Hiba Ali

contents

1. bio

photo credit: lea gubic

dr. hiba ali is a digital artist, scholar, and professor of performance, play and design (university of california) whose visionary practice moves across immersive digital environments, sculpture-based installations, and performance. based between santa cruz and berlin, ali has emerged as a leading voice at the intersection of contemporary art, technology, and embodied knowledge. ali coined the term digital somatics to describe a pioneering artistic methodology that brings together the body, mind, and spirit through game design, worldbuilding, and narrative systems. working with virtual reality, 3d animation, augmented reality, and computational media, ali creates transformative digital worlds that function as portals for healing, collective imagination, and radical futures.
in 2025, ali founded the digital somatics institute (dsi), a nomadic physical and digital research community advancing experimental digital art through xr, vr, ar, and somatic–therapeutic practices. ali is the recipient of the 2024 performing and creative arts fellowship from the american institute of indian studies, was a 2024–2025 member of new inc's art and code track, and serves as a 2024–2026 digital fellow at akademie schloss solitude in stuttgart.
ali's work has been exhibited internationally at museums, biennials, and festivals including the new museum, belladonna, index nyc, uaad.art (new york), transmediale, re: publica (berlin), kunstverein pforzheim, vbkö (vienna), ars electronica (linz), onassis stegi (athens), akademie schloss solitude (stuttgart), the art institute of chicago, the chicago architecture biennial, deichtorhallen (hamburg), centre a (vancouver), the horse hospital and 15 folds (london), the portland art museum, interaccess and trinity square video (toronto), alserkal avenue (dubai), dhow countries music academy (zanzibar), rehnsgatan 3 (stockholm), kalakendra (dhaka), umam d and r (beirut), the oberhausen international short film festival, imc5533 (istanbul), and file – electronic language international festival (são paulo), among many others.
born in karachi, pakistan, and raised between chicago and toronto, ali's practice traces the oceanic histories of the indian ocean world, connecting the swahili, arabian, and red seas with the coromandel coast. these maritime lineages shape a transnational artistic language rooted in migration, memory, kinship, and the circulation of peoples, finding home across swahili, urdu, hindi, bengali, arabic, tamil, and telugu.
as a professor, educator, and public intellectual, ali develops pedagogies that integrate decolonial, feminist, anti-racist, and somatic approaches with artistic research and emerging technologies. teaching and public programs have spanned universities, artist-run centers, and community organizations, including ox-bow, interaccess, the power plant, alserkal avenue, powrplnt, index space nyc, the school for poetic computation, york university, queen's university, and the university of oregon.

note: the use of lowercase on this site denotes a turn away from egotism embedded in the english language (danah michele boyd) and towards ideas of the collective (bell hooks) and reminds us of the many realities, names and glyphs that cannot be said in such a colonial language.

2. education

2024

phd in cultural studies, queens university, kingston, ontario, canada.

2018

masters in fine arts in transmedia, the university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

2013

bachelor of arts in visual, critical studies, school of the art institute of chicago, illinois, u.s.a.

2012

bachelor of fine arts in film, video, new media and animation, school of the art institute of chicago, illinois, u.s.a.

3. grants, awards & residencies

2026

on parasiting residency, berlin zentrum für kunst und urbanistik, berlin, germany.

2025

emerging new media artist program (eap), diriyah art futures, riyadh, saudi arabia.

naduve: a scholar-activism gathering at the edges of possibility, convened by bayo akomolafe, school of ancient wisdom, bangalore, india.

akademie schloss solitude fellowship, digital practice, stuttgart, germany.

2024

senior performing and creative arts fellowship, american institute of indian studies, new delhi, india.

phreatic fury, waters uprising, materia abierta residency, universidad nacional autónoma de méxico (unam) with cultura unam, through casa del lago unam, cátedra extraordinaria max aub, and museo tamayo, mexico city, mexico.

esperimento sul respiro residency, organized across como, and lucca, italy.

center for art research project incubator fellow, university of oregon, eugene, or.

kit reed travel fund 2024, women who submit, los angeles, ca.

y11 incubator membership, art and code track, new inc, nyc, ny.

summer stipend for humanities and creative arts faculty, awarded by center for study of women in society, jointly funded by the college of arts and sciences, college of design oregon humanities, center school of music and dance, university of oregon, eugene, or.

2023

wndx x nimac experimental moving image awards, winnipeg, manitoba, canada.

dreaming beyond ai: in the loop residency on artificial intelligence and time, hamburg, germany.

drinking gourd fellowship, nat turner project, portland, or.

anaphora bipoc writing residency, santa monica, ca.

2021

data as metamorphosis workshop and lecture series, williams instructional fund, university of oregon, eugene, or

center for the study of women in society grant awardee, university of oregon, eugene, oregon.

art of surveillance lecture series support, division of equity and inclusion funding, university of oregon, eugene, oregon.

faculty development grant, women of color faculty group funding, university of oregon, eugene, oregon.

2020

black indian ocean series funding, oregon humanities center, university of oregon, eugene, oregon.

president’s student initiative award, queen’s university, kingston, ontario, canada.

squeaky wheel artist and mentor in residence, squeaky wheel, buffalo, new york.

ada dada residency, south asian visual art centre, toronto, ontario, canada.

daïmôn virtual residencies, gatineau, quebec, canada.

forest city gallery instagram takeover, london, on

south asia.art instagram micro-residency, new york city, ny

left contemporary instagram takeover, windsor, on

2019

graduate dean’s doctoral field travel grant, queens’ university, kingston, ontario, canada.

psac 901 labour research/arts scholarship, psac 901 union, kingston, ontario, canada.

near north mobile media lab instagram takeover, north bay, on

video art residency, trinity square video, toronto, ontario, canada.

images festival forum, toronto, ontario, canada.

2018

connect: curatorial residency, roots and culture contemporary art center, chicago, illinois, u.s.a.

2016-2018

deming scholarship, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

doty scholarship, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

hage scholarship, austin, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

miller wells scholarship, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

albert krehbiel scholarship, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

2017

welcome to my homepage residency, museum of human achievement, austin, texas, u.s.a.

digital mapping and the politics of place residency, modern fuel, kingston, ontario, canada.

2016

college of fine arts travel grant scholarship, university of texas at austin, texas, u.s.a.

acre residency: session 2, steuben, wisconsin, u.s.a.

2008-2013

merit scholarship recipient, school of art institute of chicago, illinois, u.s.a.

4. press

work featured in a book or podcast

2023

dreaming beyond ai. “hiba ali and digital networks as sites of healing.” produced by in the loop. november 20, 2023. podcast, 10:47.

ginwala, natasha. 2023. “between waves and sea change.” critical conversations, no. issue 22: 138-157. publication.

2022

fournier, lauren. autotheory as feminist practice in art, writing, and criticism. cambridge: mit press, april 12, 2022. academic book.

2020

bonhomme, edna. i dont center domination. decolonization in action, season 2, episode 8, june 5, 2020. podcast, 36:14, berlin, germany.

jackson, ariel. to be a box: hiba ali, cage match projects, may 2020, podcast, 22:55.

exhibition reviews and interviews

2024

women and their work, “hiba ali – lullabies for the stars in our eyes,” youtube, october 24, 2024.

2023

lewis-joseph, taelor, this digital artform can bring dreams to life in no time flat, digi-art series, toronto: cbc arts, online interview, canada

yıldız öztürk, sanat ve güvencesizlik: artık konuşmanın zamanı gelmedi mi?, argonatlat, istanbul, tr

2022

how its made by hiba ali, school of the art institute of chicago, chicago, illinois

2021

review: joy xiang, moving ether way exhibition, canadian art magazine, canada

interview: on language, technology, and power: jennifer chan in conversation with hiba ali, art, hyperallergic magazine

making the invisible visible in an amazonified world: a conversation with artist hiba ali and czarina mendoza during a time of lockdown, off center magazine

2020

may alkharafi, street photography ethics beyond consent: a relational approach to an ethics of encounter, the graduate school, art education, the pennsylvania state university, 2020

artist and educator hiba ali on reframing productivity, creative independent

review: cluster xi digital edition – online festival, mariana muñoz gomez, akimblog

2019

interview: meet peccy, the bizarre, beloved mascot you didn’t know amazon had, henry mccracken, fast company

article: your eyes don't lie, ariana dongus, nxs #4 algorithmic anxiety, nxs side nodes pt. 3, nxs world, amsterdam, ne

review: autotheory: hiba ali, madelyne beckles, thirza cuthand, andrew james paterson, evan tyler, allyson mitchell, deirdre logue, chelsea rozansky, c magazine, issue 141, graphic design, spring 2019

2018

interview: hiba ali worked at an amazon fulfillment center and makes art about it, drew zeiba, vulture

review: femme new media cause for 'palpitations', kt hawbaker, chicago tribune

review: between the body and the touchscreen: a review of “her environment #7: murmurs and palpitations” at tcc gallery, luke fidler, newcity

episode 649: hiba ali, bad at sports podcast, chicago, il

5. distro

vtape

• postcolonial language (2013)

• h1ba - curses (2019)

• shura city (2014)

• neo-neon (2012)

6. exhibitions

solo exhibitions

2026

spiral networks of remembrance and elation, kunstverein pforzheim, pforzheim, germany

2025

digital somatics: to breath as stars do, ori gallery, portland, oregon.

2024

lullabies for the stars in our eyes, women and their work, austin, tx.

2023

oceans we carry: rough as silk, squeaky wheel, buffalo, ny

solo digital space, the beauty that is our excitement: a meditation, memory card: new art city festival grounds 2023, online; curated by olivia alonso gough / @bug_girl_69

2022

rough as silk, modern fuel, kingston, ontario, canada

“it’s not fair," (solo booth at fair) fusebox festival, austin, tx

sonic collide-o-scope, (solo digital space) chicago artists coalition, chicago, il; curated by courtney cintron

2021

in the weeds, roman susan art foundation, chicago architecture biennial, chicago, il

2020

abra, left contemporary, digital exhibition, windsor, ontario, canada

abra, xpace cultural centre, toronto, ontario, canada

abra, telegenic arts festival, (solo booth at fair) toronto, ontario, canada

2018

thinking outside the ‘net: the box that could talk, museum of human achievement, austin, tx

2017

satellites, whippersnapper gallery, toronto, ontario, canada

satellites, (commissioned solo project) alserkal avenue, dubai, united arab emirates

2013

scii tv installation, saic leroy neiman center, ex tv, chicago, il

two-person exhibitions

2018

alienated rhythm (duo-exhibition with johnathan chacon), ori gallery, portland, or

2014

drones (collaboration with asher j. kohn), ann arbor art center, ann arbor, mi; curated by gallery project

2013

drones (collaboration with asher j. kohn), eastern market, detroit, mi; curated by gallery project

group exhibitions

2026

watering the somatic oasis, dreaming beyond ai, ifa gallery, stuttgart, germany.

watering the somatic oasis, nina festival, l863, rome, italy.

watering the somatic oasis, nina festival, nuovo armenia, milan, italy.

indigo waves, savvy contemporary in collaboration with gropius bau, berlin, germany.

spiral networks of remembrance and elation, kibanda videohalle, transmediale, berlin, germany.

2025

primordial wetness, stories for metabolic futures, akademie schloss solitude, stuttgart, germany, curated by matilde outeiro, fabian fayola und sophie-charlotte thieroff as part of the art, science, and business program.

watering the somatic oasis, open solitude, akademie schloss solitude, stuttgart, germany.

watering the somatic oasis, neuromantics, soho house, curated by uaad art and danielle peterson, nyc, ny.

demo 2025: embodied algorithms/ collective mechanisms, art and code track showcase, new museum, nyc, new york.

2024

in the loop – on artificial intelligence and time, curated by dreaming beyond ai, re:publica, berlin, germany.

lullabies for tears, a phosphene rifts, commissioned project curated by hearth, vector festival 2024, interaccess, toronto, ontario, canada.

2023

drinking gourd fellowship exhibition, nat turner project, oregon contemporary, portland, or.

dreaming beyond ai, deichtorhallen internationale kunst und fotografie, hamburg, germany.

extract, dead projects (virtual exhibition space), toronto, ontario, canada.

shura city, the living room 2.0: intimate entanglements, capture photography festival, centre a, vancouver, bc; curated by henry heng lu

workers liberation as environmental justice installation, shape of your error, imc5533, istanbul, tr; curated by melih aydemir

2022

warming the tones of our heart and spirit hypercity: long winter, augmented reality art exhibition, toronto, on; curated by mitra fakhrashrafi

pig lunch installation, i gently place my brain in cold rice, oregon contemporary, curated by homeschoolpdx, portland, or

workers liberation as environmental justice installation, terms and conditions, interaccess, toronto, on, curated by barbara cueto and bas hendrikx

curses digital installation, sonic collide-o-scope, chicago artists coalition, chicago, il, curated with new art city by courtney cintron

rough as silk exhibition, modern fuel, kingston, on

vanishing act, queer arts festival, vancouver, bc, curated by adwait singh

curses installation, "its not fair" fusebox festival, austin, tx

fruit loops: video art live screening, curated by marissa sean cruz, struts gallery, sackville, nb, ca

2021

you and ai: through the algorithmic lens, curated by irini mirena papadimitriou and valentino catricalà, maker faire rome, european edition 2021 – 9th edition, rome, it

not your family whatsapp, coaxial arts, los angeles, ca

the algorithm and the park, ars electronica garden athens, ars electronica festival, athens, greece

your flex-friend, danbo, youar sculpture shop, curated by jeremy bailey and charlene lau, toronto. on

you and ai: through the algorithmic lens, pedion tou areos, athens greece; curated by irini mirena papadimitriou, onassis foundation

epic ephemera: myths and rituals, portland art museum, curated by mobile projection unit, portland, or

curses screening, sistership tv, episode 2 , symbolists: les fleurs du mal exhibition, hesse flatow, nyc, ny

2020

alquimia rítmica/rhythmic alchemy, galería de arte sonoro / sound art gallery, austin, tx, curated by jay and vlad

moving ether way, trinity square video, toronto, on, curated by holly chang and karina iskandarsjah

abra: digital exhibition, left contemporary, windsor, on

abra, external space, xpace cultural centre, essay by sajdeep soomal, toronto, on

queer islam mini reading list, zoonautic_crystal112 digital exhibition, tropical contemporary, eugene, or

the struggle for change, murmurs, los angeles, ca

abra screening, curated by katie micak and martin zeilinger, vector festival 2020: online edition, toronto, on

h1ba – curses screening, v-tape program, oberhausen international short film festival, oberhausen, ge

shura city screening, curated by vtape and cfmdc, oberhausen international short film festival, oberhausen, ge

hiba ali en résidence virtuelle launch, as part of daimon residency, gatineau, qc and online

abra screening, cluster festival digital edition, toronto, on

no connections book launch, glad day, toronto, on

2019

curses screening, winter jams mvp: music video, trinity square video, toronto, on; curated by karina iskandarsjah

no connections book launch + flat pack launch party, the dude ranch, austin, tx; organized by connor frew

on the tip of my tongue (with flat pack pubs), carnation contemporary, portland, or

curses screening, interference: women making noise fest 2019, north door, austin, tx, curated by tara reed

con-tain-er screening, video art program, file-2019(electronic language international festival), sesi gallery of art, sao paulo, br

h1ba: curses screening, sistership tv, bump television, toronto, on

to be a box screening, scan the difference: gender, surveillance, and bodies series, vbkö (association of austrian women,) vienna, au; curated by vanessa gravenor, nina prader, and e. bonhomme

abra screening, scan the difference: gender, surveillance, and bodies series, vbkö (association of austrian women,) vienna, au, curated by vanessa gravenor, nina prader, and e. bonhomme

postcolonial language, autotheory screening, horse hospital, london, uk, curated by lauren fournier

abra screening, video fever 2019, trinity video square, toronto, on

2018

tell a star installation, bossbabestx festival, museum of human achievement, austin, tx

to be a box screening, women of the global south and its diasporas: rights, representation, activism symposium, university of leeds, eng

postcolonial language_, back by popular demand...autotheory: the screening, vtape, online and toronto, ca

untitled (grls) screening, extv september 2018 monitor programming, school of the art institute of chicago, chicago, il

alienated labor (with jonathan chacon), ori gallery, portland, or; curated by yun chiu

i/c/u (with homeschoopdx,) s1, portland, or, curated by hiba ali

u.n.i.t., roots and culture contemporary art center, chicago, il, curated by hiba ali

tell a star installation, affordable dreamhouse, mfa 2018 ut-austin thesis exhibition, visual art center, austin, tx

postcolonial language, autotheory screening, vtape, online, curated by lauren fournier

thinking outside the ‘net: the box that could talk, museum of human achievement, austin, tx; organized by welcome to my homepage residency

her environment #7: murmurs and palpitations, tcc gallery, chicago, il; curated by her environment

2017

satellites screening, room before, visual art center, austin, tx; curated by veronica roberts

con-tain-er installation, an elsewhere within here, acre projects, chicago, il; curated by josh rios

hiba ali: modern fuel screening and panel, modern fuel, kingston, on 2017 moderated by keren zaiontz and miranda ramnares, queens university, kingston, on

satellites, whippersnapper gallery, toronto, on

the dangerous professors, triumph, chicago, il

new normal, the hangar – umam d and r, istanbul, tr; curated by hiba farhat and murat adash

property, roman susan, chicago, il; curated by nathan smith

electric women, curated by lauren valley, online

the feminist art project @ rutgers university, online

satellites digital commission, alserkal avenue, dubai, uae

2016

take this gum and stick it (collaboration with diamond antoinette stingily), ellis king, dublin, ireland; curated by nasrin leahy

playscapes (collaboration with amina ross), chicago artists coalition, chicago, il

on off shore (commission for vanessa gravenor), helmut newton foundation, berlin, germany; curated by paul feigelfeld

a screening program, the biopolitical image (commission for vanessa gravenor), cca, ujazdowski castle, warsaw, poland

code/switch, woman made, chicago, il; curated by kayla anderson

screening series no. 1: in the name of the media, 456 forum, new york, ny; curated by william song

the set speaks acre tv (acretv.org), chicago, il; curated by amina ross

2014

systema, zhulong gallery, dallas, tx; curated by aja martin

#everythingallatonce, white cube, london, uk; curated by 15 folds

satellite, zhulong gallery, dallas, tx; curated by aja martin

streetlight: hiba ali, roman susan gallery, chicago, il

drones (collaboration with asher j. kohn), ann arbor art center, ann arbor, mi; curated by gallery project

2013

scii tv: neiman center debut, saic leroy neiman center, chicago, il curated by ex tv and sugs projects

the wrong: the new digital art biennale, online; curated by the wrong

versus reality, sugs leroy neiman center gallery, chicago, il; curated by snow yunxue fu and hiba ali

drones (collaboration with asher j. kohn), eastern market, detroit, mi; curated by gallery project

murmuration drone festival: shura city, the state, dubai, uae

lectures & panels

2023

in conversation: hiba ali with beheroze shroff and zavier wingham, as part of the rough as silk exhibition, buffalo, ny

hiba ali at the plasma speaker series, department of media study, university at buffalo north campus, buffalo, ny

hiba ali at the alternative cinema series, alternative cinema series, colgate university, hamilton, ny

2022

artist talk: rough as silk exhibition, modern fuel, kingston, on

artist talk, art 120 studio art practice, tabitha nikolai, winter 2022, college of the arts, school of art + designportland state university, portland, or

2021

artist talk, fashioning future forms, d. denenge duyst-akpem and laure prieto-valasco, fall 2021, department of architecture/interior arch/designed objects, school of the art institute of chicago, chicago, il

field trip: hiba ali, the power plant, toronto, on

organize amazon! panel, convened by ryan hayes, mayworks festival, toronto, on

the whole sell publication screening and panel with nina sarnelle, organized by praxis oslo, los angeles, ca

artist talk, transmedia i, ariel jackson, winter 2021, university of texas-austin, austin, tx

on the language of anti-blackness and the indian ocean: hiba ali with jazmin graves and beheroze shroff, squeaky wheel, buffalo, ny

2020

artist talk: hiba ali, option + shift: online lecture series, artcite, windsor, on

artist talk, 60-210 electronic media studio: introduction to interactivity, lindsey french, fall 2020, school of art, carnegie mellon university, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

artist talk, squeaky wheel artist and mentor in residence, squeaky wheel, buffalo, ny

artist talk, intermediate video production course, monique moumblow, fall 2020, intermedia program of studio arts, concordia university, montreal, qc

chapter 3 & 4 summary speaker, algorithms of oppression book club and study group, co-hosted by feminist.ai and the women’s center for creative work, los angeles, ca

amazonification under covid-19: how crisis produce crisis , summer 2020, queering media theory: women in computation iii course , karlsruhe university of arts and design, matteo pasquinelli, ariana dongus, karlsruhe, germany

future faculty career exploration program, office of faculty diversity and recruitment, rochester insitute of technology, rochester, new york

panel: calling whatsapp: our role in black liberation with hiba ali, kazi fouzia (drum) and sharmin hossain (equality labs), south asians for black lives program, moderated by equality labs

invited: 9th biennale surveillance & society conference, surveillance studies network, erasmus university rotterdam, rotterdam, netherlands

invited: civic participation in the datafied society, data justice lab 2020 conference, cardiff university, cardiff, wales, uk

amazonification: absorbing workers of color's labor as precarity and weaponized surveillance, fsac colloquium, york university, toronto, on

ctrl+shift: artists & cyber security panel (with sarah friend, aljumaine gayle, and jason li,) moderated by matthew braga, interaccess, toronto, on

2019

tell-a-star, radical networks conference, new york, nyc

amazonification: decoding scarcity as weaponized precarity, our networks conference, toronto, ca

invited:digital humanities conference 2019, utrecht university, utrecht, netherlands

amazonification of bodies: labor and facial recognition, scan the difference: gender, surveillance, and bodies series, vbkö (association of austrian women,) vienna, au, curated by vanessa gravenor, nina prader, and e. bonhomme

multiplatform storytelling lecture, winter 2019, queens film and media, stsc 339 film and performance, keren zaiontz, kingston, on

2018

hiba ali: fluidabilities: on internet, digital art and the law, electronic frontier foundation, capital factory, austin, tx

circuit_flo-id_systems: how_art_hackx_thru_binds workshop-lecture with evelyn contreras, making art, shaping society conference, feminist action project, ut-austin sac center, austin, tx

invited: 24th international symposium on electronic art (isea2018) and the 5th arts and design digital festival (digifest5) isea, durban university of technology, kwazulu-natal, south africa

tfap meeting, the feminist art project @ rutgers university college art association, los angeles, ca

talkabout: printmaking & technology (hiba ali in conversation with evelyn contreras,) women & their work gallery, austin, tx

go amazonify yourself!! skype lecture (in conjunction with her environment #7: murmurs and palpitations exhibition,) online, chicago, il & austin, tx

2017

virtualities and realities: open fields conference: lecture - deconstructing network visualities, art academy of latvia, national arts museum and rixc gallery, riga, lv

hemi gsi convergence conference: experimental collectivities, collaborations, and (dis)embodied digital experiences, york university and nyu, toronto, on

artist lecture, commons, savac, toronto, on

2016

taxi driver justice project (collaboration with project prospera), allied media conference, detroit, mi

performances

2023

reading hour with h1ba: indian ocean mix i and indian ocean mix ii: music as ritual with nada sayed, savvyzaar, savvy contemporary, berlin, germany

2022

indian ocean mixes dj set, natasha ginwala, “between waves and sea change,” critical conversations lecture, university of oregon visiting artist lecture series, eugene, or

2020

h1ba: indian ocean mix ii: music as ritual with nada sayed, montez press radio, nyc, ny

sparkle nation book club's silent reading hour with h1ba: indian ocean mix, montez press radio, nyc, ny

2019

ariel’s party: h1ba and itsi, hideout inn, chicago, il

h1ba with nada el shazly, grad club, kingston, on

2018

the diamond stingily show with bri and h1ba, rehnsgatan 3, stockholm, se

h1ba - alienated rhythm performance, ori gallery, portland, or

her environment fundraiser - night light : h1ba (live set,) digital art demo space, chicago, il

boulevard dreamers showcase: hiba (live set,) fullerton hall, art institute of chicago, chicago, il

discwoman - technofeminism: h1ba & thoom (live & dj set,) bossa nova civic club, nyc

discwoman - technofeminism: h1ba & thoom (dj set,) lot radio mix, lot radio, nyc

to be a box (performance with lilia taboada,) 2018 studio art mfa thesis colloquia: part ii, austin, tx

in session: migration as a layer, a food recipe as a layer, collage as a layer, a conversation as a layer, performance with joel mercedes, threewalls, chicago, il

h1ba set, story bar, native hostel, austin, tx

h1ba: drmix, exp 0001_01 music festival, atm gallery, austin, tx; arranged by jp/p1nkstar/iloveyou

h1ba: drum, exp 0001_01 music festival, 21st street co-op, austin, tx; arranged by jp/p1nkstar/iloveyou

2017

con-tain-er, conflict situations/situational conflict performance festival, 13th street repertory theater, new york, ny; arranged by nick faust, act up

i hate america, i love america: discussion forum, defibrillator, chicago, il; organized by lucky pierre

publications

2023

ali, hiba, essays on art: cecilia kim: when the body becomes dust and settles around you, washington d.c.: hamiltonian gallery, commissioned exhibition catalogue.

2022

ali, hiba and nina sarnelle. appendix: art and action, chapter 14, amazon: at the intersection of culture and capital. eds, paul smith, alexander monea, maillim santiago), rowman & littlefield publishers, inc.

no longer afraid to let go, rivering towards # 271 chaplet, works from a desert water poetic, belladonna, nyc, ny

hiba ali and simone johnson, storytelling, alghe brune e diaspore, arabpop: mare issue (novembre 2022), tamu edizioni, napoli, it

workers liberation as environmental justice: beyond amazon's plantationocene beyond post-humanism(tm), antennea: the journal of nature in visual culture, spring 2022 issue. eds. giovanni aloi and betelhem makonnen, uk

there is butterfly at the back of your throat, pidzn, portland, or

2021

towards abolishing carceral technologies: why face recognition in the united stated needs to be banned, kim blog, karlsruhe university of arts and design, karlsruhe, baden-württemberg, de

hit list, akimblog, toronto, on

2020

review: hiba ali, architecture after the asylum: hannah hull, agata mrozowski, maria-saroja ponnambalam and rupali mozaria, arielle tai, joe wood , issue 146: humour, c magazine, toronto, on

review: over the moon: tabita rezaire offers healing and meditation through art, newcity art magazine, online

murmurs book recommendations , murmurs, los angeles, ca

the meaning wavers exhibition catalogue essay, commissioned by women & their work gallery, austin, tx

fournier, lauren, autotheory, mit press: cambridge, ma

2019

review: savage ecology, toward freedom, online

feature: amazon’s surveillance system is a global risk to people of color, zora: medium, online

review: mapping psycho-social connections: a review of jonathas de andrade at the mca, newcity magazine, online

review: new age, new age: strategies of survival, depaul art museum, chicago, il, online

feature: facial recognition, peccy, precarious labour: the human cost of amazon, rtv magazine, pl, online and print

poetry: no connections, flatpack publications, online & austin, tx

feature: syphon 5.1: my life is not your ______., modern fuel artist run centre, kingston, on, online and print

2018

review: an expression of the divine: a review of martine syms at the graham foundation, newcity art magazine, online

review: the personal and private collapse in the digital age: a review of “let me consider it from here,” newcity magazine, online

feature: seasonal associate, the human cost of amazon, topical cream magazine, online

essays: i/c/u: connection and control, letra cheucha, homeschoolpdx, edited by hiba ali & manuel arturo abreu

review: the long view on chicago’s artistic history, a book review of “art in chicago: a history from the fire to now”, newcity magazine, online

review: contending with the internet as medium and infrastructure: a review of “i was raised on the internet” at the museum of contemporary art, newcity magazine, online

feature: issue 7: on, under and between the border// navigating the carceral state, the seen publication, print

review: clarissa tossin: meeting of waters, blanton museum, austin, tx, the seen publication

review: irl: computer p$yentology, museum of human achievement, fusebox festival, austin, tx, conflict on interest publication

feature: tell a star zine, austin, tx and online

2017

feature: placeholder publication, victor pérez-rul; curated by leslie moody castro

2016

review: like flesh, film is frail: a review of luther price at mana contemporary, newcity, chicago, il

review: michael rakowitz // graham foundation & rhona hoffman gallery, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: george kuchar // iceberg projects, the seen magazine, chicago, il

book: the seen - issue 03, stephanie cristello (ed.), expo chicago, motto distribution

review: rodrigo lara zendejas: la paz, hyde park art center, vam magazine

interview: borderland collective: northern triangle, threewalls, vam magazine

review: austin brown: mudroom, the mission, the seen

review: century safe, roman susan, newcity

review: home ground: contemporary art from the barjeel art foundation, aga khan museum, the seen

review: weight of rage, hyde park art center, newcity

interview: #newglobalmatriarchy with mackrandilal and stephanie graham, chicago artists coalition, vam magazine

review: nexo/nexus: latin american connections in the midwest, depaul art museum, the seen

review: the pasts they brought with them, moniquemeloche, newcity

2014

review: profile of the artist // latifa echakhch, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: white feelings at the franklin, vam magazine, chicago, il

review: white feelings at the franklin, third coast review, chicago, il

review: nora schultz, parrottree – building for bigger than real, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: wangechi mutu/block museum of art, new city, chicago, il

review: how to make a hood/arts incubator, new city, chicago, il

review: fires will burn/depaul art museum, new city, chicago, il

review: unbound at the mca, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: mistakes have hidden intention // devening projects + editions, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: marco braunschweiler // document, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: helsingistä // western exhibitions, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: interview with flow/im fluss // luftwerk, the seen magazine, chicago, il

review: profile of the artist // mona hatoum, the seen magazine, chicago, il

feature: methods ii (collaboration with diamond stingily), expo chicago, chicago, il

feature: postcolonial language, saic vcs department, flaxman library, chicago, il

2013

feature: posting ramadan 2013: cooking in diaspora, art dubai blog, dubai, uae

feature: viridian retrospective: viridian note 00003, the state, dubai, uae

feature: concepts from desire, a dialogue between hiba ali and ale ale, 3rd language issue #4 never satisfied, chicago, il

9. screenings

listing incoming

10. programs & workshop series

2023

dreaming community: 3D worldbuilding in new art city, 3-part online workshop series, ottowa, on, canada

2022

tuning into the whirlpool, workshop series, la warman, la, ca

2021

film screening: beheroze shroff's voices of the sidis, indians of african descent (2004 - 2012) with beheroze shroff and jazmin graves, moderated by hiba ali.the black indian ocean series, savac, toronto, on and ohc, eugene, or

artd 410 / 510 art of surveillance lecture series, anisa olufemi, art and technology program, university of oregon, or

artd 410 / 510 art of surveillance lecture series, garima thakur, art and technology program, university of oregon, or

artd 410 / 510 art of surveillance lecture series, data network sanctuary: liz ayala, olivia ross and jess zhou, art and technology program, university of oregon, or

artd 410 / 510 art of surveillance lecture series, vanessa taylor, art and technology program, university of oregon, or

artd 410 / 510 art of surveillance lecture series, ariella tai, art and technology program, university of oregon, or

2018

i/c/u: connection & control exhibition, s1, portland, or

u.n.i.t: music, roots and culture contemporary art center, chicago, il

u.n.i.t, roots and culture contemporary art center, chicago, il

homeschool pdx: i/c/u reading group 2, yale union, portland, or & online

homeschool pdx: i/c/u reading group 1, yale union, portland, or & online

vytydygyty prezence(s) performance evening, chaired by rachael milton and hiba ali, moha, austin, tx

vytydygyty workshop: making video-games with unity, atm gallery, austin, tx; curated and led by hiba ali

vytydygyty workshop: digital sculpture with blender, atm gallery, austin, tx; curated and led by hiba ali

vytydygyty reading group, atm gallery, austin, tx; curated and led by hiba ali

workshops

2023

blender workshop, tech together 2023, the university of oregon - women in computer science organization, emu crater lake room, eugene, or

visiting the ocean, circling the sea: A collective dreaming with water as a guide with hiba ali, zoom, watershool, gathered by simone johnson

hyper-real portrait workshop, saturday cafe, squeaky wheel, buffalo, ny

2022

tuning to the sound of the whirlpool, course (5 sessions), la warman, nyc, ny

3d portals: intro to blender, interaccess, toronto, on

an exercise in portals, workshop 1, 2 and 3, factory media art centre, hamilton, on

create your own 3d portal: mozilla hubs with spoke, ed video media arts centre, guelph, on

intro to unity: build an exploration game - part 1 & 2, digital art resource center, ottawa, on, ca

2021

build an exploration game in unity, charles street video, toronto, on

immersive storytelling with 360 video, charles street video, toronto, on

digital portals: 3d animation (blender) workshop series: blender workshop 1, video pool media art center, winnipeg, mb

digital portals: 3d animation (blender) workshop series: blender workshop 2, video pool media art center, winnipeg, mb

imagining 3d animation: mozilla hubs workshop, online workshop series, compton girls club, los angeles, ca

imagining 3d animation: blender workshop 2, online workshop series, compton girls club, los angeles, ca

imagining 3d animation: blender workshop 1, online workshop series, compton girls club, los angeles, ca

2020

unity workshop, 60-210 electronic media studio: introduction to interactivity, lindsey french, fall 2020, school of art, carnegie mellon university, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

online: introduction to adobe after effects workshop part 2, charles street video, toronto, on

online: introduction to adobe after effects workshop part 1, charles street video, toronto, on

unity workshop part 2 (cancelled due to covid-19), lift, toronto, on

unity workshop part 1 (cancelled due to covid-19), lift, toronto, on

blender workshop part 2 (cancelled due to covid-19), lift, toronto, on

blender workshop part 1 (cancelled due to covid-19), lift, toronto, on

blender workshop, charles street video, toronto, on

360 theta workshop, charles street, video, toronto, on

rescheduled: unity workshop: 3d maze, trinity square video, toronto, on

rescheduled: blender workshop: digital water, trinity square video, toronto, on

hyperreal sensations workshop 3: screening, interaccess toronto, on

hyperreal sensations workshop 2: video editing, interaccess toronto, on

hyperreal sensations workshop 1: 3d animation, interaccess toronto, on

2019

blender workshop, winter 2019, union gallery, queens university, kingston, on

multi-media storytelling workshop: wix & twine, winter 2019, queens film and media, stsc 339 film and performance, keren zaiontz, the isabel bader centre for the arts, kingston, on, ca

hack your home archive: hacking, digilab, the isabel bader centre for the arts, queens film and video, kingston, on; led by hiba ali

hack your home archive: digitizing, digilab, the isabel bader centre for the arts, queens film and video, kingston, on; led by hiba ali

hack your home archive: archiving, digilab, the isabel bader centre for the arts, queens film and video, kingston, on

adobe after effects workshop part 2, charles street video, toronto, on

adobe after effects workshop part 1, charles street video, toronto, on

autodesk maya workshop part 1 & 2, trinity square video, toronto, on

2018

video production for digital media (emily pelstring) blender workshop, the isabel bader centre for the arts, queens film and video, kingston, on

i/c/u: connection & control blender workshop, portland northwest art college, portland, or

vytydygyty workshop: making video-games with unity, gallery, austin, tx; curated and led hiba ali

vytydygyty workshop: digital sculpture with blender, atm gallery, austin, tx; curated and led hiba ali

net neutrality reading group 2: surveillance and agency (organized in conjunction with welcome to my homepage residency,) museum of human achievement, austin, tx

net neutrality reading group 1: fiber optics, gender and race (organized in conjunction with welcome to my homepage residency,) museum of human achievement, austin, tx

2017

blender 3d sculpture workshop, modern fuel, kingston, on

interconnectivity and affect walking tour (collaboration with stefy mcknight), modern fuel, kingston, on

animaps workshop, modern fuel, kingston, on

2016

digimagine: constructing 3d sculpture, nadi al-quoz, dubai, uae; arranged by alserkal avenue

11. what is worldbuilding

worldbuilding is the collective practice of refusing the world as colonial power has organized it and creating other ways of relating, knowing, inhabiting, and living together, grounded in emancipatory logics of care, reciprocity, plurality, collective agency, and liberation. games and virtual spaces make this process especially tangible because they do not simply represent worlds; through mechanics, interfaces, environments, avatars, and possibilities for interaction, they actively construct the conditions through which particular bodies, identities, relations, and forms of agency become possible (nakamura, 2002; ruberg, 2025).
a decolonial queer feminist approach to worldbuilding therefore asks not only who is represented, but what kinds of worlds are made possible: whose knowledge structures the world, what forms of relation and belonging it enables, how bodies and identities can move and transform, and whether its underlying systems reproduce or refuse dominant logics of conquest, extraction, property, competition, and binary identity. worldbuilding, in this sense, is not simply the creation of fictional settings but a political practice of designing, inhabiting, and rehearsing otherwise worlds.
references: ruberg, b. (2025). how to queer the world: radical worldbuilding through video games. new york university press; nakamura, l. (2002). cybertypes: race, ethnicity, and identity on the internet. routledge; dyer-witheford, n., & de peuter, g. (2009). games of empire: global capitalism and video games. university of minnesota press.

12. digital somatics framework

digital somatics is a research-based framework that explores the relationship between embodiment, perception, and digital technologies through immersive and interactive media. situated at the intersection of cultural theory, feminist and decolonial studies, and experimental media practice, the framework approaches digital environments as sites of sensorial, affective, and political experience.
through worldbuilding, narrative structures, and time-based media, digital somatics investigates how bodies engage, adapt, and resist within technologically mediated spaces. rather than treating immersion as spectacle or escape, the framework emphasizes critical making as a method for examining power, memory, and social conditioning embedded in digital systems.
digital somatics functions both as a creative methodology and a pedagogical tool, informing research-driven art practice, immersive installations, and interdisciplinary teaching. it supports practices that foreground care, reflexivity, and embodied knowledge within contemporary media cultures.

13. stewardship & entanglements

as an arrivant, a term defined by kamau brathwaite as people who are "forced into the americas through violence of european and anglo-american colonialism and imperialism around the globe (jodi a. byrd)", of south asian, east african and arab descent, i have lived on the territories of kiikaapoi, peoria, kaskaskia, bodéwadmiakiwenm myaamia (chicago), anishinaabe, including the mississaugas of the credit, haudenosaunee, and huron-wendat territory (toronto) and jumanos, tonkawa, ndé kónitsąąíí gokíyaa (lipan apache), coahuiltecan, nʉmʉnʉʉ (comanche) (austin). i recognize that my mixed race, lighter skinned visual appearance allows me be more palatable to white colonial structures and working in technological systems of dissemination, such as the internet and the field of digital art, asks us to reflect and dismantle ongoing systems of exploitation and biases hard coded into the very "life stuff" of technology (mining, e-waste, and the like). i support all forms of indigenous sovereignty on the space that i share, including forms of reparative care and#landback.

for more, refer to native.gov, native land and whose land.