SHAFIC ABBOUD (1926, BIKFAYA - 2004, PARIS)
SULTAN BIN FAHAD (B. 1971, RIYADH)
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SULTAN BIN FAHAD (B. 1971, RIYADH)

Mosques (Holy Economy series)

Details
SULTAN BIN FAHAD (B. 1971, RIYADH)
Mosques (Holy Economy series)
plastic beads and acrylic on canvas, in artist's frame
60 ¼ x 61in. (153.1 x 155cm.)
Executed in 2021
Provenance
Athr Gallery, Jeddah.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

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Lot Essay

‘Design is a great passion of mine and even my artwork has a little bit of design in it…There’s a thin line between design and art and it feels like they are almost the same for me.' - Sultan Bin Fahad

For this artwork created in 2021, Sultan Bin Fahad engaged with an online acquaintance to custom order materials from a beading workshop located in Nigeria. Having already discovered Indian scarves in Saudi Arabia with mistranslated imagery depicting Mecca, designed as souvenirs for travelling pilgrims, Bin Fahad enlisted African artisans to produce beaded tapestries based on the iconography of these found scarves. The resulting artwork with colour combinations rooted in African traditions bears a striking resemblance with the seventeenth-century Mughal monument Taj Mahal. Embracing varied deviations and interpretations, Bin Fahad, by means of this artwork, forges connections between West Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, leaving viewers with a rich ground to reflect on ideas surrounding mutuality and cross-cultural exchanges.

Born into the Saudi royal family in Riyadh in 1971, Sultan Bin Fahad initially embarked on his artistic journey as a painter. Over time, showcasing his work worldwide, he broadened his practice to encompass a spectrum of creative expression. His artistic process involves a relentless quest for antiques and bric-a-brack in unexpected locales, ranging from flea markets to abandoned structures and ancient ruins. He infuses new life into discovered objects, transforming them into captivating artworks. Bin Fahad seamlessly integrates religious relics with cutting-edge technologies and customs, transposing rituals and reconstructing memorabilia as conduits of meaning for understanding contemporary culture. Embodying syncretism, he takes viewers on a journey that kindles curiosity and prompts introspection about personal and universal beliefs. For Bin Fahad, art serves as a bridge between memories and cultures, and through his practice, he defines narratives by transforming objects into conceptual carriers.

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