Dressed in a kandura and riding a bicycle, Ammar Al Attar seems to be going nowhere. His tyre tracks have drawn wide circles in the dirt, or rather a single large circle emboldened by numerous overlapping ones. Yet, Al Attar isn’t slowing down. His camera captures him in a blur, persevering steadily towards the circle ahead.

The monochrome photograph – showcased in the Emirati artist’s solo exhibition at Iris Projects in MiZa, Abu Dhabi – has been overlaid with paint. Smaller circles have been dotted in an ochre hue along the tyre tracks. A blue circle has been painted in the centre, a streak of acrylic dripping from it.

Circles are ubiquitous in the exhibition. Al Attar, known for his performative approach to photography, is presenting a range of work that accentuates the shape’s association with the cycles of daily life and routine.

Ammar Al Attar and Maryam Al Falasi. Photo: Iris Projects

Running until November 26, Silent Residues is Al Attar’s first solo exhibition. For the uninitiated, it is a wonderful entry point into his practice, showing how it forms a key part of the contemporary avant-garde scene in the UAE. For those already familiar with his work, the exhibition shows an artist expanding his horizons, embracing the performative and autobiographical while also experimenting with sound, printmaking and sculpture.

“The exhibition has been a very interesting journey,” says Maryam Al Falasi, founder of