Saudi artist Khalid bin Afeef was so concerned about the effects of the Arab Spring that he decided to create a special piece of art to demonstrate his feelings about his Arab neighbors and his own country.
The result is a work entitled “Not for Sale,” consisting of a map of Saudi Arabia on a wooden board. The words Not for Sale in 35 languages are carved into the board. The map is covered with small steel rings joined together.
“I used more than 5,000 rings to create this map of Saudi Arabia. It weighs around 5 kg.”
He said he got the idea for the rings from the chainmail used as soldiers’ armor in medieval times. He said he made a head cover (shemagh) with the rings as a traditional and cultural image of Saudi Arabia, to show that the country is “on top of people’s heads, that they respect it, and it’s always relevant for them.”
“The small rings represent the people of Saudi Arabia. Joined together to indicate that we are one, we are all together. The map shows that we are all one force, to protect our country. And those who think they can buy us should know that we are not for sale,” he said.
“I am truly disturbed with the Arab Spring. What’s going on in our neighboring Arab countries really worries me, so I thought of sending a message to the world, to show the unity of the Saudi Arabian people. To tell people we are shielding our country and we are going to keep it from harm’s way,” he said.
“What’s happening in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt has made me very sad,” he said.
He said he involved his entire family in the project. “There is fear in our hearts after seeing what happened in our neighboring countries. I want to convey the warning that they dare not look at our country because we are united like these steel rings, and are ready to protect our country and people at any cost,” he said.
It took him almost four months to complete the project. He engraved the words “Not for Sale” in the shape of a wave, to show that the country was bound by love and patriotism and could not be stopped.
“I engraved the words so that no one can change or erase them. It’s forever from the heart of Saudi Arabia. I know that people of Saudi Arabia are different from other countries because they understand the importance of unity and obeying the law of the land,” he said.
He said Egypt and other countries in the region are not stable after what happened there, and they had lost their peace and chance to develop further.
“I am not saying we don’t have problems in our country. But here, whether we are expatriates or Saudi nationals, we are all together as one united nation. We should forget our differences and stay united for the success and stability of our country, like a protective cover. This is my message to everyone,” he said.
He said there is an Arabic saying that if you drink water from a well, you should not destroy it. “We are getting benefits from this country, so it’s our duty to protect it.”
Bin Afeef is a representative of Arabian Wings for fine art. He has taught more than 350 trainees in high-speed photography. He is an inventor of a special device for high-speed imaging.
Arabian Wings is an organization supporting artists in Saudi Arabia. Najla’a Felemban, founder of Arabian Wings, praised Bin Afeef’s work. “Bin Afeef is a professional and a major artist of Arabian Wings.”
She said Arabian Wings is taking the initiative to showcase this “marvelous piece of art” in the upcoming Art Jeddah Auction.
“The piece will be put up for SR100,000. We believe that patriotic Saudi people will try to own this unique piece of art, because this is something for a museum to be saved forever,” she said.
Email: [email protected]
