.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
‘Mecca is being given a makeover, and the speed and breadth of its transformation is generating interrelated concerns regarding the city’s social mechanics and the ongoing and symbiotic relationship between demolition and construction.’ - Ahmed Mater
Made in 2012, this second edition of the limited three photographic prints, From the Real to the Symbolic City, is from Mater’s much-acclaimed ongoing project Desert of Pharan, which encompasses a series of photographs and films documenting the rapid development of Islam’s holiest city, Mecca. Shot from an aerial perspective, the picture foregrounds an unprecedented view of the traditional neighbourhood of the Al Mansour district of Mecca, with the central clock towering hotel of Abraj al-Bait, highlighting the location of the Masjid al-Haram and holy Kaaba fading into the hazy background. The project lends its name to the ancient appellation for Mecca, referencing the arid and rugged expanses of the ‘Desert of Paran’ or ‘Wilderness of Paran’, as mentioned in the Old Testament. It maps the tension between the interface of Islamic culture and globalization in a city where a new vision for the future is being composed. Poignantly revealing the paradoxical aspect of a city teeming with initiatives, the photographic sequence captures the shifting urbanism of Mecca, as the historic landscape is swiftly giving way to the construction of opulent skyscrapers and significant mosque expansion.
Born in 1979 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Mater spent his formative years in Abha, studying medicine at King Khalid University. His journey into photography stemmed from his dependence on X-rays in his medical profession. Using images as a means for diagnosis, he engages in subjective analysis of the world around him. As a physician turned artist, Mater uses photography, film, video, text, and performance to interlace his expressive and politically charged artistic goals with the scientific pursuits of his medical background, melding Islamic aesthetic and conceptual art. As the co-founder of the arts initiative Edge of Arabia, Mater is socially engaged in fostering connections between a new generation of Saudi artists and international audiences. He oversaw the feature of the first Saudi National Pavilion at the Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. His work is part of prestigious international collections, including The British Museum, London; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; LACMA, Los Angeles; and Centre Pompidou, Paris. He currently lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Made in 2012, this second edition of the limited three photographic prints, From the Real to the Symbolic City, is from Mater’s much-acclaimed ongoing project Desert of Pharan, which encompasses a series of photographs and films documenting the rapid development of Islam’s holiest city, Mecca. Shot from an aerial perspective, the picture foregrounds an unprecedented view of the traditional neighbourhood of the Al Mansour district of Mecca, with the central clock towering hotel of Abraj al-Bait, highlighting the location of the Masjid al-Haram and holy Kaaba fading into the hazy background. The project lends its name to the ancient appellation for Mecca, referencing the arid and rugged expanses of the ‘Desert of Paran’ or ‘Wilderness of Paran’, as mentioned in the Old Testament. It maps the tension between the interface of Islamic culture and globalization in a city where a new vision for the future is being composed. Poignantly revealing the paradoxical aspect of a city teeming with initiatives, the photographic sequence captures the shifting urbanism of Mecca, as the historic landscape is swiftly giving way to the construction of opulent skyscrapers and significant mosque expansion.
Born in 1979 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Mater spent his formative years in Abha, studying medicine at King Khalid University. His journey into photography stemmed from his dependence on X-rays in his medical profession. Using images as a means for diagnosis, he engages in subjective analysis of the world around him. As a physician turned artist, Mater uses photography, film, video, text, and performance to interlace his expressive and politically charged artistic goals with the scientific pursuits of his medical background, melding Islamic aesthetic and conceptual art. As the co-founder of the arts initiative Edge of Arabia, Mater is socially engaged in fostering connections between a new generation of Saudi artists and international audiences. He oversaw the feature of the first Saudi National Pavilion at the Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. His work is part of prestigious international collections, including The British Museum, London; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; LACMA, Los Angeles; and Centre Pompidou, Paris. He currently lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.