The 54th International Art Exhibition, titled “ILLUMInations,” will have a record number of 89 national pavilions. It will kick off for a preview today and will be open to the public June 4 until Nov. 27.
The Kingdom’s debut at the festival comes through the siblings, artist Shadia and writer Raja Alem, who will showcase their complex artwork. They will project their collective memory of black and its relation to their past and Makkah where they grew up. Their project is commissioned by Dr. Abdul Aziz Alsebail and its curators, Mona Khazindar, Director General of the Paris-based Arab World Institute; and Robin Start, an art expert advisor and curator.
“The Black Arch” is a multifaceted inspired work of art that represents the journey and attempt to explore oneself and the world as well. It also blends various worlds together through the living experimentation of the two artists from Makkah.
As Shadia puts it: “This is a meeting of countless worlds — an accumulation of what is stored in the human entity through its travel around the world and interaction with various cultures.”
How did it start? Shadia remembers how the two curators invited five Saudi artists, including the sisters, to present individual projects that would represent Saudi Arabia at the Venice Biennale for the first time. "The invitation was for three days where we would get ourselves acquainted with the Arseinale at old Venetian port. The objective was to give us the chance to be inspired by the location and to work on a project that would fit with the theme of “ILLUMInations.”
Shadia goes on: "Raja and I have visited the Venice Biennale several times before, but this time, we had to look at the ancient city from an entirely different perspective. We were required to provide a work of art in that special space in the port, with its legacy as the link between the East and West. Our outlook toward the city began taking the shape of an electric strange cargo-laden vessel charge.”
She adds that a strike at Marco Polo airport, which delayed their return, resulted in their inspiration. “We thought to ourselves how we enliven the pavilion at the Arsenale. That day was Nov. 15, 2010. All of a sudden, we remembered that it was Arafat Day — that momentous day when millions of pilgrims converge at the plains of Arafat to mark the climax of the annual pilgrimage. One fifth of the people in the world either turn their hearts towards Makkah or converge at Arafat.”
She adds: “While Raja and I were pondering over many things to get inspiration, we thought of similarities between these two cities. In its own way, Venice attracts pilgrims — art lovers from around the world, once a year. The Marco Polo Airport also reminded us of the world-renowned traveler, Marco Polo, who belonged to Venice, and the famous Arab traveler, Ibn Battuta. Both of them traveled to the East and made explorations that evinced interest and have made an impact even on our world today. Here, travel comes as a means of blending cultures. Makkah and Venice had occupied a place in the hearts of renowned travelers, both well as their reception and blending of cultures. From this perspective, we got the idea of ‘The Black Arch.’”
The journey of exploration is mixing the past with all its traditions, customs and rich heritage with the present. In the project, Makkah is represented by the color black with the black cube in the middle. The pebbles of Muzdalifah are seen scattered on its ground, and there is also a recorded audio of the bustle of souqs and alleys of Makkah. The holy city represents a point of attraction and a confluence of different cultures that visit and leave traces on the social scene. “It is really a crucible,” says Shadia.
The childhood of the sisters in the midst of this “rich, heavy rush mix of cultures” has made them part of the diverse human scene. “The Black Arch" is a way of looking inside my head or through my grandfather's house in Shamiya in Makkah, which overlooked the holy mosque. Whenever I looked at the scene in front of me, I found a mosaic made of people with their costumes and languages. And, it is this blending that has made Makkah and its people part of the global village to which the entire world is turning,” explains Shadia.
“The Black Arch” also represents the journey of exploration in oneself and others, taking the sisters from Makkah to Venice. “Our work revolves around travel and movement. It is an inspirational transformation from the travels of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Like Marco Polo, we wanted to take our city to other places around the world, using elements that are close to us: A black arch, a cubic city and few pebbles from Muzdalifah,” says Shadia.
Do the pebbles of Muzdalifah represent the regaining of purity and dispensing with the negativities? Shadia replies: “I see the ritual of stoning as a process of invoking the moment of negativity and hurling a stone at it. It is a moment of mustering up human strength to defeat a negative moment and raise the positive one instead. From this perspective, I exploited those stones that were picked especially from Makkah to stand at the heart of my black cubic. These pebbles have been touched by the hands of millions of pilgrims. They are not simply pebbles, but rather they resemble sculptures carved out by the hands of the human beings with their sweat and toil and innermost desire to have a positive change.”
Referring to the title of the artwork, Shadia says: "We got inspiration from a fable narrated by our grandmother on many occasions during our childhood. While we were immersed in thoughts at Marco Polo Airport, we suddenly shouted together: “The Black Door!”
She says she remembered a distorted version of a tale from the series of “One Thousand and One Nights” that their grandmother used to tell them where the king marries a poor girl. When the king takes her to the palace, he shows her around all the rooms, and when he reaches the roof, which had a door leading to a thousand other doors, he stopped to tell her: “You can enter through all these doors except the black door.” Inevitably, the young queen opened that door lost herself in endless worlds.
“This story had an electrifying impact on us in our pursuit of knowing similar worlds of wonder in the work of art,” says Shadia. ‘“The Black Arch’ also represents the forbidden door that hides unknown worlds and cities from our view. Crossing this forbidden door would open ways for us to explore the two cities. But, before embarking on this, we have to explore our inner selves.”
As visitors enter the pavilion, they will face this immense black body. Either it will stop them from going further or it will lead them to accept the challenge of going around it to discover its message. When the visitors look at the installation, they will find themselves in front of a mirror image, which reflects the present and their own image.
The color black is both inspiring and illustrates strength. It may express the unknown and what is behind it. Black is a meaningful color in the lives of the two sisters: It is the color of the Holy Ka’aba and that of the Black Stone. It is also the color of the abaya, worn by women in Saudi Arabia. “The memory of black has deep roots in our upbringing," says Shadia. “The black cover (kiswa) hides something infinite inside it. Similar is the case with the Black Stone; my mother helped us to kiss the stone when we were at the Haram every Friday evening during our childhood."
“I grew up aware of the physical presence of black everywhere: the black silhouettes of Saudi women, the black cloth of the Ka’aba and the black stone, which supposedly is said to have enhanced our knowledge,” explains Raja.
Robin Start, the co-curator, says: "There is certainly a layering of narrative within the ‘Black Arch,’ and I expect that each viewer will interpret these stories in his/her own way. On one level, there are Shadia and Raja's personal memories that make up the autobiographical element. Stories of their childhood encourage the viewer to participate in the journey around the work and go through the ‘Black Arch.’ It is then that the purpose of this journey is revealed: The introduction of Makkah to Venice, and surrounded by the audio-visual stimuli, the viewer is left to reflect on the aesthetics of the structural pieces and the narrative that surrounds him/her. "
Spirituality and art is the duality that emerges from this work, and as Start comments: "I feel sure that spirituality is indeed invoked by this piece, but whether this is restricted only to just Makkah or indeed that art is restricted to Venice, may be decided by each viewer. Perhaps it may be expected that both cities are intended to invoke both spirituality and art, as history would suggest this to be true."
