TALIB ALMARRI

Returning to this place again and again, Almarri is mesmerised by the landscapes where there are hills ofsoft sand directly overlooking a lake, and plants and vegetation surrounding the lake. Despite thebrilliance of the colours around him he mostly chooses to produce his evocative images in black andwhite, as he finds that black and white successfully imparts the feeling of photography in the work. Thelake is a national park, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the most importantwetland shallow lakes in the region. It is a place of great environmental diversity, attracting thousands ofmigratory birds every year with species such as the white heron found in greater numbers there thananywhere else in Saudi Arabia.

‘The lake is in harmony with the water, birds, and weeds, and I only hear the sound of birds and the airwhen it stirs the grass and the water. I do not allow anything to disturb the peace of the place and themind. Every time I visit the lake, I find myself attached to this place as if I belong to it. I find a passion withinmyself for discovering more of it and am always searching for new, unconventional, and purely artisticangles and ideas to express it.’

—Talib Almarri

Press release courtesy Galerie Tanit, Beyrouth/Munich. Text: Venetia Porter, written for the 9th edition of 21,39 Jeddah Arts: 'Amakin', curated by Venetia Porter, 2022