Lawrie Shabibi
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • Art Fairs
  • News
  • Public Art
  • Viewing Room
  • Videos
  • Publications
  • Press
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Store
Cart
0 items $
Checkout

Item added to cart

View cart & checkout
Continue shopping
Menu
  • Current
  • Forthcoming
  • Past
  • Online

Stop, Play, Pause, Repeat

Past exhibition
24 September - 31 October 2012
  • Overview
  • Works
  • Press
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Abdullah Syed, Deconstruction of the Myth of the Flying Rug 1 (diptych), 2012

Abdullah Syed

Deconstruction of the Myth of the Flying Rug 1 (diptych), 2012
Hand-cut US$2 in perspex, gold ink, debossed tool and currency collage on Wasli
Flying Carpets 6.6 x 15.5 cm
2 5/8 x 6 1/8 in
Currency Collage
6.8 x 17.5 cm
2 1/2 x 6 3/4
Copyright The Artist
The construction and subsequent deconstruction of currencies and their geometric and arabesque patterns allude to the fantastical flying rug of Arabian tales and has become a flippant and all encompassing...
Read more
The construction and subsequent deconstruction of currencies and their geometric
and arabesque patterns allude to the fantastical flying rug of Arabian tales and has
become a flippant and all encompassing cliché for ‘exotic’ Arab/Islamic culture. Such
symbols and patterns lie at the heart of the Orientalist myth and the corresponding
Occidental fascination. Syed uses uncirculated US$2 bills, hand-cut to formulate
the flying rugs. The debris emanating from these cuttings are then glued onto gold
leaf and gold coloured paper to recreate the negative of the original pattern, not
by drawing lines, but by filling the blank spaces. This art making process requires
the same meticulous investment of craft and labour that is a hallmark of Islamic
art and design and the dualities of East and West come to reside in a concurrent
geography. They reside in subliminal spaces that promote the discourses of Orient
and Occident, binaries that are redefining notions of identity, hybridity of cultures,
and aspects of globalization including capitalism.
Close full details
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
6 
of  29
Back to exhibition Overview
Back to Past exhibitions
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 LAWRIE SHABIBI
Site by Artlogic
Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Twitter, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Artsy, opens in a new tab.
Join the mailing list
Send an email
View on Google Maps
Ocula, opens in a new tab.

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join Mailing List

Thank you for signining up to Lawrie Shabibi.  Please note that at the moment we are not accepting any artist submissions. 

Interests *

Sign up

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.