Ghaiaheb, 2022

دــجن اــنب طــيحي يذــلا عــمتجملا لــمأتن اــمدنعو ، اــهيف شاــع يــتلا هــتئيبو هــعمتجم نــبا ناــسنلإا ضــيبلأاو، ةــيهاركلاو بــحلاو، راــهنلاو لــيللاو ، رــشلاو رــيخلا دــجنف ، تاداــضتملاو تاــيئانثلا نــم رــيثكلا هرــيكفت ىــلع رطيــست ىــتح ةيرــشبلا ســفنلا يــف ةــيدضلاو ةــيئانثلا كــلت عــمتجت اــنايحأو ، دوــسلأاو ءاــعو لــخاد ةاــيحلا هذــه بــهايغ يــف رمتــسم عارــص يــف هدــجتو ، لــقعلاو بــلقلا نــيب اــم اتتــشم هدــجتف ، ؛ ءوــضلا نــم اــصيصب ســملتي نأ لواــحي مــتعم قــيرط يــف رــمي هدــجت اــمك دــسجلا كــلذ وــهو ، اــمهعمجي هــمومه عــمج لواــحيو ، راــسكنلاا مــغر مــللأا مــغر دــباكي وــهف ، حــيحصلا قــيرطلا ىــلإ هدوــقي يــك . كاوــشلأاب طاــحم دروــلاف ، هرعاــشم حرــج وــل ىــتح لاــمجلا نــماكم نــع اــثحب رمتــسيو هــفلخ اــهيمرو ، دــحاو بــلاق يــف اــهعضوو ، عوــضوملاو ، ةــماخلاو ، ةرــكفلا ىــلع زــيكرتلا تــلواح اذــه يــضرعم لاــخ

Humans are a product of their environment and its conditions; An environment that is full of dualities & social dichotomies; Good and Evil, Night and Day, Love and Hate, Black and White. Dualities that often extend beyond the contexts of social constructs and into the inner self, consuming its soul, and scattering its thoughts. Leaving the self in a constant struggle between the two centers of consciousness - heart vs. mind - all the while trying to navigate the dark shadows of life. In the dark, the physical body journeys, despite the pain & loss, seeking a glimmer of light that will illuminate its path and whatever beauty concealed along the way. Through this exhibition “Ghaiaheb”, I attempt to focus on three main elements: concept, material, and subject matter, consolidating them into one vessel that represents our own set of dualities. Such is Art - which to me is like the soft caress of spring upon earth, following the harsh winter.

Muhammad Al Thagafi

ةــيمتحلا نــع ،ةــقيقحلاو غارــفلا لــعفك ةــليخملا هــمدقت يذــلا ،فــطاخلا فاــشكتسلاا ىــلإ ةــياهنلا يــف عــجرت اــمنإ تاراــشلإا هذــهو ةــضرحم قــئاقحك ،نــمزلا يــف اــهصرو ،ةرــيغتملا ةاــيحلا طــغضب رارمتــساب موــقت ثــيح ،لــعافو فــثكم .اــيرصب قــفدتملا هــضبن قــلخيو ،يــعادبلإا لــمعلا يــنبي يذــلا ،يــليختلا وأ ،يــماهيلإا لــعفلل يــف نــيعت اــمنإ

،ةثونلأاو

زيمرتلا

رشابملا ريوصتلا وأ ،لايخلا بجحي

يفقثلا دمحم نانفلا تاهجوت ساسأ لكشي يذلا »يقنلا اهنم عطتقا يتلا ،ةيئادبلا ضرلأا ىلإ اعجارتم يضمي نأ لاإ لامعلأا هذه ةهجاوم يف دهاشملا عسيلا اهلوحي ،ةيسنملا اهنماكم يف ةروجهمو ،روهدلا تمص ةتماص ،داوسلا ةمحاف تاءاضف ..هتراجح نانفلا ،رجحلا تاقبط يف هتيؤر نكميام يكاحتل ،اهتابسرتو اهتاقبط لكب ،ةيناسنلإا رعاشملل نازخ ىلإ

يوضعلا هديرجت يف

طورــشملا رــيغ هــكاردإ راــطإ يــف تــحنلا ىــقبيل ،ةــيناكملاو ةيــسحلا اــهتقيقح يــف يــشت يذــلا ردــقلاب دهاــشملا ىدــل ةــمدص ثادــحلإ هــتاتوحنم يــف يــفقثلا دــمحم ناــنفلا ىعــسيلا اــهرابتعا نــكمي اذــهلو ،ناــنفلا ةــيتاذب ةــلص ىــلع يــه تايدرــس نــم لاــمعلأا نــم ةــعومجملا هذــه هــب نــم ايناــسنإ اهدرــس ةرورــض ىرــي تاــعوضوم نــع فــشكلل ،ةــحضاو ةءارــق رــفوت ةدــسجم اــصوصن نــمو ،دــحاولا لــمعلل ةررــكتملا ةدهاــشملا يــضتقي يذــلا ،عــجارلا ســحلا هــتوعد نــكميام لاــخ عــضت يــتلا تاــقبطلا بــسحب ،يــقلتلا يــعو

يــك يــقلتملل ةــيفاضإ ةحاــسم كرــت ىــلإ أــجلي ناــنفلا نأ ضرــفت يــتلا ةــيعامتجلاا رــطلأاب ةددــحم رــيغ لازــتام يــهو ،ةــقلطم تــسيل ةــحورطملا راكــفلأا نأ ةــهجو ةــيأب يــنفلا لــمعلاف ،ناــنفلا نــهذ هــبلطتي اــمب طاــبترا ىــلع يــه اــمنإو ،ةــيلخادلا اــهتقيقح ةــيحانلا نــم هــلماكب ماــمتلا وــه نوــكي دــق ،تاــيوأتلاو تاــميظنتلا فــلتخم ىــلع حــتفنملاو ،رــظن قــيقحت ىــلع ناــنفلا رارــصإ يــنعي اــمنإ لاــمعلأا بــلغأ يــف يلكــشلا مــيغنتلا اذــه لــعلو .ةــينفلا ةراــشلإاو ،ةــهج نــم هــتمصب تــيبثتو هــتيصوصخ زارــبلإ

Sculpting Dualities

Talal Moualla

Artist & Researcher in Contemporary Arts

An artist defines an idea through the abstraction of shapes; from a personal thought inspired by a mass and its embodiments to a semantic concept, or even an absolute depiction of a symbol. When it comes to the art of Abstract Expressionism, it is independent of any physical form that limits imagination and the direct manifestation of symbolism, including the images of masculinity and femininity, new dimension, meaning, space, and all other physical aspects. This art form is the true personification of “l’art pur”, reflected by artist Muhammad Al Thagafi, in his raw and responsive sculptures.

His art transport the beholder towards primitive earth. Coal-black interstellar space, imitating the silence of past eras, deserted in its forgotten lands; all transferred by imagination to a reservoir of human emotions. With all the layers and sediments, the artwork profoundly touches the outward conscious and the depths of an unconscious soul. Thus, reuniting emotions with nature in all its universal comprehension, while constituting dualities of lightness and darkness, in a striking oddity upon first encounter.

Al Thagafi’s success in these works of art are linked to a sculpting narrative of visual representation, immersing every viewer to interact with the craft and establishing a connection, depending on the spectator’s personal experience and comprehension. The artist aims to evoke creative perception by intriguing the imagination. At times, Al Thagafi pushes the audience towards a rebellion against reasonings - to achieve fixed meanings - by indulging them in the details of his artistic expression through in-depth dialogues of each art piece.

With movements between diagnostic suggestions and the immersion of abstraction, the artist submerges the audience in the subjective and spiritual dimensions, where the visual nature of the material cannot be linked with time in its entirety. In such a context, his achievement only lies in displaying the truth of artistic beauty and manifesting the

validity of an idea, dealt with sculptures in a direct sensible form, despite its connection to reality. Upon analyzing the visual process, we will be able to reach the fact that it carries deep secrets on life and the universe, void and truth, the absoluteness of astonishment, the happiness and sorrow of the human spirit, and so much more. These signals return at last to swift discovery, presented by imagination as an active and effective action. The signs continually influence life changes, aligning them in time, as provocative facts to delusional actions, building upon creative work, and creating its visual flowing pulse.

Observing the details, particles, borders, and lines in this collection assists in experiencing the methods of subject emergence from its roots to the concept of beauty. As displayed, ideas about the human form through suitable materials only signify the double entendre and its modalities. It also highlights that the art is verifiable for abstract representation, surpassing its physical attributes, making it a sculpture flaunting its individuality, authenticity, properties, and belongingness to Al Thagafi’s sculpting experience.

Whether it is the use of materials, lines, and divisions signifying an illusion of changing colors, expressionistic craftsmanship, light reflections on the surfaces, exaggeration of polishing, or gradient scribbling: Al Thagafi’s work specializes in unfolding the hidden and ushering it towards materialization.

All this is not by chance but through the ability of his imagination to give a deeper meaning and purpose to his artwork. Corresponding to the artist›s mind, and soul, we comprehend the sensible and spiritual visualization, where ideas form, harmonize and come together.

In the depths of his skillful and polished sculpting, Althagafi resorts to diversifying surfaces through sculpting cracks and fractures, drilling, and employing compelling shapes as an inseparable part of the sculptures’ completion process. The choosing of the subject and portraying it comprehensively is based on his extensive experience in dealing with different types of rocks and other complementary elements. In addition, the success of his previous exhibitions has earned him a highly regarded reputation across the Kingdom and the Arabian Gulf.

Al Thagafi leaves hidden meanings for the spectator to discover, assuring that presented ideas are not ultimate and are not confined by social frames. An artwork open to a variety of speculations might become the reflection of artistic perfection. This harmonic embodiment in all of his work hints at the artist›s persistence to achieve meanings that build a bridge between the artist and the spectator. The connection helps the artist emphasize confidentiality and confirm his footprint from one end, and the signaling of the absoluteness of the presented ideas from another.

The body’s representation in the collection is close to a saturated collective dream, tested through art in different forms, embodying moments of constant consciousness, emphasizing beauty in the illusion frame. It is felt partially or permanently, per the idealistic theoretical comprehension of the body, and the time it resembles - where time is part of that illusion, despite the differences in knowledge as achieved in the depths of the body. As such, consciousness may not correspond to the actual status of the world, since human thoughts experience continuous changes that may not reflect reality in subjectivity precisely. Especially when it comes to our depiction of space or the place where these bodies exist, the readings change according to the environment, behavior, or subject.

All human bodies unite to establish a concealed subject in these sculptures. Al Thagafi does not view a body in its physical, anatomical, or sensual form but as a vessel of human energy and the raw format of the spirit. He refuses to analyze the body through direct detailing, articulating its existence instead by the simplest of gestural, linear, and expressionistic forms. Corresponding to the marble material by achieving a beautiful appearance; curves, slopes, cracks and cuts, that surpass the spatial comprehension to a temporal consciousness. The intertwining of material and meaning creates a transitioning point between the spatial sensation of the sculpture and the feeling of conveyed visual music and poetry. Organic pulses that are both sensual and spatial in nature - the sculpture remains in its frame of absolute beauty.

The artist, Muhammad Al Thagafi, does not strive to surprise the viewer through his narratives of self-connectedness with this collection. The artwork can be considered embodied manuscripts, presenting clear reading to reveal the subjects. He believes in the importance of human narrating through reflexology, which entitles repetitive viewership per artwork, with a different perspective each time.

The technique accumulates conscious receiving processes according to the layers, putting the viewer in an emotional and sentimental communication with sculptures. The art illustrates production concepts through the varying textures and generates liberating possibilities of primary structures, gasping at one and breathing at another. These relationships formulate the field of vision and the center of questions that sculptures answer.

These pieces of metaphorical art project feelings and meanings, embodying hidden energy which can be felt by the spectators throughout the collection of this exhibition.