The Saudi artist’s exhibition will be on display at Rhinoceros gallery till December 10th

The “Frequency” exhibit by Sultan bin Fahad will be on display at the Rhinoceros Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located in Rome’s city center behind the Roman Forum, till December 10th. Sultan’s art creates a connection between the past and the present. His exhibition’s central theme is the material culture of his native Saudi Arabia – a journey between intangible memories and tangible cultures through abstract drawings, sculptures and installations.

The restricting dark walls of the gallery and the sense of infinity expressed through the illuminated art convey Sultan’s idea of “being in a place of worship where the individual relates to their feelings” – as the physical body is a wall, the feelings, and emotions are limitless.

“Been there.”

Four archeological engraved stones installed in the exhibition’s entrance hall convey a message of antiquity meeting contemporary. The stones bear the signs and words from others’ experience representing the search for the divine and a testimony of the passage in that place. As the entire room is dark, the visitor will have a private moment between himself and the engraved ancient stones, illuminated by lights in the ceiling. Behind the four stones is a large luminescent surface, where the visitor is invited to leave his mark – similarly to people engraving the stones in antiquity. The intertwining ancient objects are co-living with the contemporary ones.

“Possessions”: concern the theme of contact

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Through the vibrant installation, Sultan has communicated a magical moment. Hundreds of hands, faces, noses, and gestures crowd, crawl and crush upon the wall – which nearly becomes a materialization of the spirit. Hands in search of God, express how everyone attempts to get in touch with Him – making these gestures universal.

“If stone could speak”

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While crossing this room, your shadow will fall over these random, non-geometrical stones – a collection of marbles of various shapes from Saudi sacred areas. For a moment, your shadow will encounter the many others who have crossed there before—making the stones and marbles become the only silent witness of humans in search of spirituality.

“The Verse of the Throne”

Sic bowls of a rhythmic sequence are placed on illuminated pedestals, while the entire room is pitch black, bearing a feeling of purification and vivification. This is the last room of the exhibition, after a long journey searching for their spirit, where the visitor comes into contact with water, at last. Water is a universal connective material in multiple cultures and religions, used to cleanse and purify. The continuous voices playing in the background become a single white color, the vortex’s result, and the constant circular movement.

“The White Noise”

In search of ourselves’ frequency, the visitor will find himself in an immense space inside the gallery with two rooms suspended in space. The White Noise is a chorus of thousands of visitors’ voices recorded while visiting sacred places – gathered all together; they define a continuous white frequency.

In this place, you will encounter the contemporary technological screens located inside the floating rooms. As you get inside one of these rooms, you will be surrounded by glitching screens, and the immense roar in the background becomes a memory of hope and recovery. Through this installation, Sultan has portrayed his idea of a long universal journey towards spirituality – in a dark room, without place nor time – untied merely by objects and the frequency of ourselves.

Terrace

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After six stories, you will find yourself standing on the terrace of the Rhinoceros gallery. Rome’s best views in the exact spot where the Imperial Rome during the 16th century were dedicated to Emperor Augustus. Gazing at Rome from the top, you will encounter a relationship between the past and present as surrounding you will be the Roman Forum and the Altare Della Patria in Piazza Venezia.

TILL 10 DECEMBER

Via dei Cerchi 12

Tuesday – Sunday: 11am – 9pm

free entrance (Visit by appointment to respect the entry rules)