For its second show in the new Alserkal Avenue space, Dubai, Efie Gallery presents Time Heals Quickly, Just Not Fast Enough—a group exhibition of film and photography curated by Ose Ekore. Opening 1st June, the show reflects on how we experience time, especially during uncertain moments, and how we come through those seasons changed, shaped, and hopefully, renewed. The exhibition focuses on Africa and its Middle Eastern diasporic connections, featuring work by Samuel Fosso (b. 1962), Aïda Muluneh (b. 1974), Kelani Abass (b. 1978), Abeer Sultan (b. 1999), and Sumayah Fallatah (b. 2000).
These artists explore memory, identity, and cultural ties through personal and collective lenses. Sumayah Fallatah’s I Became You So I Lost Myself pieces together old family photographs, indigo-dyed fabrics, and red thread. Her work speaks of losing a sense of self—while also tapping into the strength of inherited memory and shared roots.
Samuel Fosso brings over 20 works from his Lifestyle Series (1974–1978), created in his youth while exploring African American style and expression. Inspired by Cameroonian-Nigerian musician Prince Nico Mbarga, Fosso’s self-portraits blur the lines between cultures, revealing deep connections that stretch across continents and eras. His lens feels both personal and political—reshaping identity as a form of quiet resistance.
Kelani Abass explores constructed social and political identities through photographic portraits of women who have long served as matriarchal pillars within families and communities. By centering them as subjects within both historical and contemporary contexts, his work underscores their enduring role as steadfast guardians of cultural identity. These images not only highlight women’s agency but also affirm their vital, often uncelebrated, contributions to shaping societal narratives.
Aïda Muluneh and Abeer Sultan offer two very different, but beautifully linked, approaches to rewriting identity. Muluneh, founder of Addis Foto Fest, creates powerful, surreal portraits of women—timeless figures drawn from myth, memory, and imagination. Meanwhile, Abeer Sultan—a West African-Saudi artist—dives into the ocean . Her artworks mimic marine life through streakily blue hues, weaving together underwater worlds and ancestral stories. Though film, she building bridges between places through shared symbolism from these two aquatic and marine regions.
At a time when global and cultural narratives are shifting fast, Time Heals Quickly, Just Not Fast Enough offers space to pause. It holds the past, speaks to the now, and leans toward the future—all through the eyes of artists navigating identity, time, and change.
The exhibition runs until 30th July 2025. Click here to view full press release
