A series of photographs taken from the air tread the line between reality and fiction. The scapes, be it landscapes, desertscapes, even moonscapes, offer a multiplicity of possibilities as to where their locality could be or where their origins stem from. Raising more questions than diffusing answers, these images present wonders in no uncertain terms.
The photographs of these anomalous formations, the oldest of which believed to be 9,000 years old, are aerial views shot over the vicinity of the holy city of Medina. The patterns created across the land are recognised as either gates, kites or keys, identified by pilots in the early 1920’s. They each occupy vast areas of land through a very ordered and distinct placement of the volcanic rock.
The artist’s selection of this body of work to reflect on the exhibition concept questions history on the value of its past in its relationship with the present. Being born and raised in Medina, the artist does not recall any mentioning of these mysterious structures; and yet, they have been known of since 1920s. Would the knowledge of their existence have changed his understanding of the present? Would it have impacted his interpretation of the past?
A series of photographs taken from the air tread the line between reality and fiction. The scapes, be it landscapes, desertscapes, even moonscapes, offer a multiplicity of possibilities as to where their locality could be or where their origins stem from. Raising more questions than diffusing answers, these images present wonders in no uncertain terms.
The photographs of these anomalous formations, the oldest of which believed to be 9,000 years old, are aerial views shot over the vicinity of the holy city of Medina. The patterns created across the land are recognised as either gates, kites or keys, identified by pilots in the early 1920’s. They each occupy vast areas of land through a very ordered and distinct placement of the volcanic rock.
The artist’s selection of this body of work to reflect on the exhibition concept questions history on the value of its past in its relationship with the present. Being born and raised in Medina, the artist does not recall any mentioning of these mysterious structures; and yet, they have been known of since 1920s. Would the knowledge of their existence have changed his understanding of the present? Would it have impacted his interpretation of the past?
A series of photographs taken from the air tread the line between reality and fiction. The scapes, be it landscapes, desertscapes, even moonscapes, offer a multiplicity of possibilities as to where their locality could be or where their origins stem from. Raising more questions than diffusing answers, these images present wonders in no uncertain terms.
The photographs of these anomalous formations, the oldest of which believed to be 9,000 years old, are aerial views shot over the vicinity of the holy city of Medina. The patterns created across the land are recognised as either gates, kites or keys, identified by pilots in the early 1920’s. They each occupy vast areas of land through a very ordered and distinct placement of the volcanic rock.
The artist’s selection of this body of work to reflect on the exhibition concept questions history on the value of its past in its relationship with the present. Being born and raised in Medina, the artist does not recall any mentioning of these mysterious structures; and yet, they have been known of since 1920s. Would the knowledge of their existence have changed his understanding of the present? Would it have impacted his interpretation of the past?
A series of photographs taken from the air tread the line between reality and fiction. The scapes, be it landscapes, desertscapes, even moonscapes, offer a multiplicity of possibilities as to where their locality could be or where their origins stem from. Raising more questions than diffusing answers, these images present wonders in no uncertain terms.
The photographs of these anomalous formations, the oldest of which believed to be 9,000 years old, are aerial views shot over the vicinity of the holy city of Medina. The patterns created across the land are recognised as either gates, kites or keys, identified by pilots in the early 1920’s. They each occupy vast areas of land through a very ordered and distinct placement of the volcanic rock.
The artist’s selection of this body of work to reflect on the exhibition concept questions history on the value of its past in its relationship with the present. Being born and raised in Medina, the artist does not recall any mentioning of these mysterious structures; and yet, they have been known of since 1920s. Would the knowledge of their existence have changed his understanding of the present? Would it have impacted his interpretation of the past?
The Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research is pleased to announce the exhibition “The Remnants,” the first regional solo exhibition by Saudi photographer Moath Al Ofi. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Shaikh Ebrahim Center and Athr Gallery, Jeddah
Moath Al Ofi’s first regional solo exhibition, “The Remnants,” presents his ongoing social and anthropological exploration of Medina, the holy city in his native Saudi Arabia. Al Ofi sheds light on certain aspects of the human, environmental and architectural landscape by casting an otherwise unforeseen gaze, all the while conversely igniting mystery and questions around the very subjects themselves. The meticulous detail in his photography serves to not only set the scene but immerse you in a time and space that would otherwise remain alien should it not be for his insight. The Remnants strives to share, that amidst silence, desolation and abandonment, stories of distant histories can rise before a contemporary backdrop.