Permanent Installation
Imagine
El Seed’s new sculpture at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba is a tribute to the institution that helped him push his calligraphy into the third dimension.
The international artist had already established his unique style on flat surfaces, such as walls and canvases, but it was during his 2013 residency at Tashkeel that he began experimenting with the sculptural calligraphic forms that he has since become internationally renowned for.
Takhayal is an homage to that moment. Its name means “imagine” in Arabic. The sculpture stands at a lofty eight metres and is a reminder to artists to keep expanding their horizons, eL Seed says. The word takhayal, he adds, was proposed by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, the founder of Tashkeel, and reflects much of what the art institution stands for.
About the installation
Takhayal is a project commissioned by Dubai Culture and comes as part of the institution’s public art initiative. El Seed’s work often resonated best in a public setting. It is also, he says, where he feels most in his element.
“When you work in the public space, and you put artwork in the public space, you bring art to the people, as opposed to a gallery setting,” he says. “That’s a beautiful move. In the Arab world, most of the time, public artworks are placed in the middle of roundabouts, where nobody can really have access to it.” Takhayal, he says, is proof of the efforts by Dubai Culture to “democratise art” and embed it in everyday life.
Our yearly exhibit ions
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas et ex ut velit dictum maximus. In ut nulla tortor.
Permanent installation
Waves only exist because the wind blows
Waves Only Exist Because the Wind Blows is the title of the new, monumental-scale workWaves Only Exist Because the Wind Blows is the title of the new, monumental-scale work by eL Seed on the exterior walls of the “Cubo” space at Pirelli HangarBicocca, covering a total area of 1,000 square meters and visible from the adjacent area of Sesto San Giovanni, from the adjoining road and bordering railway yards.<br> The site-specific work was commissioned and produced as part of the “Outside the Cube” project, dedicated to transitory forms of art and linked to public spaces which was born in 2016 with the creation of the work Efêmero by OSGEMEOS.<br> <br>
For years, eL Seed has explored the question of home and identity, the intricacies of migration, the longing for connection and the yearning for a fulfilling sense of belonging.
In Pirelli HangarBicocca, eL Seed is creating an art piece that celebrates the shared journey and the need to belong somewhere. With the shape of a wave beautifully embodying the recurring theme of coming and going, the artwork depicts the wisdom of Cesare Pavese and his famous phrase from the novel La luna e i falò (The moon and the bonfires): “Everyone needs to have a place where he belongs, even if it’s only for the sake of leaving”.
Through eL Seed’s distinctive visual language this artwork amplifies its meaning and talks to everyone about the collective memories of each of us, the layers of our identity. ...read more
Starts 25 January 2025
Quoz Art Festival
eL Seed related space located in Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai will exhibit a collection ofeL Seed related space located in Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai will exhibit a collection of new work on paper and a pop up eL Seed cafe....read more
Permanent Installation
Imagine – Tashkeel
El Seed’s new sculpture at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba is a tribute to theEl Seed’s new sculpture at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba is a tribute to the institution that helped him push his calligraphy into the third dimension.
The international artist had already established his unique style on flat surfaces, such as walls and canvases, but it was during his 2013 residency at Tashkeel that he began experimenting with the sculptural calligraphic forms that he has since become internationally renowned for.
Takhayal is an homage to that moment. Its name means "imagine" in Arabic. The sculpture stands at a lofty eight metres and is a reminder to artists to keep expanding their horizons, eL Seed says. The word takhayal, he adds, was proposed by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, the founder of Tashkeel, and reflects much of what the art institution stands for....read more
