Courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Jeddah
Sarah Abu Abdallah explores the social and cultural conditions of life in contemporary Saudi Arabia through installations, images, paintings, video and poetry. The 50-metre painting, You Ask, We Answer (2025) unfolds as an immersive exploration of fate, longing, hope and the contradictions of existence. The painting, which also features a projected animation, supplements Abu Abdallah’s diverse body of work which assembles narratives, rituals and residues from everyday life, as well as fragments from the barrage of incessant mediated data flows that come with living in a hyperconnected present. Spanning multiple rooms, the work—a fragmented yet fluid map of thoughts and emotions—invites viewers into a labyrinthine journey through the artist’s mind. Oscillating between expansiveness and intimacy as well as calmness and restlessness, the painting evokes both the sky and the water through its luminous blue background. Collage, stickers and moving animations punctuate the surface, layering personal, playful elements over profound existential themes. These details emphasise the tension between linearity and disarray, echoing the unpredictable rhythms of life.
— Sahar Khraibani
