Bedroom (Baba)
- Artist: Farah Al Qasimi
- Date: 2018
- Medium: Photograph, inkjet print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 1128 × 1510 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Bedroom (Baba)” by Farah Al Qasimi, created in 2018 as a photograph printed in inkjet on paper. The image captures a private interior—a bedroom in the UAE—filled with bold, saturated colors, shimmering textiles and heavy decoration. It’s part of a small edition, each piece carefully staged to blur boundaries between public and private space.
Al Qasimi often photographs the homes of relatives in the Emirates, using these rooms to explore gendered dynamics and the lingering influence of colonial history on taste and class. The bedroom’s maximalist palette and eclectic furnishings hint at a “post‑colonial hangover,” where Western luxury mixes with local traditions. The woman’s presence is hinted at more than shown; she’s suggested through a folded blanket and an absent face, a subtle nod to privacy while still asserting her identity.
The photograph invites the viewer to feel the texture and atmosphere of the space, while encouraging reflection on how interior design can reflect broader cultural narratives.
See it in person
Bedroom (Baba) is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
