Artist
Boris Aldridge(British, Irish, born 1974)British, Irish, born 1974
CultureBritish, born Irish
Titles
- Blue Forest
Date2022
MediumCeramic; luster-painted on cobalt blue and turquoise glaze
Dimensions49 × 49 1/8 × 1 5/16 in. (124.5 × 124.7 × 3.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the 2023 Art of the Islamic Worlds Gala
Object number2023.107
Current Location
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
113 Islamic Art Gallery
Exposé
Explore Further
Department
Art of the Islamic WorldsObject Type
animals emerging from a background of swirling flowers and twinkling stars. The animals feature prominently in Islamic art and specifically in
the Museum’s collections. The swirling fish on the center tile take inspiration from the turquoise bowl in this gallery, where a school of fish
descends into a sea of turquoise. Each tile is embellished with original poetry inspired by the medieval Sufi poetry of Rumi and Hafez.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Amir Mohtashemi, London, 2022]; purchased by MFAH, 2023.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
The inscriptions bordering each tile contain verses from two original poems by Boris Aldridge, “Dreaming” and “Wild Sea.” These poems can be interpreted as Sufi allegories for union and closeness with God. The full poems are below:
Dreaming, 2019
I’m always dreaming of a place to call home
Where the mountains meet the sky
A small wooden cabin forever my home
One day I know you’ll be mine
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’m always dreaming of a sweet paradise
Over the hills and far away
A small meadow garden where my dreams can fly
One day I’ll see you again
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’m always waiting for light from above
Shining brightly through the night
Guide me gently with your tender love
And bring me home to paradise
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’ll keep dreaming
I’ll keep dreaming
I’ll keep dreaming
Of the day you and I will meet again
Wild Sea, 2018
There’s an ocean so vast in the depths of my heart
Where waters run untamed and free
The currents they swirl, some run hot, some run cold
Forever controlling my dreams, while my heart sleeps
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
How sweetly it shines when the weather is fine
The waves ripple brightly and clear
But when the storm breaks, the Kraken awakes
And he’ll drag you down into his lair, so beware
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
The tides ebb and flow, wheresoe’er I may go
From hilltop to faraway shore
But no matter the place, the time or the space
I’ll always hear your siren call
Whene’er I fall
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
Dreaming, 2019
I’m always dreaming of a place to call home
Where the mountains meet the sky
A small wooden cabin forever my home
One day I know you’ll be mine
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’m always dreaming of a sweet paradise
Over the hills and far away
A small meadow garden where my dreams can fly
One day I’ll see you again
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’m always waiting for light from above
Shining brightly through the night
Guide me gently with your tender love
And bring me home to paradise
Wait there for me by the banks of an old mountain stream
Let your heart run free
in the green rolling valleys of my dreams
I’ll keep dreaming
I’ll keep dreaming
I’ll keep dreaming
Of the day you and I will meet again
Wild Sea, 2018
There’s an ocean so vast in the depths of my heart
Where waters run untamed and free
The currents they swirl, some run hot, some run cold
Forever controlling my dreams, while my heart sleeps
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
How sweetly it shines when the weather is fine
The waves ripple brightly and clear
But when the storm breaks, the Kraken awakes
And he’ll drag you down into his lair, so beware
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
The tides ebb and flow, wheresoe’er I may go
From hilltop to faraway shore
But no matter the place, the time or the space
I’ll always hear your siren call
Whene’er I fall
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea won’t let me be
This wild sea inside of me,
This wild sea will ever be a part of me
Catalogue raisonnéMohtashemi, Soha and Shutong Liu, eds. Forests of Gold: Tiles by Boris Aldridge. London: Amir Mohtashemi Ltd, 2022.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Early 13th century
Stonepaste; painted in blue and luster on opaque white glaze
2008.513
