The Language Edge
The Language Edge
Solo Show
Athr Gallery
Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
Feb 5 - Mar 20 2025
The Edge of Language, presents a vision of contemplation between language signifiers and everyday life. Al Salem offers an insight into the gap of meaning that forms between the complexities of human experience and its verbal communication. Walking through two immersive installations, the viewer encounters chaotic forms that slowly revealing the words, unraveling the fluidity and confusion of colliding ideas. For Al Salem, language becomes a metaphor for his struggles with unfulfilled desires and the noise of the world around him.
The title inspired by Wittgenstein’s “The Edge of Words” lecture.
In “Through the Noise,” works like I Want to Buy a Skyline, The Guardian, and I’ll Start Cooking at Home, distorted iron words mimic spontaneous diary scribbles. Here, the artist does not strive for perfection or clarity, celebrating the chaos that arises from everyday life. “Portrait” offers a polished façade, akin to traditional portraits depicting idealized subjects.
Its precise geometry imposes order over chaos, reflecting language as a system of power and control. At the same time, the spherical forms suggest unity and perfection, subtly questioning humanity’s preference for outward appearances over inner complexities.
The monumental “Morning Pages” features an 11-meter spiral of diary-like phrases, such as “It’ll Be Fine” and “Today, I’ll Iron My Clothes.” Beyond personal experience, the piece universally invites viewers to embrace simplicity and find peace amidst chaos.
In the final section, “Shape Prospecting,” metal plates from Morning Pages are reimagined into standalone works. Stripped of words, these pieces meditate on presence and void, continuity and decay, exploring the enduring impact of language as a memory.
Al Salem masterfully bridges cultural heritage with contemporary innovation, exploring words as vessels of thought and emotion.
The Edge of Language challenges viewers to rethink their connection to language in an ever-changing world. The exhibition
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