alia ali...

An angled view of a thick hardcover book on a white background. The cover features a dark blue and black pattern with irregular white polka dots. The spine has a contrasting design of black and white stripes, with the name alia ali written in lime green. The colorful patterned edge of the pages is also visible.

A book stands upright against a white background, casting a soft shadow. Its cover features a dynamic pattern of large, distorted white polka dots on a dark blue background that resembles draped fabric. The spine has a contrasting vertical band with geometric patterns in black, white, and blue.

A hardcover book by Alia Ali, shown open at an angle on a white background. The cover features a dark blue fabric with a pattern of irregular white polka dots. The spine is decorated with blue and white vertical stripes. The inside back cover is a solid, bright lime green with the text alia ali ... printed in a simple font.

An angled, overhead shot of a book with a blue, brown, and white batik-patterned cover and a vertically striped spine. The book is slightly open, revealing a bright, lime-green inside cover with several lines of black text printed on it, all against a white background.

A high-angle, close-up shot of an art book lying in an open, vibrant lime-green case. The book's cover is black with a torn bottom edge that reveals a textured white image underneath. The exposed spine features a bold, geometric pattern in black, white, and blue. Blue text is visible on the inside of the lime green cover.

An angled shot of a thick book with a modern, graphic design, set against a white background. The cover is matte black with a jagged, torn edge on the right, revealing a textured white and grey abstract pattern underneath. The spine has a bold geometric design of black blocks alternating with sections of blue and white diagonal stripes.

A vertical abstract art piece with a large, textured black rectangle. A decorative border with blue, white, and black geometric patterns runs down the left side. The bottom edge of the black rectangle is torn, revealing a white, diagonally pleated surface underneath.

An open notebook on a white surface. The left page features a photograph of an ornate, historic building illuminated at night, rendered in a red and purple duotone. The right page is bright blue with a repeating pattern of green and white stylized leaves.

An open book with a two-page spread. The left page is dark green, featuring two photographs of a figure in shimmering blue fabric above a block of text. The right page is light blue and contains a poem with staggered, centered lines about choice and self-creation.

An angled view of a rectangular canvas wrapped in fabric with a traditional batik pattern. The intricate design features circular and abstract shapes in shades of blue, brown, and white with dot work on a black background. A contrasting geometric border with blue, white, and black stripes runs along the right side.

A high-angle view of an open book on a white surface, showing its table of contents and colophon page. The page is a bright chartreuse yellow with blue serif text. Chapter titles like BORDERLAND, INDIGO, and MIGRATION are listed with page numbers on the left. The right edge of the page features a decorative border with a blue and white geometric pattern.

A hardcover book titled alia ali ... lies diagonally on a textured gray surface. The cover is a vibrant blue fabric with a pattern of irregular white polka dots. A contrasting geometric pattern of stripes and blocks in blue, white, and black adorns the spine. A bright lime-green label on the front displays the title and the publisher, Hatje Cantz.

A hand holds open a book with a blue and brown batik-style fabric cover, set against a plain gray background. The inside cover is a vivid lime green, featuring lines of fragmented, poetic text printed in a dark blue font.

An open art book lies on a neutral surface. The book has a patterned exterior and bright lime-green inner covers. The left inner cover has fragmented blue text, and the right inner cover reads alia ali... The book block has a dark gray cover that is torn at the bottom, revealing white, textured pages underneath, and a decorative blue and white headband at the spine.

An overhead shot of a person's hand turning a page in a hardcover book. The book has a lime green spine and a dark blue interior. The page being turned is glossy and features a blue and white polka dot pattern on one side and a chevron pattern on the other, revealing a page with blue text and graphics underneath.

A hand turns a page with a red and black plaid pattern in a colorful art book. The book lies open on a grey surface, revealing yellow pages with text and graphic images, and a bright chartreuse green spine and inside cover.

A two-panel image displaying a variety of floral block-printed textiles. On the left, a dress with a blue and white patterned skirt is displayed in a wall niche within a room covered in fabric with a smaller blue and green floral pattern. The right panel is a close-up of a draped salmon-pink fabric with large blue flowers and green leaves, set against a white fabric with a similar design.

A two-page spread from a book with a light green background, displaying a grid of twenty framed artworks made from vibrant, patterned African wax print fabrics. Many of the textile artworks feature human figures draped and camouflaged by the colorful cloth. Each piece is labeled with a title and year, accompanied by blocks of explanatory text.

A triptych of blue-tinted photographs on a pale yellow background. On the left, an overhead shot shows water filling a bucket, positioned above a motion-blurred image of a person wearing a head wrap. The larger photo on the right shows a hand mixing materials in a bucket of water.

A digital layout on a green background featuring twelve photographs and two columns of text. Each photograph shows a figure completely covered and camouflaged in a vibrant, patterned wax print fabric, standing against a matching background. The accompanying text discusses the complex cultural and colonial history of these textiles.

Light green text on a blue background presents a wordplay poem in three stanzas. The first reads: Neeli fruit, Bunni clouds, Surrounded by Noor. The second stanza isolates double letters: ee fruit, nn clouds, Surrounded by oo. The third shows the words with the double letters removed: N li fruit, Bu i clouds, Surrounded by N r.

A close-up of a figure draped in several colorful, block-printed fabrics. The figure's head is covered in a bright blue textile with white leaves and a pink wrap featuring two decorative patches that resemble sunglasses with a palm tree pattern. The background is a green fabric with a repeating white and purple leaf-like motif.

A diptych art piece separated by a beige bar. On the left, a figure viewed from behind is completely covered in vibrant, clashing red and blue plaid fabrics, including a headwrap. The figure is set against a matching plaid background inside a plaid-covered frame. On the right is a close-up of a large, bold red and black buffalo check fabric, with the texture of the weave visible.

A diptych image contrasts a close-up of a draped blue and white block-printed fabric with a view of a maximalist interior. On the right, a staircase with a white railing is surrounded by walls, a ceiling, and framed art, all covered in a colorful patchwork of various floral and geometric patterned wallpapers.

A diptych image. The left panel is a close-up of brightly colored, folded textiles with floral patterns in yellow and red. The right panel shows an art installation in a room corner, where the walls and ceiling are covered in various floral wallpapers. On the wall hangs a large piece of art showing a seated figure completely obscured by patterned fabric, blending into the floral background.

An open book displays a two-page spread of a vibrant African wax print fabric. The pattern features large, circular, shell-like shapes in a deep blue, detailed with black triangles and spirals. These are set against a bright yellow-orange background covered in a dense pattern of small black swirls and lines.

alia ali...

One Of Many

€ 60.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

Edited by: Kristi Jones

February 2025, 512 Pages, 330 colored photos

Hardcover

178mm x 236mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5945-8

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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Rather than a monograph, a drawing of one, Alia Ali presents with this book a multi-graph, a drawing of many. Ali deconstructs artificial binaries to examine inherited political narratives—diaspora, identity, borders—through the lens of photography, language, textile, and architectural installations. A map of patterns emerges, interwoven with artist statements, research images, exchanges with collaborators, and fragments of her journals. Words and images draw us simultaneously into the micro musings of the artist's mind and zoom out to a macro reflection of the global and communal nature of the artist's practice. Ali's multi-graph is a textural experience in which each page is folded upon itself, leaving one wondering at what is invisible in plain sight.

This extraordinary book also impresses with its special form of Japanese binding.

Alia Ali (*1985, Austria) is a Yemeni-Bosnian-American multimedia artist who lives and works in New Orleans, Paris, Marrakech, and Jaipur. Her interdisciplinary works combine photography, textiles, language, and installations to challenge cultural identities and political narratives. Ali's works have been exhibited worldwide and are renowned for their vibrant patterns, profound themes, and innovative artistic approaches that transcend the boundaries between tradition and modernity.

Zona Maco Mexico (February 2025)
Benrubi, New York (March 2025)
Octavia Gallery, New Orleans (April 2025)

Wayne State University, Detroit (February - April 2025)

Loft Gallery, Marrakech (September 2025)
Loft Gallery, Casablanca (October 2025)
Galerie Peter Sillem, Frankfurt (November 2025)