“لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ”

The Holy Qur’an Ayat al-Kursi (2:255)*

This exhibition invites us to reflect upon the sacred—the sacred as both immanent and transcendent. 

It presents objects that by nature or association are held sacred, many of them objects that have never been seen outside Makkah al-Mukarramah or Al-Madinah al-Munwwarah before. It also aims to prompt us to think about what renders them sacred, what is it that cannot be reified, cannot be described, and cannot be comprehended—in short, the transcendent.

This exhibition presents us, then, with a progression from the sacred in the tangible to the sacred in the intangible. It might appear to be a contradiction to refer to the intangible sacred in the context of a physical exhibition. But this is a Biennale that brings together historic objects and contemporary artists. Through visual means the artists prompt us to contemplate the nature of the divine, and what cannot be expressed in words—the ineffable. 

This is not about description but about provoking thought, and feelings in the heart.