Nasser Al Salem

Zamzam is a calligraphic representation of the word ‘zamzam’, a miraculously generated source of water from God. The composition is significant to the holistic symbolic meaning of the piece. The word is designed to be read from left to right, right to left, up to down and down to up, echoing universal ways of reading. Such flow in the direction of this also depicts Hajar pacing between Safa and Marwa in order to find the source of the holy zamzam water. It also represents the angel Gabriel’s large wingspan, who was responsible for indicating to Hajar where to stomp her foot in order to reveal the source. At the heart of the print lies an intricately designed and manipulated 8-point star; this is where God is believed to rest upon his throne. According to Islamic tradition, the 8-point star is also a sign for infinity, which coincidentally, is also the general shape this piece has formed, implying Islam’s everlasting and unbreakable cycle.

Zamzam has been acquired by The British Museum in 2011.

The direct translation of Kul is ‘all’ or ‘everything’. However, the connotation of the word kulin the Arabic language is so much more complex in its all-encompassing meaning and implication of infinity.  This meaning is compounded by the artist’s technique of calligraphically depicting the word kul repeatedly, so that it resembles an endless ripple effect. 

The impression of never-ending repetition is not merely a reflection of God’s abundance on Earth, but an indication to look both further, and deeper, to penetrate the mere appearance and surface of things, to discover the hidden messages that all aesthetic creation hold.

 Once, we thought the atom was the smallest particle, before we discovered that it was made of numerous smaller ones, as we once thought that the extent of our universe was the Milky Way Galaxy, before we discovered that there were hundreds of billions more galaxies out there.  As God’s creation is infinite, and while we can say or write the word ‘infinite’ easily, it is impossible to imagine as it extends far beyond the human brain’s capacity for comprehension. Therefore, if one thinks of kul too deeply or for too long, they might realize that it doesn’t exist; there is no ‘all’ or ‘everything’.

The direct translation of Kul is ‘all’ or ‘everything’. However, the connotation of the word Kulin the Arabic language is so much more complex in its all-encompassing meaning and implication of infinity.  This meaning is compounded by the artist’s technique of calligraphically depicting the word Kul repeatedly, so that it resembles an endless ripple effect.   

The impression of never-ending repetition is not merely a reflection of God’s abundance on Earth, but an indication to look both further, and deeper, to penetrate the mere appearance and surface of things, to discover the hidden messages that all aesthetic creation hold.

 Once, we thought the atom was the smallest particle, before we discovered that it was made of numerous smaller ones, as we once thought that the extent of our universe was the Milky Way Galaxy, before we discovered that there were hundreds of billions more galaxies out there.  As God’s creation is infinite, and while we can say or write the word ‘infinite’ easily, it is impossible to imagine as it extends far beyond the human brain’s capacity for comprehension. Therefore, if one thinks of Kul too deeply or for too long, they might realize that it doesn’t exist; there is no ‘all’ or ‘everything’.

The direct translation of Kul is ‘all’ or ‘everything’. However, the connotation of the word Kul in the Arabic language is so much more complex in its all-encompassing meaning and implication of infinity.  This meaning is compounded by the artist’s technique of calligraphically depicting the word Kul repeatedly, so that it resembles an endless ripple effect. 

The impression of never-ending repetition is not merely a reflection of God’s abundance on Earth, but an indication to look both further, and deeper, to penetrate the mere appearance and surface of things, to discover the hidden messages that all aesthetic creation hold.

Once, we thought the atom was the smallest particle, before we discovered that it was made of numerous smaller ones, as we once thought that the extent of our universe was the Milky Way Galaxy, before we discovered that there were hundreds of billions more galaxies out there.  As God’s creation is infinite, and while we can say or write the word ‘infinite’ easily, it is impossible to imagine as it extends far beyond the human brain’s capacity for comprehension. Therefore, if one thinks of Kul too deeply or for too long, they might realize that it doesn’t exist; there is no ‘all’ or ‘everything’.

The direct translation of Kul is ‘all’ or ‘everything’. However, the connotation of the word Kul in the Arabic language is so much more complex in its all-encompassing meaning and implication of infinity. This meaning is compounded by the artist’s technique of calligraphically depicting the word Kul repeatedly, so that it resembles an endless ripple effect.

The impression of never-ending repetition is not merely a reflection of God’s abundance on Earth, but an indication to look both further, and deeper, to penetrate the mere appearance and surface of things, to discover the hidden messages that all aesthetic creation hold.

Once, we thought the atom was the smallest particle, before we discovered that it was made of numerous smaller ones, as we once thought that the extent of our universe was the Milky Way Galaxy, before we discovered that there were hundreds of billions more galaxies out there. As God’s creation is infinite, and while we can say or write the word ‘infinite’ easily, it is impossible to imagine as it extends far beyond the human brain’s capacity for comprehension. Therefore, if one thinks of Kul too deeply or for too long, they might realize that it doesn’t exist; there is no ‘all’ or ‘everything’.

Nasser Al-Salem’s work City Nomads is a movingly nostalgic piece that is a drastic departure from the artist’s previous calligraphic work. The subject, one that is close to his heart, is of the nomadic traditions that are forcibly disappearing by the ever-expanding cities and fast-paced modernization. The work comprises of hanging traditional tent flaps (that made-up the entrances of tents) on a number of scaffolds.  Each ten-flap is marked with calligraphic verses and indications of modern-day ”tagging” that geo-records their location. The scaffolds are assembled in a way that force the viewer to explore and discover the tent-flaps within the skeletal structure. The assembly of tent-flaps, a traditional material for constructing the homes of Nomads, lay in stark contrast to the use of scaffolds, a modern day means for constructing buildings. Nasser’s hollow structure alludes to the flimsy and unstable, and appears to both question and highlight the foundation in which culture and tradition will continue to exist or disappear.

Tent-making was in fact the artist’s family’s main trade for several generations.  The artist has many fond memories of growing up in their Mecca shop, which was eventually closed down as plastic constructions replaced tents as shelters for Hajj pilgrims. 

Nomads, by definition, leave no trace to mark their presence when they move to another location. This means that they actually have no tangible heritage.  If their way of life disappears, there will be nothing but their oral traditions to prove they ever existed.

With the support of Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Center for Culture and Research,

Manama Al Gosaibi project, Al Gosaibi's house is converted into a museum and considered a cultural attraction which reflects the life and perpetuate the memory of the departed/late poet, ambassador, minister, reformer/renovator and liberal  Ghazi Al Gosaibi. The museum is open to the public in support of the cultural movement. 

Allah is a multimedia installation by artist Nasser Al-Salem and the second iteration derived from an earlier work by the artist. The visual manifestation of the word Allah is an abstracted representation in which its letters are stripped down to basic geometric lines and shapes. Nasser explores through a minimalist approach how form and light can imitate an approximate representation of the divine.

The artist radically eschews the conventional and traditionalist aesthetic appeal of a calligraphic form in representing Allah, and creating an immersive and experiential representation.

A thin metallic black rod, carved using a calligraphic rendering based on the Kufi script, will exhibit the term Amma Baad.

The expression is an Arabic term used typically in official letters when salutations and respect are paid and the subject of the communication is yet to be revealed. It is a moment in space and time where and when what preceded sank in nothingness and what follows is infinite.

Time, being considered as the fourth dimension, interlaces this notion within the sculptural piece where it becomes part of time within itself and can only be approached through language.

Amma Baad is a promise. It is hope, fear, expectation, and trepidation. It is silence, it is noise. It is nothing and everything. It is waiting.

Al-Salem addresses the power of words and the production of meaning. Often using sentences from the Holy Qur’an, his multimedia installations reflect the complexity, affirmative notions and contemplative qualities of this religious text. In this work, Al-Salem expands on the interpretation of Surat Al Sajda (the Protestration), which attests: “He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count. [32:5]”

Al-Salem deconstructs the verse “He arranges [each] matter” into a letter or groups of letters, which are then repeated or duplicated and scattered across the surface of the paper. The expansion of the letters

on the papers represents the continuous expansion of the universe and the constant movement that characterises it in its entirety. Here, each letter is a unique element of formal organisation within a system. Al-Salem is not only concerned with the way the system expands, but is also interested in exploring notions of matter within such a system, such as the endless motion and vastness of the universe, the intense diversity of nature and the world and the logic that affirms the belief in God.

Al-Salem addresses the power of words and the production of meaning. Often using sentences from the Holy Qur’an, his multimedia installations reflect the complexity, affirmative notions and contemplative qualities of this religious text. In this work, Al-Salem expands on the interpretation of Surat Al Sajda (the Protestration), which attests: “He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count. [32:5]”

Al-Salem deconstructs the verse “He arranges [each] matter” into a letter or groups of letters, which are then repeated or duplicated and scattered across the surface of the paper. The expansion of the letters

on the papers represents the continuous expansion of the universe and the constant movement that characterises it in its entirety. Here, each letter is a unique element of formal organisation within a system. Al-Salem is not only concerned with the way the system expands, but is also interested in exploring notions of matter within such a system, such as the endless motion and vastness of the universe, the intense diversity of nature and the world and the logic that affirms the belief in God.