Emeni artist Sara Abdu’s solo exhibition, “I Only Meant To Visit,” has been impressing audiences at Saudi Arabia’s Athr Gallery in Jeddah since its opening in July. Abdu, 28, who was born and raised in Jeddah, has used art to explore a personal tragedy in her life — losing her uncle.
Speaking to Arab News, Abdu said that following her uncle’s death, he would constantly visit her in her dreams. “One day I stopped having those dreams so I asked: ‘Now that I have lost you in my dreams, where do we meet?’” she said.
This question is imprinted on one of her installations — with the same title. Her solid structure is a wall of soap bars made from ingredients traditionally used to wash the body.
“The exhibition is a desperate attempt to bring back those memories . . . (It) examines people’s relationship with memory and its role in forming identities and constructing our interior and exterior reality,” Abdu explained.
According to the self-taught artist, healing is one of the main themes in her exhibition. “Healing requires revisiting certain memories and confronting them,” she said.
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