In the garden
A fortune teller in Jemaa el Fna, Marrakesh, Morocco, 1971.
عرافة في ساحة جامع الفنا في مراكش، المغرب، ١٩٧١.
Repost @joobinbekhrad ・・・ In case you missed it … Read my piece for the BBC about the ‘Perfumed Garden’ and eroticism in Arabic literature (http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170725-the-ancient-arabic-kama-sutra) . ‘Unlike the Kama Sutra, which some might look at as largely educational, The Perfumed Garden, while edifying readers on various subjects, such as alternatives for the enlargement of male genitals and “everything that is favourable” regarding sex, also places a heavy emphasis on entertainment. The stories are narrated in a lively manner akin to those of the One Thousand and One Nights and one might argue that its explicit descriptions of all manners of sexual intercourse could put even Vãtsyãyana to shame.’ . #arabic #arab #erotica #eroticism #literature
Salman Toor (Pakistani, 1983), Immigrant Gathering, 2016. Oil on canvas, 122 x 81.5 cm.
Kul كل I and II (2013: UV digital print) - Saudi Artist NASSER AL SALEM
In arabic, the word Kul كل holds several meanings that revolve around “everything/all/whole” and in accordance with the artist’s occasional depiction of Quranic texts within a contemporary artistic context, here too Nasser tries to depict the wholesome of God “الله“ by conceptualizing it through art. The beauty in Nasser’s portrayal of Kul lies within the limitless and unbound inclusion of different characteristics/names of God’s existence within Islamic teachings. Not only are they visually appealing, but they also harbour a dense amount of reflection based on the repetitions and rippling effects seen. For example, three of Allah’s 99 names in Islam are "The First الأول”, “The Last الأخر”, and “The All Encompassing الواسع” and these can be clearly seen within Nasser Al Salem’s depiction. But concurrently and upon further reflection, names and characteristics like “The Compeller الجبار” and “The Expander الباسط” start to become more evident physically/visually, as well as conceptually. This portrayal of course is never easy, and requires a massive amount of sensitivity and care with such religious texts as Nasser explained in an Interview with the “Arabnews”:
It’s sometimes just a bit difficult translating classic religious texts and messages into contemporary forms of art. I have to represent the meanings very well, without having the contemporary elements of the work overpowering the idea. They have to complement each other very well. I have to continually go back to references, do a lot of research. It’s a responsibility but I’m very proud of it. It allows me to introduce new concepts — religious and social.
Kul I and II were the pieces that Nasser participated with in Victoria and Albert Museum 2013 Jameel Prize, which he lost to Turkish fashion designer Dice Kayek but made him the first Saudi to ever participate in this Prize.
“Sunset in the marshlands of Lower Mesopotamia/ Beth Nahrain/ Bilād ar-Rāfidayn 🇮🇶🌅🌱”
[With the gods Inanna-Ishtar and Dumuzi-Tammuz, whom later reinterpreted and syncretized with an unnamed native Cypriot mother goddess by the ancient Greeks; as “Aphrodite and Adonis”.]
Thanks to one of my oomfs, @/tiziri_art on Twitter for brought up the idea of “Saharacore” and “Mesopotamian farmcore/cottagecore” through our conversation in the first place; as well as @deerheadlights and @/UmairNajeebKhan on Twitter for being inspirations for Inanna-Ishtar’s historical fashion design.
A lot of pottery objects, statuettes & the gods’ jewelries that I included here were dated from the early years of Halaf-Ubaid culture - the 3rd Dynasty of Ur. (Ranging from 6500BC - 2004BC. So I guess the gods here, also love ancient jewelries and objects as much as we do ??!)
The food that were displayed here based mostly on my understanding of the agricultural cultivation in Ancient Mesopotamia & Iraqi cuisine. Tons of grains/légumes (included wheat, barley, rice), with fruits include apples, quinces, cherries, figs, pears, apricots, plums, melons, pomegranates, citruses & palm dates. (Which is the fruit that her husband, the shepherd Dumuzi-Tammuz was associated with in the city of Lagash.)
