Mohammed Kazem has explored new methods for capturing his surrounding environment and personal experiences through works using video, photography, and performance media. His works primarily address themes of spatial and temporal localization and the variability of light, raising issues related to the loss of cultural identity in his rapidly modernizing homeland of Dubai.
Kazem’s works often feature the artist himself. In Directions (2002), he throws wooden pieces inscribed with GPS coordinates into the sea, and their drifting and transport to different locations are captured in photographs and video. This work was inspired by his own experience of falling into the sea and being overcome by helplessness and powerlessness. As the coordinates drift, clues for knowing direction are lost, and while the boundary between present and future becomes ambiguous, it also seems to suggest infinite possibilities unbound by anything.
In Photographs with Flags (1997-2003), Kazem stands beside flags marking Dubai’s develop- ment sites, gazing at desert and sea landscapes and locations where new infrastructure such as roads and buildings will be constructed, appearing like a witness to his era and its changes. These photographs evoke memories of place for viewers and guide them toward the future. In this work, he continues to pause within constantly changing landscapes over a long period, directing his gaze toward things that are being overlooked.