RMB Latitudes Art Fair

Shepstone Gardens, Johannesburg , 23 - 26 May 2024 

The word انسان) Insaan) translates as human being. The word’s roots are انس (uns), meaning ‘intimate’ or ‘love’, and نسي) nasyia), meaning ‘forgetful’,  defining the human being as both the intimate one and the forgetful one.  This poetic fragrance is often alluded to by the mystics and scholars of  Islam as it so poignantly delivers us to the essence of humanity being that  of love, a reality that we often forget within our terrestrial, ethereal and  Divine planes.  

 

This body of work, made over the course of six weeks in residence during the month-long fast of Ramadan, ties this land and its hominid remains,  this river and its polluted state, notions of our global environmental  shortcomings alongside intimate and personal moments. It asks if perhaps  love — or the reminder of it, being the essence of our being and therefore  our sanctuary across multiple planes — might ease the anxieties, tensions,  and personal fears that we project outwardly into the echo chamber of forgetfulness. 

Salaam will have a solo presentation at this year's iteration of the RMB Latitudes Art Fair.