Scarecrows

Overview

In 2009, Abdullah Al Saadi had the opportunity to explore Brazil during a four-month residency in South America. Inspired by the thirty-eight-metre-tall Christ the Redeemer statue that reigns over Rio de Janeiro, he made Scarecrows (2013). While scarecrows are commonly used in fields to scare birds away to protect growing crops, Al Saadi’s idea was to create these figures in a decorative manner to attract the public. Repurposing found objects, gourds and various distressed materials that reflect local culture and daily life, the artist depicts a community of both male and female scarecrows to disrupt taboos of gender, social relations and public space. For SB12, dozens of these scarecrows are displayed in the open courtyard of Bait Al Serkal, an absurd, silent antimonument.


This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 12