Exhibition celebrates 'sands' from Arabia

Abu Dhabi: Different, unique, and interesting. These were some of the ways visitors described pieces by Bosnian artist Sanita Lisica in her “Spirit of the Desert” exhibition, which opened on Sunday.

Lisica’s artworks use sands from different parts of the Arab world to depict distinctive landmarks in each country.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of Zayed University, the exhibition was held to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the passing away of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE.

Featuring artworks from the Arab region, each of Lisica’s pieces on display used sand taken from the places she depicted in her works. For instance, she used sands from Jordan for her “Smell of the Levant” piece, and sands from the Western Region in Abu Dhabi, to create “The Echo”.

“I’ve been to many countries in the Arab world, and each place I visit, I make sure I get sands from these grounds to create my pieces,” Lisica said.

“For instance I went to Palestine during President Yasser Arafat’s funeral and got sand from there. I also visited many places like Egypt and Libya.”

Lisica said she has been creating pieces with sand for more than 10 years. She said her inspiration for the works featured in this exhibition came from the word “Iqra” (which means “to read” in Arabic).

“The word “Iqra” represents the Arabian Peninsula, where Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) received the revelation of the Holy Quran and it began with the word ‘read’,” Lisica said.

“That’s why that’s my first piece in the exhibition.

“I also have other pieces, which represent an evolution in the UAE. It shows themes such as ‘Zayed’s Dream’ and representations of modern day Abu Dhabi,” she added.

“Spirit of the Desert” which is on display at Emirate’s Palace features 25 pieces in total, with artworks depicting parts of the UAE, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and other regions.

Among notable works in the exhibition are sand portraits of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan; His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Ruler of Abu Dhabi; General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of Zayed University.

Exhibition visitor Emma Colakhodzic said: “The exhibition is different, interesting and original. I like the fact that pieces feature sands from the countries the artist is representing, whether it is in the UAE or elsewhere”.