Manal AlDowayan‘s Their Love Is Like All Loves, Their Death Is Like All Deaths provides a deep look into the artist’s practice and reflects her ongoing engagement with AlUla’s communities, traditions and narratives.
AlDowayan, who will also represent Saudi Arabia at La Biennale di Venezia 2024, is known for the participatory nature of her work. Her practice explores themes like cultural metamorphosis, social injustice, collective narratives, craft traditions, our relationship with nature and the status and representation of women. The exhibition in AlUla’s AlJadidah Arts District is held as part of Wadi AlFann’s pre-opening programme, which also includes symposia, performances, tours through the valley, talks, workshops and masterclasses.
Presented in collaboration with Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Their Love Is Like All Loves, Their Death Is Like All Deaths, delves into AlDowayan’s practice. Exploring the idea of ruin, the artist was inspired by sculptures and engravings from the ancient tombs of AlUla, adding her own imagined histories through local folklore, poetry and crafts. Soft sculptures made of tussar silk are printed with images related to AlUla’s heritage; their forms are inspired by desert roses, also exhibited in the show. Labyrinth-like drawings are inspired by the passages of AlUla Old Town, while acrylic paintings depict women’s legs emerging from the ground. Engraved clay works are made of mud gathered from across Saudi Arabia and wall pieces feature Sadu textile weaving, a technique traditionally used by Bedouin women.
Press release from The Royal Commission for AlUla
Image: Manal AlDowayan. Installation view of Their Love Is Like All Loves, Their Death Is Like All Deaths at AlJadidah Arts District, AlUla, 2024. Collaboration between Arts AlUla and Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Image courtesy of The Royal Commission for AlUla
