El Seed’s new sculpture at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba is a tribute to the institution that helped him push his calligraphy into the third dimension.
The French-Tunisian artist had already established his unique style on flat surfaces, such as walls and canvases, but it was during his 2013 residency at Tashkeel that he began experimenting with the sculptural calligraphic forms that he has since become internationally renowned for.
Takhayal is an homage to that moment. Its name means "imagine" in Arabic. The sculpture stands at a lofty eight metres and is a reminder to artists to keep expanding their horizons, El Seed says. The word takhayal, he adds, was proposed by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum, the founder of Tashkeel, and reflects much of what the art institution stands for.
“The word offers a spectrum of possibility,” El Seed says. “It represents the spirit of Tashkeel. To me, to imagine is doing something you never did before. To not put any constraints.”
The sculpture is in the outdoor area in front of Tashkeel. The arts hub is currently undergoing renovation but the outdoor work is accessible to the public.
The aluminium sculpture is potent with El Seed’s idiosyncratic style. The word takhayal is deconstructed, with its letters arranged in a form that alludes to a flame. The disparate components within the installation are affixed together with hidden joints, giving a seamless flow to the overall design.
“It takes the shape of a flame or a plant that is growing,” El Seed says. “That's really the idea behind it. I wanted to evoke the feeling of something coming out of the floor, something that's not static.”
The sculpture’s colour is also significant. The hot pink has become a signature hue for El Seed, but also harkens back to the work the artist created as part of his 2013 residency. “I think the first sculpture I did then was pink as well,” he says.
Takhayal is a project commissioned by Dubai Culture and comes as part of the institution’s public art initiative. El Seed’s work often resonated best in a public setting. It is also, he says, where he feels most in his element.
“When you work in the public space, and you put artwork in the public space, you bring art to the people, as opposed to a gallery setting,” he says. “That's a beautiful move. In the Arab world, most of the time, public artworks are placed in the middle of roundabouts, where nobody can really have access to it.” Takhayal, he says, is proof of the efforts by Dubai Culture to "democratise art" and embed it in everyday life.
El Seed often works with Tashkeel, even after completing his residency there in 2014. The partnership has led to several notable public artworks, including the Tashkeel x Enoc Public Art Commission at Expo 2020 Dubai. Yet, there is something particularly close to heart in Takhayal, he says, as it is a gesture of appreciation to the arts institution that helped him become a household name.
“You never really leave Tashkeel, you become a member of the family,” he says. “Sheikha Lateefa is like a sister. She’s been very helpful, guiding me, sometimes giving me the right criticism about my work and pushing me to do work that I hadn’t thought of doing.
"She was one of the first ones who trusted me and believed in what I wanted to do. Tashkeel is that. It has had a big influence on my career. Hopefully, we keep doing stuff together.”