Abdus Salaam | Abu Dhabi Art 2023

For Abu Dhabi Art 2023 THK Gallery will be returning to present Abdus Salaam’s second solo body of work for the fair, titled ‘Efflorescence’ (‭ ‬إزهار‭ ‬) meaning to blossom, emerge or evolve. Included are forms both new and established in the artist’s oeuvre, with the intention of invoking a sense of hope for our future, unity from our shared past, and gratitude/love for our natural environment/future.

 

The artist chose to focus on the profound beauty of ecology and primordial forms loaded with personal and societal undertones, hoping to light a spark within the origins of us all at the most foundational level. This body of work includes gem stone and foraged stone sculptures rooted in the primordial origins of sculpture as well as our use of tools. 

 

Also included are acrylic ink paintings that express not only the spiritual connection that the artist experiences with the earth but also the sensation of moving through the Islamic calendar toward Eid al Fitr ( عيد‭ ‬فطر ) on the first of Shawwal ( شوَّال ), the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and its relationship to birth, earth and rebirth.

Familiar forms include the artist's Heartwood Symphonic tree ring resin wall sculptures, for the first time shown with a dual colour gradient, and his ‘Meaning’ performance woks/action paintings in which the artist recites a particular Surah/Chapter from the Holy Quran, in this case the work is a dual colour expression of Surah Al Fatiha (The Opener), the most widely known foundational Surah/Chapter of the Holy Quran - one often taught to children among their first words. 

Lastly, and most relevant to the title of this body of work are Salaam’s 'Seed Flowers’ and ‘Currently’ works which were made exclusively with a palette knife during his 3 month residency at The Institute for Public Architecture in New York City between June and August 2023. Inspired by the seeds of the maple tree, and an experimentation of the artist’s ambidextrous abilities these works are a folding of time and form as the artist presents a seed as a flower and a flower as a seed, an ancient sufic metaphor for life, death and our radiating efflorescent present while the ‘Currently’ works evoke the narrative of the Prophet Moses.

The seeds of the maple tree also mimic the form of a water drop implying a spiritual and bodily transcendence, in this case referencing the biblical narrative of Moses and his miracles of parting the sea and the burning bush - both of which are timeless metaphors for our relationship to spirituality and overcoming impossible odds.