Khasla-Zoujaja

At the entrance, a white room with an octagonal ceiling leads to a black, dimly lit space with a golden dome, into which the viewer is invited to enter barefoot through a narrow door. The large, empty space of the first room alludes to the invisible space allotted to the divine, inciting one to consider a void not as empty but as a suggestion of the potent presence of spirituality. In the smaller, more enclosed space, glass and brass chandeliers hang from the vault, suspended in rotating concentric circles, like living, breathing beings, reminiscent of planets and stars and their movement in space. Seventy-seven spheres hang within the ten moving lamps, alluding to the seventy-seven branches of faith in Islam. This sacred significance blends with the recurring symbolism of numbers and the principles of seriality and repetition inherited from minimal art. Conceived of as a space to meditate, the installation Khasla-Zoujaja asks its visitors to take the time to look around, to slowly adapt their eyes to the half-lit room and grasp all the nuances of the golden color and the lighting atmosphere. An invitation to step into a sanctuary of contemplation, Khasla-Zoujaja brings one to reflect, spend time with oneself, and ultimately better connect with others.

Khasla-Zoujaja, 2023 © Younes Rahmoun
Commissioned by RCRC and Riyadh Art