Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim
Falling Stones Garden
Falling Stones Garden
Falling Stones Garden is a site-specific installation composed of 320 sculptures that vary in size and hue, inspired by the natural rockfall at the base of the sandstone cliffs surrounding the exhibition dvalley in AlUla. Ibrahim discerns an abundance of color in the rocks around the installation, even though this isn’t necessarily perceptible at first sight. Initially, it is easy to anticipate the landscape as monotone; the vibrant palette of the installation challenges this, guiding the viewer to pick up on the multiple different hues of the rocks. The work reframes a relationship to the landscape as it instigates new appreciation and sensitivity. By demonstrating the flaw to be in our ability to look attentively, we are prompted to look again at all the landscape offers. Within these visual cues, the multitude of history and time can be gleaned.
Falling Stones Garden is a reflection of Ibrahim’s conceptual art practice and his distinctive land art works, inspired by a lifelong relationship with the environment of Khorfakkan (United Arab Emirates), his place of birth. Ibrahim’s fascination with the desolate, rocky terrain on the eastern shore of the United Arab Emirates recalls the earthy toils of a generation of land artists, with whom Ibrahim shares a spiritual lineage. His deep connection to this environment repeats itself throughout his studio practice, whether through his installations, drawings or objects, making his works both autobiographical and collective, tracing social and cultural histories, through connections to the land.
Falling Stones Garden
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Desert X AlUla 2020