Ahmed Mater works as an artist and a physician in Saudi
Arabia, and his work combines traditional Islamic art practice with modern medical
images. In his Illumination series, to which
this untitled diptych belongs, Mater draws inspiration from the Islamic arts of
the book, in particular illuminated manuscripts of the Qur’an. Mater magnifies
his illuminated page, accentuated by his life-size X-rays. The dualities of mind
and body, science and religion, and text and image are beautifully bridged in the
diptych. In an era of extremes and partisanship, Mater aims to create work that
is “about conversation” rather than division.