Renowned Egyptian artist Mohammed Abla’s latest exhibition in Dubai, The Silk Road reflects his concerns about the conflicts and socio-political barriers that are fragmenting our society today. His new body of work features collages that are inspired by his research into the history of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that facilitated not only commerce between various countries, but also cultural exchange and understanding. The artworks draw parallels between the past and the present economic, cultural and political environment in the East and West.
“A few years ago, I visited India and was fascinated to learn about the country’s ancient culture and artistic traditions, and its historic connection to the Middle East and Far East via the Silk Road. Since that trip I have been researching this ancient trade route, along which different religions, languages, inventions, ideas and goods travelled between India, China, Iran, Egypt and other countries. This road brought diverse people together and fostered peaceful cultural exchange for over a thousand years, and I wanted to reimagine that in a contemporary context through my work,” Abla says.
At the beginning of his career, the artist spent seven years travelling across Europe, visiting museums, learning new techniques, interacting with artists, and exhibiting his work. He is known for using different media and techniques, such as painting, photography, calligraphy and sculpture. But for this series, he has used collage and the ancient Turkish ebru technique. This process involves putting drops of oil paints in a tray of water and then transferring the marbled patterns created by the swirling paints on to a sheet of paper by carefully floating the paper on the surface of the water.
“This work is about the ancient Silk Road, so it seemed apt to use an old Middle Eastern technique. I also chose it because I wanted to recreate the look of the mosaics I saw at the Taj Mahal in India. The swirling colours reflect the mixing of cultures along the Silk Road, but also the current turbulence in our region. Just as these different colours can blend together so beautifully, people from different backgrounds can live together harmoniously if we have love, understanding, tolerance and mutual respect. My love for nature is also reflected in my collages, and by using water to create these works I wanted to remind people that water is a resource we all share, and it represents our common origin,” Abla says.
The artist used bright colours to make hundreds of marbled paper sheets, from which he then cut out figures and objects such as kings, princesses, warriors, horses, fish, birds, trees, flowers, lakes, caves, cages, and calligraphic letters. He collaged these onto his canvasses to create narratives that are inspired by folk tales from various places along the Silk Road.
Each collage tells a story, and the titles such as The Return of the Warrior, The Journey, The Lover and the Potter, and The Happy Island, suggest that these are tales of love, loss, separation, heroism, betrayal, and magic – universal themes that every viewer can connect with.
Abla has been involved in the writing of Egypt’s constitution after the revolution in 2011, and during that process he listened to the dreams and aspirations of Egyptians of all ages, and from all strata of society. Their stories are also woven into his work, reflecting what is happening in Egypt and in the world today.
For example, The Copper City, based on a fable about a city where all the inhabitants have been turned into copper statues, refers to the political and social unrest that has paralysed many places that were once part of the Silk Road network. In other works, the artist has used his characters and scenes to address issues such as gender inequality, political conflict, injustice in society, and our relationship with nature.
Although his narratives seem to be carefully constructed, Abla says they happen spontaneously. “Months before I begin working on a new series, I do a lot of reading, travelling and gather new experiences. But when I start working, I have no sketch or specific idea in mind, and spontaneously build a narrative that borrows from all the stories I have come across. I want to leave these collages open to individual interpretation, and I look forward to listening to the stories my viewers find in them,” he says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
The Silk Road will run at Tabari Artspace (formerly Artspace Dubai), DIFC until November 24.
