Elements Union

Obai AlHattoom’s Elements Union represents that in unity, there is strength. From time to time, the elements of nature must unite to be strong and beautiful. From time to time, our bodies as humans must unite their elements to be healthy and strong. From time to time, the people, the nation, and the government must unite to have a civilized state. From time to time, artists, the mind, and history must unite to have a correct visual memory for our children.

AlHattoom says he has a tendency towards “simplicity in form and strength of form” and this can be seen in Elements Union, which suggests both something human (the interlaced limb-like shapes at the head of the sculpture) and something abstract. For AlHattoom, sculpture is a form first and foremost, followed by composition and then the idea. Much of his work contains a central element – the ropes that bind the form and tightly wrap it, and then elements of that form strive to get rid of these restrictions. It is ultimately an expression of freedom.