A Temple, A Shrine, A Mosque, A Church Series, 2022
Gold ink on hand-woven mats by craftswomen from Al Ghadeer, Abu Dhabi
300cm x 5 pieces (orange), 150cm x 4 pieces (green), 150cm x 4 pieces (purple)
Commissioned by Art Dubai, UAE
Special thanks to Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez and Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts
in my soul
there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church where i kneel.
prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.
~ Rabia Basri, 6th century Iraq
This series of khoos, handwoven with local palm leaves, was traditionally used for household objects. Here they are hand-inscribed in gold with verses from women Sufi poets. This project is made in collaboration with Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts in Abu Dhabi to honor the local women community and their skills and knowledge of working with crafts using ecologically sustainable materials from the region.
Work Title: My Rest Is In My Solitude
“Brethren, my rest is in my solitude,
And my Beloved is ever in my presence.
Nothing for me will do but love of Him;
By love of Him I am tested in this world.
Whereso I be I contemplate His beauty;
He is my prayer-niche; He mine orient is.
Died I of love and found not His acceptance,
Of mankind I most wretched, woe were me!
Heart’s medicine man, Thou All of longing, grant
Union with Thee; ’twill cure me to the depth.
O Thou, ever my joy, my life, from Thee
Is mine existence and mine ecstasy.
From all creation I have turned away
For union with Thee mine utmost end.”
~ Rabia Basri, 8th century Basra, Iraq
Translated by Martin Ling
Work Title: If I worship You
“O Lord, if I worship You
Because of fear of hell
Then burn me in hell
If I worship You
Because I desire paradise
Then exclude me from paradise
But if I worship You
For Yourself alone
Then deny me not
Your eternal beauty.”
~ Rabia Basri, 8th century Basra, Iraq
Work Title: Your Prayers Were Light
“Your prayers were Light
And your worship peaceful,
Your sleep an enemy of prayer.
Your life was a test, but you let
It go by without a thought.
It’s ever-passing, slowly vanishes
Before you know it.”
~ Rabia Basri, 8th century Basra, Iraq
Work Title: At Dawn My Heart Said I Should Go
“At dawn my heart said I should go
Into the garden where
I’d pick fresh flowers, and hope to see
His flower-like beauty there.
I took his hand in mine, and oh
How happily we strayed
Among the tulip beds, and through
Each pretty grassy glade;
How sweet the tightness of his curls
Seemed then, and it was bliss
To grasp his fingers just as tight,
And snatch a stealthy kiss.
For me to be alone beside
That slender cypress tree
Cancels the thousand injuries
That he has given me.
He’s a narcissus, tall and straight!
And so how sweet to bow
My head like violets at his feet
And kiss the earth there now.
But your drunk eyes don’t deign to see me,
Although I really think
It’s easy to forgive someone
The worse for love or drink.
And though it’s good to weep beneath
God’s cloud of clement rain,
It’s also good to laugh like flowers
When sunlight shines again.
My heart was hurt by his “Checkmate”;
I think I must prepare
To seek out wider pastures then,
And wander off elsewhere.
Jahan, be careful not to say
Too much; it’s pitiful
To give a jewel to someone who
Can’t see it’s valuable.”
~ Jahan Malek Katun
14th Century Shiraz, Iran
Work Title: Your Face Usurps The Fiery Glow and Hue
“Your face usurps the fiery glow and hue of roses;
And with your face here, what have I to do with roses?
Your ringlets’ fragrance is so sweet, my friend,
No fragrant rose-scent could entice me to seek roses –
Besides, the faithless roses’ scent will fade,
Which is a serious drawback, in my view, of roses;
And if the waters of eternal life
Had touched their roots, so that they bloomed anew, these roses,
When could they ever form a bud as sweet
As your small mouth, which is more trim and true than roses?
~ Jahan Malek Katun
14th Century Shiraz, Iran
Work Title: Suppose a Breeze Should Bring to Me
“Suppose a breeze should bring to me
My lover’s scent –
I’d sacrifice my heard and soul
And be content…”
~ Jahan Malek Katun
14th Century Shiraz, Iran
Work title: Each New Flower Opening in the Morning Light
“Each new flower opening in the morning light,
Filling my heart with glory and delight…
Even before its perfume reaches me
Destruction’s wind has swept it from my sight.”
~ Jahan Malek Katun
14th Century Shiraz, Iran
Work title: In Rapture I Was Then That One Did Appear
“In rapture I was then that One did appear
living in heart where others did disappear.
Now none is taken unless like me they be:
that One knows I made the mystery clear.”
~ Aishah Al-Ba’Uniyah
15th century Ba’un, Syria
Work title: You Are the Earth, You Are the Sky Too
“You are the earth… You are the sky too;
You are the night, the wind and the day:
Sandalwood, rose, water, grain, are You.
You are… all! What to offer? Please do say!”
~ Lalla Ded / Lalleshwari
14th century Kashmir, India
Work title: On My Tongue Your Name I Whisphered
“On my tongue Your name
I had whispered,
my mouth and lips by this
were sweetened…”
Bibi Hayati Kermani
mid 18th century, early 19th century Kerman, Iran