Shabbah, 2024

Ebtesam Saleh’s Shabbah (2024), or campfire in Arabic, is a sculptural installation that depicts the ecological harm caused by unchecked deforestation. Influenced by pressing environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change, the newly commissioned artwork explores the fragility of the Earth’s ecosystem.

Pieces of broken wood are held together by medical splints, while at their fractured joints, warm lights softly illuminate the exhibition space. Assembled like a bonfire, the installation symbolizes an attempt at repairing human-inflicted environmental damage, drawing attention to how the felled wood is being nursed back to life. With the lights symbolizing areas of healing, this act of mending is not without hope.

Shabbah invites us to sit around the ‘campfire’ and reexamine our relationship with the environment, urging us to take collective responsibility for the positive change needed to preserve life on Earth.