Saad Qureshi Reinterprets the 313 Birds Defeating the Forces of Evil Attacking Islam's Ka'bah
THE HUFFINGTON POST
By Bob Chaundy
UNITED KINGDOM---Earlier this year, while on a guided tour of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Oxford-based artist Saad Qureshi noticed a number of beautiful and melodious birds flying around the building. The guide referred to a fable in the Koran in which abaabil birds (Arabic for flock) are described as the soldiers of Allah, defeating the forces of evil which were attacking the Ka'bah, Islam's most sacred shrine, by dropping hot pebbles on its opposing army. Exploring the power of knowledge - how and why things take on an importance beyond their physical presence - is the main theme of Congregation, Qureshi's new exhibition at London's Gazelli Art House. [link]
By Bob Chaundy
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| In the eponymous Congregation (above) Qureshi has reinterpreted the myth by sculpting 313 bird-like creatures standing on 99 concrete plinths, arranged in the ranks of an army. |
