In ‘Saduing’, al Mansour has taken ordinary objects and bits of junk – strips of tire, game board pieces, spools of thread, computer keyboard parts – and turned them into representations of the traditional Bedouin textile art, Sadu.
Reflecting the traditional shapes and geometric patterns of sadu weaving, al Mansour’s art twists our notion of ‘saduing’ on its head. Some pieces will cause you to pause and look twice. You won’t be expecting that colorful sadu bag to be made from iron or realize until you stand right up close to it that the sadu patterned art piece is actually constructed of computer keyboard keys. He’s also created two very unique Arabic fonts inspired by the geometric shapes common to Sadu weaving patterns.
Al Mansour has been creating art from recyclable materials since 1994 and has won many competitions and awards including three Golden Awards, the Issa Saqar Creative Award and first place in the My Touches for My Country Exhibition among others. He is the creative genius behind the lovely recyclable art installation in Yarmouk Park that includes a Mona Lisa made from computer parts, trees and arches made from old tires and flower pots made from exhaust fans. Check out a gallery of his work here.
In ‘Saduing’ Al Mansour reimagines not only his cultural heritage but also the means by which it can be actualized. For those interested in Sadu or recyclable art or just anyone with an appreciation for beauty and unusual things, Saduing is a satisfying journey into a environmentally-friendly future via Kuwait's past.
Saduing by Bader al Mansour will be shown until November 28 at Beit Sadu (located on the Gulf Road, next to the Kuwait National Museum). Don’t miss it.