Asma Belhamar's design-based practice explores the phenomenon of the megastructure in the Emirates and its impact on the topographical memory of local landscapes. Through installation, experimental print, video and three-dimensional modelling, she synthesises the architectural and the organic to construct hybrid spaces that engage with notions of temporality and spatial memory. Her practice is driven by a desire to illustrate the effect that various architectural trands have had on perceptions of the Emirates both locally and globally.

For Sharjah Biennial 15, Belhamar presents Monuments of Alfreej (2023), an outdoor installation at Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Palace in Al Dhaid that draws on extensive research into the nation's architectural history. Her work examines the South Asian origins of the building’s rooftop balustrade, imported by foreign migrant labour within a timeframe that predates the Emirates' statehood. Belhamar highlights this instance of cultural transfer by integrating her own artwork into its dilapidated segments. Her balustrade design serves as both a transnational and intergenerational dialogue. The morphed appearance of the installation, contrasting starkly with the original pattern, also formally evokes the fluidity of culture. Attempting to orient the discourse around a field of material history still in its infancy, her work invites viewers to reflect on the impact of foreign labour, craftsmen and artisans on the Emirates’ architectural landscape.