Abdullah Syed
One Thousand And One And Counting (diptych), 2012
Hand-cut uncut US$1 sheet in custom made vitrine, fabric, gold ink, debossed tool and currency collage on Wasli
Diptych each 53 x 62.5 cm
20 7/8 x 24 5/8 in
With Frame 80 x 70 cm
31 x 27/23 in
20 7/8 x 24 5/8 in
With Frame 80 x 70 cm
31 x 27/23 in
Copyright The Artist
In this diptych, uncut sheets of 32 bills, each of US$ 1 dollar have been utilized for Islamic patterned tile constructions. The construction and subsequent deconstruction of currencies and their...
In this diptych, uncut sheets of 32 bills, each of US$ 1 dollar have been utilized for
Islamic patterned tile constructions.
The construction and subsequent deconstruction of currencies and their geometric
and arabesque patterns allude to the fantastical flying rug of Arabian tales and has
become a flippant and all encompassing cliché for ‘exotic’ Arab/Islamic culture. Such
symbols and patterns lie at the heart of the Orientalist myth and the corresponding
Occidental fascination. Syed uses uncirculated US$2 bills, hand-cut to formulate
the flying rugs. The debris emanating from these cuttings are then glued onto gold
leaf and gold coloured paper to recreate the negative of the original pattern, not
by drawing lines, but by filling the blank spaces. This art making process requires
the same meticulous investment of craft and labour that is a hallmark of Islamic
art and design and the dualities of East and West come to reside in a concurrent
geography. They reside in subliminal spaces that promote the discourses of Orient
and Occident, binaries that are redefining notions of identity, hybridity of cultures,
and aspects of globalization including capitalism.
Islamic patterned tile constructions.
The construction and subsequent deconstruction of currencies and their geometric
and arabesque patterns allude to the fantastical flying rug of Arabian tales and has
become a flippant and all encompassing cliché for ‘exotic’ Arab/Islamic culture. Such
symbols and patterns lie at the heart of the Orientalist myth and the corresponding
Occidental fascination. Syed uses uncirculated US$2 bills, hand-cut to formulate
the flying rugs. The debris emanating from these cuttings are then glued onto gold
leaf and gold coloured paper to recreate the negative of the original pattern, not
by drawing lines, but by filling the blank spaces. This art making process requires
the same meticulous investment of craft and labour that is a hallmark of Islamic
art and design and the dualities of East and West come to reside in a concurrent
geography. They reside in subliminal spaces that promote the discourses of Orient
and Occident, binaries that are redefining notions of identity, hybridity of cultures,
and aspects of globalization including capitalism.