principles of music theory functioning as the physical laws governing these auditory realms. This philosophy manifests in his art through rhythmic mark-making and layered abstractions, which come together to form visually resonant landscapes. His work explores themes of determinism and interconnectedness, using the interplay between form and formlessness, and the contrast between ornamentation and natural textures, to evoke a sense of harmony and tension.
His work is held in several notable collections, including the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations in New York City, the UAE Consulate in New York City, the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, and the Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art in the Netherlands. In 2021, during his post-graduate studies, Alshafar curated a three-year major exhibition for the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the UN in collaboration with the Barjeel Art Foundation.
Alshafar holds a Master’s in Arts & Cultural Management from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, USA (2021) and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the American University in Dubai, UAE (2017).