RIYADH: The Visual Arts Authority is celebrating the launch of the catalog for the Saudi Pavilion from the 2022 Venice Biennale Arte, which included Muhannad Shono’s installation “The Teaching Tree.”

The event will take place in Jeddah’s Beit Zainal on Jan. 24, coinciding with the inauguration of the Biennale of Islamic Arts.

The celebration will include a panel featuring Shono, conducted by the curator and contributor to the catalog, Reem Fadda, while the entire event will be conducted by the curator of the pavilion and coordinator for and contributor to the catalog, Rotana Shaker.

The panel will explore the ideas behind “The Teaching Tree,” as well as the overarching themes of Shono’s artistic practice.

“The Teaching Tree” was specifically commissioned by the Visual Arts Commission to represent Saudi Arabia’s national pavilion.

It is an ambitious, large-scale installation made of palm fronds painted black as a symbol of the power of calligraphy as an essential expression of creativity, as well as an exploration of the imagination’s tendency to flourish. Animated by pneumatics, the organically-shaped 40-meter structure appears to breathe rhythmically, embodying the line and its dichotomous potential for both creation and destruction.

The catalog displays the images of the artwork on the site in a beautiful, inventive way, giving a rich context to “The Teaching Tree.”

It also details the artist’s journey, including articles, interviews, and a narrative piece. Reflecting the collaborative nature of Shono’s approach to creating the artwork, the catalog includes texts written by key Saudi and international contributors from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, giving readers a glimpse into the deeply rooted community that represents an integral value to the artist and his work.

Shono is a Riyadh-based multidisciplinary visual artist. He graduated with a degree in architecture from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran. His work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Athr Gallery, Jeddah, the Saudi Art Council in Jeddah, Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin and the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran.

Shono has exhibited in many group exhibitions, such as at the Diriyah Biennale, Riyadh (2022), Kunstverein Wolfsburg in Germany (2019), the British Museum in London (2018), MACBA in Barcelona (2018), Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin (2017) and LAND, Toronto (2017).