
Sultan Bin Fahad Saudi, 1971
Prayer Room, 2019
Rugs and neon
157 3/8 x 383 3/4 in.
400.0 x 975.0 x 0.0 cm
400.0 x 975.0 x 0.0 cm
The artist had previously created artworks from individual prayer mats with neon attached to them. The neon shapes were referencing Arabic diacritics sequentially pertaining to certain phrases from prayers absent...
The artist had previously created artworks from individual prayer mats with neon attached to them. The neon shapes were referencing Arabic diacritics sequentially pertaining to certain phrases from prayers absent the letters. The artist here references the prayer mats, which were a staple of Saudi life throughout his upbringing. He recalls that students, himself included, would carry the prayer mats everywhere, even as a satchel for schoolbooks. These rugs are mostly made in China, India or Morocco, sold in shops that claiming that they are ‘originals’ from Mecca. The artist went about collecting personal prayer mats from many people he encountered. In this installation, he has lined up a large number of prayer mats in the shape of a traditional prayer room and has used neon to write a full prayer –"O Allah, You are peace and from You is peace; blessed are You, Possessor of Majesty and Honor" again with only the diacritics. The artist here draws a clear line between the spoken word, the absent letters and collective of bodies, making corporeal what we do not perceive.