Suliman Alsalem As I Knew Him...
The Beginning of the Story
In the spring of 2020, immediately after Fitr Eid, we were living in a strange moment in history that the world had never witnessed. It was during the complete lockdown of Covid19 pandemic. We were struggling with the idea of approaching end of the world, and no one knew what would happen tomorrow. In the midst of all that darkness, a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon: a new and huge art competition was announced. It was calling for artists interested to participate in the first light art festival of in the Saudi Arabia. I was invited to participate as a curator, and the challenge I set for myself was to find new creatives who I knew would make a difference in the near future. I was not the most famous curator on the scene at the time, and I knew that I was taking a big risk by searching for new names at a time when all that mattered to others was seeing the works of well-known names.
I called all of my loyal artist friends, who I had started my career with, and who I knew would compete against me yet would still help. They suggested several names to me, and sent me their portfolios to look at, but I was not completely convinced by the ones they sent. The portfolios I received were missing something that I could not describe in words. I was searching for a unique talent that shines in the midst of darkness, a talent that only a trained eye and a true art lover can notice!
I continued searching, and time was not on my side, but I did not give up, and suddenly someone told me about a young man named Suliman whose works I might like. I contacted Suliman and I asked for his portfolio, but I did not make any promises so as not to disappoint him, because I know how fatal disappointment is for a young artist.
I started browsing Suliman’s portfolio and I could not believe how mature his work was, and how come no one have invited him to this event, and how I missed his first exhibition! His ideas were raw, and the delivery is simple and deep at the same time. Just as I like... And, the big prize was that his early works were all with light, exactly what I'm looking for... and that's where it all started!
Who is Suliman?
To understand Suliman Alsalem’s works, we must understand where he came from, in what environment he grew up, and how his artistic experience was formed. Therefore, I dedicate the following pages to simply converse with him in order to breach into his private world
Personal Information
(Eiman): When were you born? And where?
(Suliman): I was born in Mecca on 1993/27/02 AD.
(Eiman): What is your university major? What college did you study in?
(Suliman): I specialized in architecture at the Technical College in Jeddah.
(Eiman): When was your first art debut? What work did you show?
(Suliman): I cannot call it an artistic participation, but rather an attempt at an exhibition, which was on the occasion of Earth Day in 2009. I used traditional rice plates, and the symbol of throwing trash in the designated places in the products, to point out the problems resulting from food waste and poor handling of waste, but I believe that the solo show in a thousand valleys in 2020 is the first serious art show.
(Eiman): When did you decide to be an artist? Describe to us the period you went through that made you make this decision?
(Suliman): I attended many drawing and Arabic calligraphy courses, none of which I completed. I enjoyed participating in workshops and attending Arabic calligraphy exhibitions and art exhibitions, but none of them made me want to become an artist until Nasser began contemporary artworks at Athar Gallery, where I saw the expressive capabilities of art for the first time, or at least I absorbed something of it for the first time, and I had a feeling that one day I would be able to create something valuable like these works. I then became truly interested in developing and improving my skills as an artist. But I always felt that there was a barrier between me and art. I had no awareness of what I would present, and I did not want to repeat others. Despite that, I always had the belief that art is part of my personality and ideas, so it must stem from them. I turned to reading philosophy, art, history, and other fields because I believed that educating oneself would contribute to understanding them and broadening one’s perceptions. I believe that my readings contributed to forming a deeper understanding of the topics and questions that were on my mind, and began to push me strongly to express them.
(Eiman): Your first solo exhibition, do you consider it a risky adventure or a deliberate step?
(Suliman): Some people around me considered it a risky adventure, and even galleries refused to host the exhibition, but for those who believed in my experience, like my brother Nasser in particular, it was motivating and supportive morally and financially. For me, I have always seen solo shows as important to illustrate the artist's experience, style, materials and ideas he works with. It is an invitation from the artist to enter his world, and understand his personality, so I think it is an important step.
(Eiman): What is your main source of inspiration in your work? Reading or looking at other people's art work? Explain to us the sources that most influenced you (names of books, artists, countries, political or social events)...
(Suliman): Reading about topics such as cultural history, art, anthropology, memes, language, the work of other artists, music, animated films, and existence itself are all sources of inspiration for me; When dealing with the subject of language and philosophy, Philosophical Investigations by Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is a philosophical reference for me, and there are many books that brought about a valuable shift in my way of thinking, such as Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, and The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. However, I enjoy watching great works of art the most; such as the works of Damien Hirst. I am also greatly inspired by the urban and natural typography of Mecca, including the towering mountains, the Mosque of Mecca, and many of the inspiring details in this historical city.
Cherchez La Femme...
(Eiman): Do you think that your artistic talent is influenced by some of your parents’ professional practices? Mother's sewing, father's tent weaving...or was it completely separate from what was happening at home?
(Suliman): Yes, I believe that I was influenced by my mother and siblings in this regard more than I was influenced by my father, who originally influenced them. They were creative and passionate about their difficult hobbies, such as carpentry, mechanics, electronics, and Arabic calligraphy. For a child like me, it is very difficult, and very beautiful. Sometimes you feel helpless because you cannot do what they do, but when they get into trouble and find the solution, that was part of it. It is a pleasure for them, and an inspiring and motivating act for me. At that time, I did not know how they developed these hobbies. What affected them? I am the youngest, and all I know is that they were really inclined to do things on their own. I later learned that they were greatly influenced by my father and mother; My mother was a skilled seamstress, and my father made and sold tents. He was very creative, and traveled for the sake of his profession! He went to India to obtain tents, and he also took his goods, which he designs and tailors, to different regions of the Kingdom, such as Al-Qassim, Khaybar, and Mecca. I believe that this was reflected in my siblings personalities and way of thinking, as they clearly lived through that era. On the other hand, the influence of my mother was great in many ways. Despite raising ten children, she tried to complete her education while her tenth son -me- was in primary school. She continued to develop her sewing skills, and managed to turn her sewing skills into a small source of income to support us in difficult times. The way my mother creates the designs for the pieces she works on, and the way she collects her materials, then assembles them, and transforms them into luxurious pieces, is wonderful and inspiring!!. When you look at the pieces of carpets, carpets, sheets, and even the traditional dresses that she designed and tailored, you will identify a clear artistic style, a talent of turning the simple into luxurious, and the neglected into sophisticated.
(Eiman): Your father did not live long enough for you to be influenced by him, but your mother, may God bless her, had a greater influence on you. Describe your mother’s work which influenced you growing up? And her principles of design which affected you?
(Suliman): My mother, Latifa Alsalem (born 1373 AH/1954 AD), began sewing at the age of seven. She learned this skill from her mother, Munira Alwasmi, who was also a skilled seamstress. She proudly sewed all her husband and daughters’ clothing. My grandmother used to tell my mother at that age of seven, that she is now a women of good measures, thus she must mater sewing. Therefore, my grandmother would give her leftover fabric to practice on with thread and needle before bringing her a sewing machine. My mother would collect those pieces and turn them into a dress or prayer veil. When my mother got married, she considered sewing one of her responsibilities as a mother. Therefore, despite her busyness, she believed that one of her tasks was to repair all of our damaged clothes, with precision that would make them like new, in addition to continuing to make her new dresses, prayer veils, and sheets when she have time. In the thirty years that I lived with her, I never saw her tired from work! When my father - may God have mercy on him - lost his health and became ill, my mother became responsible for making a living. Therefore, sewing became our new source of income. My mother began selling prayer veils and sheets, and traditional dresses she made. Then, in a creative way, my mother invoked the technique of patchwork that she had been training in as a child under the care of her mother, so she began making beautiful patchwork sheets from leftover fabric, as she did not have the luxury of getting rid of the excess, because she needed to take advantage of all the resources and turn them into useful things that could be sold or used. This was one of the principles on which it was founded, it is always recycling things, to make other useful things out of them. Then a genius idea came to her mind: to collect the albums of fabric samples that stores wanted to destroy, and buy them for a small fee. She started asking me to take her to the “Saroukh Souq” in Jeddah, to visit the fabric stores, so she would negotiate with them to get the right price. When we returns home, she starts the second phase of the process, which was to remove the covers, pins, and glue from the albums. Then, she sorts the pieces according to shape and color, and wash them all. Finally, the design phase, which takes her three to seven days, and sometimes more. She used to determine the size of the tablecloth that she would make, then place the borders of the tape on the floor of our living room, and then begin dividing this space according to her taste, and in different ways each time, and then begin to line up the pieces within these spaces, which she sometimes uses as is, or fold them into triangles or squares instead of rectangles. I cannot imagine that any of us would understand what it means to have a hobby if it were not for the presence of my mother in our lives.
Nasser...the first supporter
(Eiman): What you described about your mother’s hobby, which she turned into a profession, is a real and serious artistic practice. What about the siblings? Did anyone influence you because you were the youngest among ten?
(Suliman): I was particularly influenced by my brother Nasser. During the period when we lived in my grandfather’s house in Mecca, I was obsessed with football. Football was all I wanted to do, and I was good at it, but when I returned home, the two most beautiful rooms were for me were: my mother’s sewing room, and Nasser’s studio, which contains his exercises in Arabic calligraphy and architecture. I used to spend a lot of time watching them do what they do best. Having a brother like Nasser is a great blessing. He made life so much more beautiful for me. Nasser loves art, and always wants to talk about art, Arabic calligraphy, architecture, etc. His mind revolves around all three of these areas, the latest thing he read, how the artist can develop, or what works he likes. He talks about all of this without stopping, even if the discussion lasts for hours. He does not count the time because he enjoys such conversations, which I have always considered fun, interesting, attractive and exploratory topics.
Nasser was always welcoming and generous. He did not hesitate to accompany me, teach me, and guide me. Rather, he trusted me as I trusted myself, and he would invite me to discuss what I saw after taking me to art exhibitions, or to calligraphy lessons, which I loved to accompany him to. Although I was not a calligrapher, I loved watching beautiful calligraphy, watching students compete and practice, and I enjoyed listening to the stories of calligraphy and calligraphers that they shared, and I used to take some of those lessons with them. Everything Nasser does is interesting to me. He is my role model and mentor, and I think he has a lot of positive influence on my life, including my desire to become an artist.
(Eiman): But your works are independent and very different from Nasser’s works, and this reflects your artistic maturity and your awareness of the importance of creating your own style. Perhaps there are other influences that shaped your artistic style in its current form. Do you feel that your local environment (Mecca) or your original hometown (Qassim) had an impact on your career choices? Or is it only your culture and knowledge that influences your direction towards art?
(Suliman): I believe that art is born from the artist’s personality, and the artist’s personality is influenced by his surroundings, environment, society, culture, knowledge, and abilities, so everything you mentioned influenced me in one way or another.
The State of Being: Between the Light and the Horizon
(Eiman): Why did you use light as a medium in your early works? And why did you abandoned it today?
(Suliman): I think that the topic of “The State of Being” and the area that I was trying to explore required the capabilities of light as a medium to succeed. For instance, light can help you create a moving a moving image, and light can spread in space. However, I decided to move away from light to explore the expressive possibilities of other materials as part of my artistic experience development.
(Eiman): How do you see the future of the “Floating on the Horizon” experience? Do you think it will continue to dominate your thinking for a period of time and develop more? Or do you feel that it is a transitional stage that paves the way for a completely different shift in style and thought?
(Suliman): I see it as a valuable shift in itself. Through it, my expressive possibilities expanded, and I highlighted to the viewer the quality of materials that distinguish my artistic work and style. What I like about this experience is that I would like to do more beautiful works, even though I have not shown my first product yet. The presence of works from this experience is rare and you cannot ignore it, so I think it is an opportunity and a strong foundation for development, continuity, and creating immersive expressions.
(Eiman): What is your biggest dream for your artistic career? Do you care more about becoming known globally or to communicate deeply with your local audience? Or maybe you aspire to create an art movement that has its own followers? Tell us about the dream..
(Suliman): When I make artwork, I always imagine that it is directed to the world, not just to those around me. I believe that art makes life more beautiful, and I believe that humans deserve that beauty. I always aspire to create art that erases boundaries with the audience, stirs their feelings, and makes them want to return to it.