A desert oasis teeming with farms and oil fields acts as a prosperous backdrop for artist Mohammad Alfaraj's exhibition in Dubai.
Mohammad Alfaraj's latest exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, titled "Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty," features a captivating arish structure inspired by Al-Ahsa's traditional palm-frond architecture. This installation is a poetic homage to the cultural and environmental heritage of Al-Ahsa, exploring themes of memory, extinction, and regeneration through the lens of local architecture and natural ecology.
The arish, a gathering space for farmers to exchange stories and knowledge in Alfaraj's native Al-Ahsa, serves as a symbol of the fragile and endangered cultural and agricultural wisdom rooted in the oasis landscape. The installation, made from worn and mismatched doors collected from the Al-Ahsa region, is a circular enclosure that immerses visitors and envelops them from the moment they enter. The space within the arish is carpeted with woven reed mats and includes rudimentary chairs for visitors to sit and read stories.
Alfaraj's artistic practice, which fluidly spans across media, uses these traditional forms to bridge symbolic heritage with contemporary ecological concerns. The installation's meaning lies in conveying the deep connection between land, culture, and memory, highlighting how indigenous knowledge could face extinction yet holds potential for revival and reverence. The skeletal palm bark forms in the work evoke fossils, metaphors for ancestral knowledge once living but now vulnerable.
The installation functions as a "storytelling space" where visitors can read Alfaraj's stories or share their own. This childlike approach fosters a sense of wonder and emotional empathy, alluding to the playfulness with which Alfaraj approaches his craft. The installation is filled with a sound installation that fills the air with layered chanting, rhythmic hammering, and the rustle of palm fronds, further immersing visitors in the Al-Ahsa experience.
Al-Ahsa, the focal point of the exhibition, is home to the largest oasis in the world, a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is full of contradictions, containing both natural attractions and some of the world's largest oilfields. Alfaraj's work reflects the agricultural landscape and traditions of Al-Ahsa, presenting the farmer as a sage, embodying years of transferred wisdom and knowledge of how to live with the environment.
This perspective comes from a personal place for Alfaraj, as his grandfather was a farmer and his closeness to nature shaped him. Alfaraj studied mechanical engineering but opted for a career in art, and his work reflects the agricultural landscape and traditions of Al-Ahsa. The other ongoing exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre is Asuncion Molinos Gordo's "The Peasant, the Scholar, and the Engineer."
The exhibition, "Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty," is running at Jameel Arts Centre until January 4. Visitors are encouraged to explore this poetic and thought-provoking installation, which combines natural and man-made elements, landforms, and human presence, creating a landscape that invites contemplation on human-nature relationships.
[1] Al-Ahsa: A Cultural and Environmental Homage, Jameel Arts Centre, 2022. [2] Alfaraj, M. (2022). Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty: A poetic exploration of Al-Ahsa's cultural and environmental heritage. In Jameel Arts Centre Exhibition Catalogue. Dubai: Jameel Arts Centre.
- The upcoming news about the "Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty" exhibition at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, featuring Mohammad Alfaraj's work, showcases a captivating arish structure that signifies Al-Ahsa's traditional palm-frond architecture, reflecting on its cultural and environmental heritage.
- The UAE's Jameel Arts Centre is currently hosting two exhibitions, one being Alfaraj's installation, which invites visitors to immerse themselves in the ambiance of Al-Ahsa, a Unesco World Heritage Site, through a fusion of natural, man-made elements, and human presence.
- In his latest work, "Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty," Mohammad Alfaraj uses traditional forms to bridge symbolic heritage with contemporary ecological concerns, creating a "storytelling space" that fosters emotional empathy and encourages visitors to share their experiences.
- The video presentation of Alfaraj's exhibition, along with his book, "Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty: A poetic exploration of Al-Ahsa's cultural and environmental heritage" (Alfaraj, 2022), offers insight into the lifestyle and travel experiences of Al-Ahsa, demonstrating a cultural-travel perspective that juxtaposes the oasis's natural attractions with its oilfields,
