Showcasing his works at the Rhinoceros art gallery in Rome, Saudi artist, Sultan bin Fahad just presented his first ever solo show.
His latest body of work, “Frequency,” is exhibited in a recently renovated 15th century building. Bin Fahad’s exhibition features six installations, touching on the senses, using light, sound, music and incense. Taking a spiritual stance, each installation and piece of art by the Saudi artist explores a number of cultures, but all have a continuous theme: Islam.
Sultan bin Fahad is based in LA, and spoke to Arab News about his latest exhibition, despite not being able to host the opening of the show himself. “Rome chose me and not vice versa. This idea wants to be a bridge between cultures,” he said. “Each of my creations is specific. I wanted to tell a concept that was understood and expressed by the surrounding place.”
A collector of arts and antiques himself, Bin Fahad has collected pieces from Madinah and Makkah which had disappeared from the Kingdom in 1979, from all over the world. Using these as tools for inspiration, the Saudi Arabian artist has explored spirituality rather deeply for “Frequency,” and has shot videos and sounds that are used across a number of his installations.
The exhibition includes a piece called “If Stone Could Speak,” featuring white marble from Makkah alongside a projection of a video of men and women praying together. Another piece, “Possession,” conveys a picture of the hands of people trying to reach out for God, as they reach for the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. “The Verse of The Throne” projects a verse from the Holy Qur’an in front of six bowls, with water serving as an element of purification and “The White Noise,” represented in two immersive rooms, amongst the other immersive art installations.
The exhibition will run until 10th December 2020 at the Rhinoceros Art Gallery in Rome, Italy.
