The 59th Venice Biennale opened on April 23, 2022 and living up to its reputation as the “Olympics of the art world”, the inaugural day of the event didn’t fail to impress. Especially, because this is the first Venice Biennale to feature an immense participation from the Arab world.
One of the highlights, without a shadow of a doubt, were the exhibits at the Saudi pavilion. Artist Muhannad Shono, in specific, introduced his The Teaching Tree installation at the event.
Muhannad is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Riyadh and has worked with a variety of mediums: from large-scale installations that have utilised robotics to the creation of intimate drawings and comics. Among the defining characteristics of his work are questioning truths and ways of being and juxtaposing technology with myths, histories, traditions and nature.
“My work embodies the irrepressible spirit of creative expression: the power of the imagination that grows despite what may attempt to limit it but instead makes it more resilient. This is a resilience that is taught by nature, in its continuous cycles of death and re-growth, like trees nourished by the ashes of wildfires,” according to a quote attributed to Muhannad on the Saudi pavilion’s social media page.
The idea behind The Teaching Tree was to evoke the emotions of the installation attempting to break its confines and expand. Created from dried palm leaves that have been dyed black, the installation begins at the entrance of the Saudi pavilion and takes grasp of the space as you venture further in.
Along with The Teaching Tree, there is plenty of stunning work in the Saudi Pavilion to behold and discover -- all masterfully curated by the Director of Abu Dhabi's Cultural Foundation Reem Fadda, along with Rotana Shaker.
