In Devoid, the embossed rugs on paper reveal themselves only partially. Light and darkness play an important part in reiterating Allah’s promise to reveal himself to those who seek his light in the midst of darkness. The embossed prints are records of the past and present. Their stark white surface subliminally invites the viewer to reflect. Each embossing is a monolith that has a mysterious appearance and its embedded symbols, requires a surface mapping to decode it. It is a simulation, a seduction that evokes a sensation of melancholia and pleasure. The rugs are dualities hovering between acceptance and rejection, submission and revolt, but always staying loyal to their past, remaining beautiful. It hangs like a stripped and naked monolith. The viewer recognises the form as foreign and familiar, private and public.
The Devoid series is a personal reflection on my inner conflict and resolution between the East and the West. Combined, the rug and blade (reference to Rug of Drone works) draw on Minimalism's physical, material presence and the generative effect of repetition. Both the rug and blade became models for a Muslim male identity, and an overt social and political commentary. Together they evoke a sense of displacement and loss, ultimately leaving an impression of life and death.