The British Museum despite recent rumours of the closing of its library, will play host to an exhibition on the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, in early 2012. The ritual that is supposed to be carried out by every adult Muslim at least once in their life, will be displayed by form of manuscripts, photographs and diaries and will be accompanied by work from contemporary Saudi artists such as Ahmed Mater and Shadia Alem.
I myself am particularly looking forward to this exhibition especially due to its inclusion of the contemporary artists. Ahmed Mater is an internationally renowned artist whose work covers many grounds. There is one work of his that I particularly like, and that is Antenna.
There is a searching here, a scanning for a signal for something to watch to grab onto, something that translates in away not only from the childhood that he references, but also a little bit of all our lives, that stage where one searches for someone, something to set them right. Or perhaps as the signal fades it was a glimpse into something better. This I feel resonates not only with the public but also to any fellow artists, as this is a path in life that is often uncertain.
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