​​​​​​​Contact           aboasad.alaa@gmail.com
Education
2016–2018    Master of Arts, DAI, ArtEZ University, Arnhem (NL), supported by Rana Sadik & Samer Younis, and A. M. Qattan Foundation
2009–2013   Bachelors of Fine Art in Photography (Cum Laude), Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
2008–2009 Department of Animals Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Experience
2024–2025  Graduation Communiqué and photographer Alumni Embassy, Dutch Art Institute (NL)
2024               Guest lecturer, Honours, WDKA Rotterdam (NL)
2022–2023  Fellow, TXT department, Gerrit Rietveld Academie (NL)
2023               External Expert, Honours, WDKA Rotterdam (NL)
2020–2024  Learning coordinator assistant, Dutch Art Institute (NL)
2018–2019    WALTER books in Arnhem (NL)
2018                Evaluation guest editor, Art & Design - Bachelor Graphic Design Arnhem, ArtEZ (NL)
2017–2019    Communication team, Dutch Art Institute (NL)
2015–2016    Assistant Curator, The Palestinian Museum (PS)
2013                Assistant Curator, The Long Journey - UNRWA audiovisual archive for Palestine refugees (JLM)
2013                Bezalel Academy Dean of Students Office (JLM)
2011–2013     Bezalel Academy Library (JLM)

Art Residencies
2024                The Konrad and Paweł Jarodzki Artist In Residence Programme, Krzyżowa (PL)
2022                Timelab, Ghent (B)
2021                 Mophradat, Athens (GR)
2021                 C. Rockefeller Centre for Contemporary Arts, Dresden (DE)
2019–2020   Jan Van Eyck Academie, Maastricht (NL)
2019                 Kulturkontakt Austria, Vienna (AT)
2018                 Dream Art Institute (with Ulufer Çelik), Arnhem (NL)
2016                 UNIDEE – University of Ideas (The Shifting Place), Cittadellarte, Biella (IT)
2014                 GAP-Global Art Programme Waiting for Expo 2015, Artegiovane Milano (IT)
2014                 Arbeitsgruppe Gästeatelier Krone Aarau (CH)

Media
2026                Zal ik je morgen weer zien?, Barbara Collé, Mister Motley (3 februari 2026)
2025                Wild Plants of Palestine: A conversation with Alaa Abu Asad, by Sui Searle, Radicale (August 2025)
2025                We should learn from nature and not fight against it, interview by Elien Haentjens (May 2025)
2024                At the Verge of Wordlessness: A Haunting Meditation on History and Image, Mercedes Diane Griffin Forbes
2024                Durch den Asphalt gewachsen: Beikraut als Kunst, Cleo Wächter und Lusin Reinsch, Kultur Mitte
2023                A conversation and film on the political power of image and beauty, EastEast
2023                How long is this state gonna last?, misted.cc
2023                Alaa Abu Asad’s Wild Plants: An Interview, J Carrier, Asymptote
2023                World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 409 - Alaa Abu Asad, Marbella Marbella
2023                373 words to insult a plant, Luna Thissen in conversation with Alaa Abu Asad
2023                When local plants die out, Japanese Knotweed becomes the new companion, Walter van Teeffelen, if then is now
2022                "فن للحياة: أولوفير تشيليك وعلاء أبو أسعد يشرحان القصة وراء كلمة "طز, BBC News عربي
2022                The triffid’s day has come: designing with invasive plants, Debika Ray, Financial Times
2021                 WORDPLAY AS ACTIVISM: Interview with Alaa Abu Asad & Ulufer Çelik, ArtAsiaPacific
2021                 Plants, Language and Politics: Victoria DeBlassie in Conversation with Alaa Abu Asad, SUMAC SPACE
2020                Neem de tijd — Open Studios Jan van Eyck 2020, Puck Kroon, Mister Motley (7 maart 2020)
2020               عن عمل "حلقة مفرغة" المشارك في معرض الهيمنة على الحشائش في مؤسسة القطّان في رام اللّه
2019                Renouée : une histoire d’invasion, de colonisation, d’épuration, Le Monde
2019                 علاء أبو أسعد وأولوفير تشِليك: تأمُّلات في إرث لغوي، العربي الجديد

Publication and translation
2024               Foraging Fireflies, SuperMelon, Round Edge, Brussels (NL)
2024               On Foraging in Palestine, Japan & Maastricht, Limestone, Maastricht (NL)
2023               Coreia, experimental publication printed on paper, Lisbon (P)
2022               Under the Tower, artist’s book, Arabic translator, content and copy editor (B) 
2021                Moving narratives : Images de Palestine, Dazibao, Montreal | EN:AR translation (CA)
2021                Psychic Refuge, Sophie Hoyle | EN:AR translation (UK & PS) 
2018                A hand I wished I’d never touched, Luleå biennale’s fourth issue of the Lulu-journal (SE)
2017                The Griefers of Bandung, novella written collectively, DAI (NL)
2017                Understanding Territoriality: Identity, Place and Possession, Fabrica et al., Brighton (UK)
2017–2021    Mudam, a cooperative online project of rethinking translation (PS)

Group Exhibitions & Events (selection)
2025               Writing towards Plants, with Jennifer Kabat, Callie’s, Berlin (DE)
2025               Sun, Don’t Rush to be Red. Son, Don’t Rush to be Read, Tent, Rotterdam (NL)
2025               Landscape, disrupted, Concordia, Enschede (NL)
2025               There Is Nothing Solid About Solidarity, M HKA, Antwerp (B)
2025               Wild Summer of Art, Brutus, Rotterdam (NL)
2025               New World Order, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton (UK)
2025               APRiCot Garden 2025: Research as Regenerative Practice, Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam (NL)

2025               Causerie & Effect, Pickle Bar, Berlin (DE)
2025               Ecologies of violence & resistance: art as decolonial praxes, Durham University's Geography Department (online)
2024               Overburden – On extractivism and the shape of things to come, Greylight Projects, Heerlen (NL)
2024               Gaza Remains, The Story, Friedensgasse 1, Zurich (CH)
2024               yellow brick, blue brick, perpetually, B32 Artspace, Maastricht (NL)
2024               Dwaalkruis, stichting The Butterfly House, Zuid-Limburgse Bunde (NL)
2024               A Stream of Echoes, BFI London Film Festival, London (UK)
2024               We don't want to be stars (but parts of constellations), GROND, Amsterdam (NL/online)
2024                Invasion Ecology, Radical Ecology, Southcombe Barn (UK/online)
2024                Soundwalk Premiere, Fort Blauwkapel, Utrecht (NL)
2024                Falastin: A Digital Monument, Chapter II: Crack in the Mosaic, Col\ecteurs, The Museum of Private Collections (online)
2024                Foraging in Maastricht, Limestone, Maastricht (NL)
2024                Palestine Teach Outs #4, DAI, Vleeshal, Middelburg (NL)
2024                Solidarity screening for Palestine, House of Annetta, London (GB)
2024                Knots, Weeds & Roots, Mediamatic, Amsterdam (NL)
2024                In the Absence of the Invasive, The Mosaic Rooms, London (UK)
2024                Forages + Wild Plants of Palestine, KASKcinema, Ghent (B)
2024                Parables for the Future Sun, Images Festival, Toronto (CA)
2024                Knowledge share, Herban Cura (online)
2024                Farther Than the Eye Can See, Xinema, VIFF, Vancouver (CA)
2024                Views from Palestine, Artcite, Windsor (CA)
2023                De Aanschouw, Rotterdam (NL)
2023                For All Things Spoken and Unwritten, Images Festival, Toronto (CA)
2023                Confusions & Conclusions II, RIB, Rotterdam (NL)
2023                Kortfilmprogramma Palestina & Sharing Corner, FOMU, Antwerp (B)
2023                Artistieke en culinaire interventie met de Japanse Duizendknoop als toekomstige compagnon, Timelab, Ghent (B)
2023                People of the Land, AFMI Arab Film and Media Institute (online)
2023                Curves of Inquiry, Gym, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (NL)
2023                Performance Night, Varia, Rotterdam (NL)
2023                Tongue Twisting Dinners | SESSION 2, an other world, Rotterdam (NL)
2023                Instant Modernism, A. M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah (PS)
2023                What form do I take to be able to speak?, Beirut Art Center (LB)
2023                Japanese Knotweed Festival, Mediamatic, Amsterdam (NL)
2023                Museumnacht: Boek Klup #1, PrintRoom, Rotterdam (NL)
2023                Autophagy: Eating in Its Destructive and Creative Nature, curatorial project (online)
2023                Look Who’s Talking, socially collaborative art project (online)
2022                earth nurture seed, storm studio, New York (USA)
2022                Onder de Kerktoren, book launch, WARP (B)
2022                Pink Whale, video screening program, Kunsthalle Bratislava (SK)
2022                Wild Summer of Art, Brutus, Rotterdam (NL)
2022                Imaginary Borders, Bel Art Gallery, Novi Sad (SRB)
2022                Read the Room Festival, Kaaitheater, Brussels (B)
2022                I love it when translation can be found to agree with our weird desires, the mosaic rooms, London (UK)
2021                Psychic Refuge: Commissions Programme, Forma, London (UK)
2021                Blueprint, Antwerp (B)
2021                Freedom is One: Palestinian-Black Kinship Then, Now and Tomorrow, mpp-DC, Washington (USA)
2021                Toronto Palestine Film Festival (CA)
2021                Moving narratives : Images de Palestine, Dazibao, Montreal (CA)
2021                Noorderlicht International Photo Festival, Groningen (NL)
2021                Rijnhoutplein Festival: Moedertaal / Beeldverhaal, PrintRoom Rotterdam (NL)
2021                Language & Plants, sound performance with Alwin Weber, C. Rockefeller Center, Dresden (DE)
2021                Society of Nature, OnCurating Project Space, Zurich (CH)
2021                Tejedora and Japanese knotweed, sound performance with Daniel Godínez Nivón (online)
2021                Mudam in conversation with Franco "Bifo" Berardi (working title), Dar Jacir, Bethlehem (PS)
2021                Under The Tower (4), The Arab Culture Association, Haifa (PS)
2020               Practice Sharing, language-based artistic research (SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP)
2020               Future Materials Bank, Nature Research department at the Jan van Eyck Academy (NL)
2020               With doors closed artists go viral 2, with Rana Hamadeh, Medrar for Contemporary Art, Cairo (EG)
2020               ACROSS THE WAY WITH..., series of informal readings, Shimmer, Rotterdam (NL)
2020               Weed Control, group exhibition, A. M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah (PS)
2020               +4(0)800001216, a voice message project (CH)
2020               Reel Palestine Shorts, Cinema Akil, Dubai (UEA)
2019                 Smart Culture Conference: Future of Nature, Naturalis, Leiden (NL)
2019                Group Show: B, Belmacz, London (UK)
2019                Nightwatch Maastricht (NL)
2019                Toronto Palestine Film Festival (CA)
2019                Sleeping with a Vengeance, Dreaming of a Life, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart (DE)
2019                Hidden Bar 2019, Art Basel (CH)
2019                Translocal Scores, Project Space, Vienna (AT)
2019                Transcultural Emancipation, Fluc, Vienna (AT)
2019                Garden opening, #1 The Assembly, philomena+, Vienna (AT)
2019                Home Alone & Oh Parents! Oh Son!, studio SKY, Arnhem (NL)
2018                We Shall Be Monsters, Ramallah (PS)
2018                Sleeping with a Vengeance and Dreaming of a Life, Institute for Provocation, Beijing (CN); Lítost, Prague (CZ); Yellow Brick, Athens
2017                880 m ü. M. Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Palästina, Forum Schlossplatz, Aarau (CH)
2017                Offline, Up & Coming, Zurich (CH)
2017                Jornal, Salvador de Bahia (BR)
2017                Erotisch – Offsite show organised by Clementine Edwards, Rotterdam (NL)
2016                OpenGround 2016, workshop for artists and curators, State of Concept, Athens (GR)
2016                Humans from Palestine: Karimeh Abbud Award, Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture, Bethlehem (PS)
2016                Cultural Policy Module, Cultural Management Palestine, Goethe-Institut Ramallah (PS)
2016                Chapter 31:An Odd Piece of Research on the Many Virtues of the Oriental Imagination, P21 Gallery, London (UK)
2015                The Gift - Exhibition & Silent Auction, Al Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem (PS)
2015                FROM THE INTANGIBLE TO THE TANGIBLE, Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zurich (CH)
2015                Artists from Nazareth, The House of Culture & Art, Nazareth Orthodox Community Council (PS)
2015                GAP - global art programme waiting for EXPO 2015, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan (IT)
2015                Alfilm - Arab Film Festival Berlin (DE)
2014                Love Letters to Mars, Office of Contemporary Art, Oslo (NO)
2014                The Lonely Crowd, Eye on Palestine - Arts and film festival, Pianofabriek, Brussels (B)
2014                Being with/the Other, Bärengasse Museum, Zurich (CH)
2013                5th Cairo Video Festival - Video Art & Experimental Films, Medrar, Cairo (EG)
2013                /Si:n/ Festival, Ramallah (PS)
2013                All the Other Lovers, 98 Weeks/Project Space, Beirut (LB)
2013                Reduction, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah (PS)
2012                All the Other Lovers, Evagoras Lanitis Cultural Centre, Limassol (CY)
2012                Crestfallen, Beit Al Karma, Haifa (PS)
2011                Open Studio Exhibition, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah (PS)
2011                Palestinian Film and Queer Identity, Yale University and NYU (USA)

Grants and Awards
2025                Voucher Development, Monderiaan Fond (NL)
2024                Praktijkbijdrage, CBK Rotterdam (NL)
2023                Artist Project, Monderiaan Fond (NL)
2023                Praktijkbijdrage, CBK Rotterdam (NL)
2021                Toekenning donatie Makersloket, Stichting Droom en Daad, Rotterdam (NL)
2021                Corona-overbrugging kunstenaar, Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdam (NL)
2020                Volumes Book Award 2020, Kunsthalle Zurich (CH)
2019                Publication grant, Mophradat, Brussels (BE)
2011                Certificate for Excellence first year of BFA, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (JLM)

Solo Shows
2015                Image : Imagination, Resurrection, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah; Al Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem (PS)
2014                Image : Imagination, Resurrection, Forum Schlossplatz, Aarau (CH)

Collections
2025                Fenix Rotterdam
2024                Rafał Jarodzki
2024                Concordia University Library
2021                Museum Folkwang Library
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