The Purl and Silk Journey

Overview

Continuing his longtime engagement with nature and travel, Abdullah Al Saadi presents an array of scrolls and drawings that were produced during two related trips he has collectively titled The Purl and Silk Journey (2015). Not far from the artist’s home, the mountainous terrain of Al Hora in Wadi Madha was chosen for The Purl Journey because of its inspiring views. Overlooking a lush valley with a stream running through it, the location provided Al Saadi with a vantage point from which to consider notions of nourishment and being. Over five days, these environs sustained the artist’s self-initiated exploration of coffee, tea and flatbread—staples that are integral to everyday life and conviviality in the eastern regions of the Arabian Gulf.

Al Saadi’s The Silk Journey involved a 10 day bicycle ride through eastern parts of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, passing through Madha, Khorfakkan, Dibba and Wadi Bih, before returning to Dibba and continuing on to Al Hallah, Al Teeba, Masafi, Fujairah and Madha. Following a route he took in 1993, Al Saadi’s recent journey and work chronicle transformations in familiar landscapes, mediated through his physical presence and the passage of time. During moments of respite along the way, the artist read the book The Silk Road: A History, which transported him to other lands.

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 13.