This multi-dimensional series of paintings are deeply embedded with Al Abdali’s familial experiences of loss in relation to the city of Jeddah and her own feminine notions of rebirth across pedigree. In particular, the tiles are a strong motif representing the home of Sharif Abdulilah Al Abdali, the artist’s great grandfather, who built and designed the iconic 1920’s house which was later bought and became Bait Sharbatly. From this prism, we can read many of the deteriorating relics as a motif alluding to the metaphysical decease of legacy in physical form. The Decay of Eve meditates on a similar narrative, one which reflects on the lineage of grandmothers who have empowered the historical determination of Jeddah as a city and a people. The elderly woman lying gracefully on a grave can be seen as a symbol of feminine resilience, as it exhaustively pushes and pulls in tides of change. The painting is also a self portrait.
Oftentimes in Al Abdali’s process, visions and subjects are revisited across several years. The process of completing a single painting could take up to a few months. Having tackled such a heavy subject in isolation, Al Abdali embodies the experience of death in a striking self image of her sitting amongst a group of women in what is clearly a funeral. This large and ethereal painting is not unlike the two delicate miniatures in which she places herself lying in gardens of both rest and struggle. In many ways, self-portraiture is framed within the conversation around communal rites, inquiring into collective gestures both forgotten and practiced.
One such forgotten practice is drawn from the traditional schools of miniature painting, which were once extensions of academic space. These studios belonged to painters and craftspeople who gathered to discuss philosophical ideas, especially around events that would challenge the collective. These discussions were almost always reflected within the paintings. Hence, communal hopes and griefs were deeply ingrained with a lifelong commitment to the arts. Today, Al Abdali shares this journey with two other painters in her studio at Al Zahra, Jeddah. Having studied and explored the Tabariyat, a Hejazi family known for their scholarly and influential women, I see this expanded studio practice as an embodied method of integrating and elevating Al Abdali’s accumulated knowledge through sharing, mentoring and working together.
The final stations in the exhibition further multiply the voices within this collective narrative across genealogical and poetic threads. Al Abdali draws on poetry written by her late father Hani Al Abdali. His phrases are placed across the exhibition. The communal voice is extended through an invitation to the artists’ dear friend, Hamida Issa, who shot and edited a video work visually relaying Mohammed Abi Harami Al Makki poetry from the 12th century, into the timeless poetics of sea tides. The work salutes Al Makki and his family’s legacy of engraving tombstones as well as Hamida’s relationship to the sea as the haunting words are narrated by a female voice. The poet relays his feelings towards a family member whose death was met by drowning.
In Islamic thought, those who drown are considered martyrs. As we witness the martyr of thousands and millions across the world today, and while the leaves fall season upon season, the Ushar rises, and the tones of spring murmur a promise of new life.
By Tara Aldughaither
As native authors and artists in this moment of immense collective grief across the Arab and Muslim world, I believe the ownership of resilience through artistic expression is vital. With a delicate approach to the past, our inherited stories and lived experiences, the transformative spirit of creating becomes, in itself, an act of utmost importance. While I consider myself one who is peering from the outside into Sara Al Abdali’s practice and studio, I could not help but feel a strong resonance at this time; a grief so strong that expands beyond the walls and pages of this exhibition and catalog. I will attempt here to convey what I learned through the prism of reading the process, stories and experiences behind the works in Growing Vines of Sodom.
In essence, Al Abdali plummets in this collection, towards personal experiences of profound loss as well feminine renewal through the metaphors of flora, fauna, human and architectural figures, for the first time introducing self portraiture to the public realm.
Within this artist-curated solo, the journey is initiated through the viewer's first encounter with a painting of the Ushar; a wild plant growing spontaneously and without permission across the region. Its robust yet delicate growth across the liminal boundaries of life and death further seep into a series of vignettes through which human and non-human figures emerge, sharing a liminal space of generational inheritance and memory.
From garden canvases to sites of burial and mourning, mythological and intuitive motifs find their way through unconventional uses of color and form. The phoenix and spiraling vines make subtle appearances. The bold hues reflect characteristics of Ushar, its potent growth in unexpected spaces in dialogue with the delicate flow and nature of life as continuing force.
This interplay and dialogue between color, technique and form, as well as the revisitation and repetition of certain motifs, strongly convey a sense of desire as well as a hope in the revival. The practice of paintings and drawing becomes an act of remembrance, conjuring subconscious images within times of grief, which are more than often approached with denial and skepticism.
As the artist conjures these memories and tunes into signs of life, a new motif introduces itself in the form of the moth. The moth is a symbol of spiritual transformation in various cultures, commonly appearing in transitional times. In this painting, the red hue is created with the blood of the cochineal insect, signifying both a life giving and life taking force; further representing the mysteries and meanings of life and death.
An exhibition marking the artist's second solo showcase, delving into the intricate connection between life and death. Through the deliberate use of juxtaposition as a medium, Sara Alabdali presents a collection of paintings and multidisciplinary artworks that explore this profound interplay.
The exhibition commences with an exploration of flora and fauna, with a particular focus on the enigmatic Apple of Sodom. This resilient weed, which reproduces through the haunting whispers of the wind, emerges from the ground, bearing its toxic fruit. Through a series of paintings and a video installation, the artist examines the indomitable spirit and strength found within abstract imagery.
Just like the plant of Sodom's Apple, Alabdali seeks a metaphor for resilience despite hardships. Contemplating the human nature of rebirth and renewal proceeding hardships. This exhibition offers a thought-provoking exploration of the delicate balance between life and death, weaving together themes of resilience, personal introspection, and the universal experiences of grief and transformation. The artist's use of various mediums invites viewers on a profound artistic journey, inviting contemplation and reflection on these profound and deeply human themes.
Alabdali’s exploration with flora and fauna results from her background in miniature painting. She looks into common ideologies and metaphors which have shaped Arab and Islamic culture over the years and remodels such vocabulary into her practice. Channeling the contemporary in tradition, she uses the symbol of the moth taking inspiration from Persian poetry by Sa’adi and Amir Dehlavi. The moth is a symbol which has been associated with death and enlightenment throughout various cultures.
The series takes another dimension in a gradient of ultramarine washed paper in Manjour, as the artist paints an abstraction of And my house burned leaving nothing behind but a myth”, a unit commonly found in traditional lattice woodwork widely known as the Roshan in Hijazi architecture. The plant forces itself as a repetitive symbol of resilience against the passage of time. In a series of 8 paintings, the patterns start solid and gradually decay while the Sodom tree stands strong. This body of work aligns with the artist’s previous exploration of the loss and deterioration of architectural and material heritage in the Hijaz region.
The collection then revolves around two square shaped paintings Forest & Bahce, handmade pigments, gouache and gold leaf on paper, 2023. A significant aspect of this series is the collective nature behind it. The artist looks to question the individuality of a contemporary artist and takes inspiration from traditional art masters. Fostering a community of female painters, "Forest" and Bahce represent the collaborative results of such endeavor through collaborating with artists Danya Mousa and Arwa Martan.
Being driven by poetry, Sara Alabdali took inspiration from a poem written by her late father title: “To Whom is Murdered in the Forest”. A quest for mystery and darkness through infinite layers of a lone forest.
Where the World Unfolds, Handmade pigment, gouache, and charcoal on paper
And my house burned leaving nothing behind but a myth , Handmade pigment, gouache, and charcoal on paper
And my house burned leaving nothing behind but a myth , Handmade pigment, gouache, and charcoal on paper
Where I belong, Charcoal on paper
The collection transitions into a deeply personal body of work, where the artist embarks on a three-year journey of self-portraiture. These introspective pieces capture the profound emotions of loss and despair experienced by the artist, who tragically lost her father following a brief battle with cancer. Themes of illness and confinement are poignantly portrayed through the evocative medium of oil and mixed media paintings, many of which are being exhibited for the first time.
Previously taking inspiration from various traditional schools of miniature painting, Alabdali breaks the miniature form in this exhibition, experimenting with large formats and mediums other than gouache and handmade water-based pigments. Oil as a medium left the artist with room to grow the paintings layer by layer, consuming more time and process juxtaposing her previous experience with gouache. The medium allows for more freedom, while creating the work and developing it.
In Aza, she captures the somber atmosphere of a traditional funeral. A group of women, presumably representing the deceased’s immediate family, are depicted sitting uncomfortably in a row of chairs, a discomfort is passed to the viewers as they receive condolences from their visitors. A scene that served as a symbol of grief and the complex emotions associated with the loss of a loved one. The artist's inspiration for this piece comes from her personal experience of navigating the challenges of mourning during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world grappled with strict lockdown measures, she found herself confronted with the double burden of loss and isolation. Unable to engage in traditional mourning rituals and surrounded by the solitude enforced by the pandemic, she was compelled to confront her grief in a profoundly solitary manner. By depicting this imagined social setting in her artwork, the artist not only conveys the universal themes of loss and mourning, but also sheds light on the unique and isolating experience faced by many during this unprecedented time. Her work serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact that external circumstances can have on our ability to cope with and process grief.
In “The Decay of Eve”, the artist borrows elements which signify the abrupt transition into modernism through highlighting cement tiles which became popular in the early 1920s and continued to be used during the mass urbanization outside the old city walls into modern neighborhoods. She specifically takes inspiration from a house built by her great grandfather, Beit Alsharbatli formerly known as Sharif Mohanna Al Abdali, as an investment which has later become the first Egyptian consulate in the city of Jeddah. Many of the tiles in the paintings presented in this new body of work are directly copied or inspired from her ancestor’s residences and other buildings which resemble a similar time frame, and which yet require rigorous academic research to gain the historic recognition they deserve.
Through such physical elements, the artist delves into metaphorical connections to her own identity, examining them from the perspective of loss. Creating a temporary experience of attachment, through replicating a series of cement tiles in a series of oil paintings as found in Balat, and the significant use of such element in other paintings as in “Reconciliation”.
20 x 20 cm (each
170 x 120 cm 2024
Water poem offers a poetic journey that transports viewers to the historical Hijaz region between 500 and 800 H. Through this immersive experience, visitors will encounter a profound example of coping with loss in medieval Makka, represented by a tombstone from Al Ma'la cemetery. In collaboration with Filmmaker Hamida Issa, the artwork presents a collection of visual poetry that vividly portrays the poet's yearning for his drowned cousin.
The central figure in this narrative is Mohammed Bin Saleh Bin Abi Harami Al Makki, a descendant of renowned statesmen, scholars and skilled stone masons. His family had a dominant presence in the craft between 500 H and 700 H.
Through moving imagery, the artist narrates Mohammed's deep mourning for his young cousin, who tragically drowned. The artist employs a mature linguistic style to convey the poet's emotions, evoking a sense of longing and melancholy.
One striking aspect of the narration is the deliberate pause in the artwork, where inscriptions on the tombstone have either faded due to the passage of time or have been intentionally vandalized. This intentional inclusion prompts contemplation on the transient nature of memory and the erasure of history. The installation offers a rich and contemplative experience, fusing visual and poetic elements to explore themes of loss, longing and the preservation of memory. It invites viewers to reflect on the profound emotions and enduring human connections captured in the tombstone's inscription and the artistic interpretation brought to life by the collaboration between the artist and Hamida Issa.
Your presence, oh human, has depleted my attention and brought tears to my eyes ...
You drowned for a secret that is easy for me to unveil, you ...
Left and became the sea, abundant in grace and wisdom ...
Yet it was envious of you as you rode its waves, and he who resembles ...
Your wisdom engulfed you, oh greatest of divers, and you worried so ...
Yet, you remained enamored with exploring depths of meanings, infatuated with pearls of beauty ...
Until the dive, which long captivated you, concluded in submersion, exhausting every swimmer ...
Your tombstone stood before my eyes, and the remainder of my soul now lives among those slabs ...
I shall recount your story amidst the doves' mournful cries and the veil of darkness ... disregarding the reproach of foes ...
Sarah Al Abdali was born in 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Her work has explored Arab culture and Islamic philosophy through various innovative media, including painting, ceramics and woodwork. She completed a master’s degree at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in 2014, and has consequently experimented with traditional crafts of the Islamic world, including woodwork, ceramics, miniature painting, mosaics, and plaster carving. She has been a consultant on traditional arts and crafts and has consulted international and governmental clients such as: the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities and Turquoise Mountain Trust. Her work investigates paradoxes about identity and belonging through bringing out forgotten historical contexts. Mainly through painting, Al Abdali seeks to tell the stories of women, buildings and social schemes that do not usually find their way in art and culture. She is currently continuing her practice in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she is pursuing both art and research in the field of Islamic art and architecture in regards to the material culture in the Hijaz.
Her work has been exhibited at the British Museum, London, and she has participated in a number of local and international group exhibitions, including the First Islamic Art Biennale: Awwal Bayt in Jeddah 2023, the 13th Cairo Biennale: Eyes East Bound (2019) Art Paris, Grand Palais (2018); Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival (2017);START art fair, Saatchi Gallery, London (2014);), and #COMETOGETHER, London (2012).
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