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In a country swept by a vast wave of art and culture initiatives that are reshaping the ecosystem for creativity in the region, Saudi prince and artist Sultan bin Fahad has been at the forefront. Having worked for many years on the development and representation of the contemporary Saudi art scene, Bin Fahad is one of the country’s artists whose work has been extensively exhibited both at home and abroad in a variety of public and private exhibitions.
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“I am inspired by the storytelling essence of found objects, the minutia of history of both the old and the new. In observing tangible elements of the past and bringing them to the present, I aim to examine how our cultural expressions persist over time”, says Bin Fahad.
His conceptually guided practice incorporates drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. His work explores expressions of Islamic and Saudi identity, histories, and national narratives through attention to the products of his homeland’s significant material culture.
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During the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, staged by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the Saudi prince presented Holy Land (2023), an immersive mixed-media installation composed of Hajj souvenirs reproduced as sculptures.
While an earlier exhibit titled Dream Travelled (2021) showcased the three holy sites every Muslim pilgrim dreams to witness – Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem – created for the first edition of the Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh.
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The installation was a mesmerizingly beautiful tented room comprised of Hajj murals and images from the Holy Quran, fabricated by thousands of coloured beads. Which offered a tribute and remembrance of the pilgrims who came to perform Hajj in the earlier days when travel was a much more arduous journey.
The remarkably striking artworks were not only instrumental due to their focus on uniquely highlighting spirituality and the material culture of Saudi Arabia – but also because of their participation in the very first Contemporary Art Biennale and the very first Islamic Arts Biennale for the Kingdom.
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By amassing eclectic souvenirs and domestic objects – including flasks, prayer mats, water coolers, air conditioning units, and chandeliers – Bin Fahad connects past to present. He often transforms these objects by grouping and re-arranging them, drawing on the rationality of selection and the language of diversity.
Bin Fahad claims, “In combining my natural affinities, my hobby for scavenging to find old or lost objects and my artistic interpretations, I have developed a style based in juxtapositions, in drawing contrasts between the past and the future, depicting grit and whimsical designs, and highlighting both the broken and the beautiful elements”.
He believes some objects carry the weight of history with them. The readymade articles become mnemonic objects that evoke multi-layered journeys, and when transposed into the contemporary moment, illuminate latent cultural memories.
Another memorable work highlighting his ethos and mastery is his collaboration with renowned carpet maker Iwan Maktabi for their Terminal G project, which was also a first of its kind - a collection of carpets commissioned from creatives across five countries of the Gulf region, Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
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A project created to explore and highlight regionalised stories and their intriguing nuances. The Delights (2023) hand-knotted rug collection, by Bin Fahad commemorates familiar phrases traditionally used during weddings and other happy occasions. The visuals are inspired by boxes of delights that were given at these times, featuring good luck inscriptions. Themes of love, unity and timelessness are expressed through the illustration of the bride and groom’s fathers shaking hands, framed by a pattern of roses. The Delights collection represents what the artist describes as “something far, something close and something real to cherish and hold dear.”
When questioned on the importance of promoting art and cultural initiatives, the Saudi prince concludes, “As a powerful form of self-expression, art and creativity are important in driving social change because they give us the power to imagine better worlds, better systems, and better ways of treating and accepting others.”
