Tamara Al Pachachi

The Abandoned Mural Houses of Karbabad

Tamara S. Al Pachachi, Untitled #1, from the series Karbabad Mural Houses (2019), archival pigment print, 29.7 x 42 cm. Courtesy of the Artist.

As you walk around the withering shells of the mural houses, now a mélange of muted colors, shapes, and forms that are patched together with abstract wood and cement-like puzzle pieces, their ephemeral qualities seem to dance at sunset.

Tamara S. Al Pachachi (originally Iraqi, b. 1978) is an independent Bahrain-based artist and documentary photographer. An old soul and third culture kid, she grew up in Kuwait, Vienna, and London before settling with her family in Bahrain  in 1994. Her documentary work is influenced by her surroundings and heritage, as well as  an overriding universal theme of love/the human condition. She has been featured in several exhibitions and has written features and interviews for regional publications such as Brownbook. She was awarded a scholarship in 2020 to VII Photo Agency’s workshop, No Man’s Land. Tamara’s biggest inspirations are Luigi Guirri, Saul Leiter, David du Chemin, and William Eggleston.

Website: www.visura.co/alpachachi

Instagram: @tsalpachachi / @pachachi.me