Land artist Zahrah Alghamdi was selected to exhibit After Illusion, a site-specific installation using natural materials inspired by the artist’s sense of home, at the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
The installation was heavily informed by the overall Biennale theme May You Live In Interesting Times. ‘Interesting’ is a purposefully vague word, loaded with alternative meanings. In After Illusion, Alghamdi meditates on the value of uncertainty. Exploring the dichotomy between something new, but familiar, illusion and truth. Inviting us to free ourselves from the obligations that come from taking a definitive stance, opening new doors to self-awareness and transformation.
The title, After Illusion, refers to a line from an ancient Arabic poem written by Zuhayr bin Abī Sūlmā in which the poet describes the struggle to recognise his home after being away for 20 years. Only illusion helps the eighty-year-old recognise it – a state of mind we think obscures the truth, but actually paves the way to it.
Commissioner: Misk Art Institute
