About Barrak Alzaid
Barrak Alzaid is writer of memoir, prose, poetry and art criticism whose current project, Fabulous, relates his queer coming of age in Kuwait and represents a story of family fracture and reconciliation.
His short story The Runner was awarded a first runner-up prize and published in Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Art Journal as part of the Barjeel Art Foundation’s Mudun Short Story Prize. His poem Fa’et was awarded a first place prize by Nasiona Magazine in their inaugural micro nonfiction and poetry competition. Excerpts of his memoir are published in several anthologies including The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human: Tales from Many Muslim Worlds (Penguin SEA), Emerge: 2018 Lambda Fellows Anthology, and in New Moons, an anthology of Muslim writing edited by Kazim Ali (Redhen Press). He has been awarded fellowships and residencies through Yaddo, La Napoule Foundation, Delfina Foundation, Lambda Literary Retreat and 100 West – Corsicana Artist & Writer Residency.
His art criticism is published in ArtAsiaPacific Magazine, Ibraaz, Jadaliyya, PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, and Columbia Journal of Gender and Law.
He has edited publications spotlighting the work of SWANA writers and artists, including For Lives Undone: Gaza Summons Its Writers to Speak (co-edited with Khalid Hadeed) which was accompanied by a series of talks and public readings at Columbia University and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. He has also edited publications for Sharjah Art Foundation, Abu Dhabi Music & Art Festival and more.
He is a founding member of the artist collective GCC, whose work examines the Arab Gulf region’s transformations and shifting systems of power. They have exhibited in solo exhibitions at MoMA Ps1, Sharjah Art Foundation, and Sultan Gallery, with group exhibitions at The New Museum, The Whitney Biennial, Berlin Bieniale IX, Fridericianum among others. Their works are in private and public collections, including Sharjah Art Foundation, Barjeel Art Foundation, Whitney Museum, Julia Stoschek Collection. Their work has been featured in numerous publications such as Art in America, Art Forum, the New York Times, Economist, Dazed Digital, artasiapacific, The National, Mousse Magazine.