About

A collector of skills, Estabrak's إستبرق an award winning cross-disciplinary artist, film maker, facilitator, researcher, producer and organiser committed to experimentation, inclusivity and a participatory arts practice.

Named one of “five incredible underwater artists” by the BBC, since 2014 Estabrak's / إستبرق works have explored the intersections between human behaviour, water and our environments; centering racial, social, humanitarian and climate justice. Her process often references the external global and internal individual connectivity to each other, and of water.

Working independently and in collaboration with other creatives, scientists, activists, academics, varied communities and the general public, she’s committed to finding safer, more inclusive and non-identifiable ways of public engagement, in hope to vulnerably invite honest and intersectional participation. She uses live techniques, film, projection, sound, performance, paint, installation, (underwater) photography, words and public participation to help highlight and dismantle ignored sociopolitical realities.

Water, social experiments and anonymity are tools often explored by the artist to honestly focus on the fragility between beauty and danger. Inviting us to navigate the ever evolving and ephemeral human condition, through themes of home, resistance, love, trauma and belonging.

Continuously evolving, playful and multi-sensory in approach, she layers numerous voices to ask 'What silenced truths can be revealed here?'

Estabrak / إستبرق has showcased on an international basis also exhibiting at the Royal Academy of Arts & Tate Britain. She's been supported by agencies including; the Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England, Unlimited, Invisible Dust, Bagri Foundation, Red Bull and the Ocean Global Foundation. Her work has also been presented to the UN.

Based in London and working internationally, she is originally from Iraq, born into exile in Iran and raised in London, after having come to the UK with her family as a child refugee.

FURTHER READING

Through the centralization of lived experiences, Estabrak helps facilitates ethically engaged encounters that often ignite individual and collective agency towards racial, social, humanitarian and climate justice.

Instituto Sacatar Fellow 2018 for her underwater photographic practice, 2016 Recipient of AFAC (Arab Fund for Arts and Culture) Performing Arts Grant 2016 and The Marlborough Theatre's Professional Development Scheme 2018 for her unique performance based process of storytelling 'LPP' (Live Projection Painting); Estabrak is an award winning Visual Artist & Film Maker currently based in London. She is originally from Iraq, born in Iran and raised in London, after having come to the UK with her family as a child refugee.

Lead by the emotive, Estabrak's aim is to help re- humanise many de-humanised realities whilst focusing on alternative ways of safe collaboration, understanding and exchange that encourage the sharing and dismantling of power.

Particular interest lies in honest approaches to un-silence ignored sociopolitical realities usually explored through progressive, multidisciplinary ways of storytelling. Something well identified in her ambitiously proposed, long-term, underwater photographic series 'World Under Water'(WUW) which looks at the silenced sociopolitical issues on land, underwater. Through focusing on the intersection between water, environment/s and human behaviour, the project helps reference the external global and internal individual connectivity to each other and of water.

WUW's award winning first edition; Omanis Under Water (OUW) (2014+), received international acclaim. It was followed by ‘Brazilians Under Water’(2018+) supported by the Sacatar Foundation in Brazil and in 2019 in the UK started ‘Sea; the remains, part of Brits Under Water (BrUW) series which was supported by the Humber Museums Partnership, Invisible Dust and the University of Hull, as well as Funded by Arts Council England and the Wellcome Trust.

‘Sea; the remains between‘ highlights the impact of humans on our waters and is informed by current research into contamination caused by pharmaceuticals, plastics and other toxic chemicals, led by Jeanette Rotchell, Professor of Aquatic Toxicology, University of Hull. Helping to collaborate through science and art to refocus environmental factors to both individual mental and physical health.

Named one of “five incredible underwater artists” by BBC’s Pursuit of Beauty: Art Beneath the Waves, she’s exhibited globally, been highlighted by the Ocean Global Foundation and has had her work presented to the UN.

Previous works have found themselves showcased on an international basis in such places as New York, Dubai and Berlin, along the way exhibiting at Royal Academy of Arts, & Tate Britain, London, UK.

She has been a part of some pioneering projects such as 'Imagine Art After', as well as having been commissioned and supported by numerous organisations including 'The Helen Tetlow Memorial Fund', 'Red Bull Oman' and 'The Alserkal Cultural Foundation'.

Estabrak’s works are fueled by the concepts of existing in places we cannot exist in for long periods of time. They play on the ideas of reality and fiction as well as the use of water based elements both as mediums and as a physical representation of cultural discourse. Whether it be through photography, painting, performance or film; the diversity in the meaning of using water lends itself well to such a multi-disciplinary approach. Through this, her work attempts to draw out on the emotional intersection between the personal, social and political.

In 2016 she was supported by 'Mawa3eed Travel Grant' to partake with a project in Morocco with her unique style of storytelling; LPP (Live Projection Painting) where she uses her multidisciplinary techniques to paint films to life - live. She presented 'Tales of the Mother tongue' at her first Biennale; The 6th Marrakesh Biennale 2016 (MB6), which has recently gone on to tour in Venice/Italy and Brighton/UK, in 2018 presenting this unique and immersive technique into theaters in the UK, for the first time.

She is co-creator of the practice of LPP along with her all female, former London collaborative; Thre3 Strokes (Athena Anastasiou, Emily Campbell-Burdett, Estabrak).

Since 2014 she has been developing & working on her solo collection of LPPs internationally.