Rashid Al Khalifa

The color ‘white’ and ‘light’ are directly linked – especially in the Gulf region. This is reflected not only in the white dishdashas worn by the locals, but also in the work of artists who experience light in a special way in the desert regions and often make it the subject of their artistic creations. One such artist is Mohammed Kazem from Dubai, who attempts to capture light and reproduce it visually in his series Collecting Light. Water – Sand – Space) was also the title of the major international exhibition that we were able to hold in 36 rooms of the Sharjah Art Museum in 2002, where the phenomena of this special nature and culture were translated into pictorial results.

Rashid Al Khalifa’s works combine geometric clarity and Islamic structures with poetic sensitivity. Precisely constructed forms cast soft shadows, reflect their surroundings, or absorb light. Depending on the viewer’s perspective, the effect and intensity change – the works respond to space and architecture and actively incorporate their surroundings. Rashid Al Khalifa thus continues his longstanding exploration of perception and spatial experience.

White is also the color of the ZERO artists, who likewise worked with light phenomena and spatial structures. At that time (late 1950s/early 1960s), the colors ‘white’ and ‘light’ expressed the hope for a more peaceful world – after the terrible experiences of World War II. And today, an exhibition by Rashid Al Khalifa has just as much relevance, presenting a beauty full of poetry – beyond the horrors of ever-recurring wars, a hope for peace and humane coexistence, full of respect and esteem.

Shades of White also marks a focus on the essential. Reduction creates intensity: lines, edges, and surfaces enter into a silent dialogue in which light becomes the actual medium. The exhibition reveals a meditative dimension in the artist’s work and underscores his ability to combine minimalism with cultural depth. This art is not political, but rather a contribution to ‘international understanding’.

With this group of works, Rashid Al Khalifa creates a contemporary homage to light and architecture – and invites us to understand white not as absence, but as a polyphonic presence. This exhibition is an invitation to discover silence, to meditate with the artist on the circle, which has neither beginning nor end, which symbolizes the eternal, the divine – in contrast to the square, which represents matter and that which is created by man.

With this group of works, Rashid Al Khalifa creates a contemporary homage to light and architecture – and invites us to understand white not as absence, but as a polyphonic presence. This exhibition is an invitation to discover silence, to meditate with the artist on the circle, which has neither beginning nor end and symbolizes the eternal, the divine – in contrast to the square, which stands for matter and man-made order.

In this exhibition, viewers can immerse themselves in the wondrously meditative world of Rashid Al Khalifa and his Shades of White.