{"id":84663,"date":"2026-03-26T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/dana-awartani-discusses-her-ongoing-series-when-the-dust-of-conflict-settles\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:03:00","slug":"dana-awartani-discusses-her-ongoing-series-when-the-dust-of-conflict-settles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=84663","title":{"rendered":"Dana Awartani\u00a0discusses her ongoing series\u00a0\u2018When the\u00a0Dust of Conflict Settles\u2019\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tRIYADH: Saudi-Palestinian\u00a0artist Dana Awartani is one of the\u00a0participants\u00a0in the exhibition \u201cArduna\u201d (Our Land), which runs until April 15 as part of the pre-opening program for the upcoming contemporary art museum from the Royal Commission for\u00a0AlUla.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAwartani\u2019s\u00a0work for \u201cArduna\u201d \u2014 \u201cWhen the\u00a0Dust of Conflict Settles\u201d \u2014 is carved from\u00a0stones from\u00a0Naqab, Madaba and\u00a0Ajloun, and the artist tells Arab News it\u00a0\u201cfelt particularly meaningful to exhibit this work in\u00a0AlUla\u00a0because of the shared, layered histories of stone carving and craftsmanship across the region.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe new work, commissioned for the show, is a continuation of\u00a0Awartani\u2019s\u00a0series of the same name \u2014 an exploration of cultural heritage in the aftermath of conflict \u2014 which has been ongoing since 2023. Like the other works in the series, it\u00a0was created in collaboration with Syrian stonemasons who were displaced by the civil war in their home country, although, Awartani notes, \u201csome of the craftsmen have returned to Syria since 2023, so it is not entirely the same team, but it is the same workshop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe series\u00a0acts, Awartani\u00a0tells Arab News, as a \u201cmemorial to cultural heritage that has been lost or threatened.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dana Awartani 2020. (Image Courtesy of the Artist and Abdullah AlShehri, Photography by Abdullah Alshehri)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIn her current work,\u00a0framed\u00a0gouache\u00a0and walnut ink\u00a0drawings\u00a0on handmade cotton paper\u00a0hang\u00a0on the walls, accompanied by\u00a0hand-carved stones at eye level. At first, the colors seem subdued but elegantly reveal their\u00a0intricacy on closer inspection.\u202fThese stones are not \u2018stone cold\u2019 but embedded with warmth, resilience and even a tinge of sadness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAwartani draws on the long history of stone carving in the Levant, where artisans once adorned fortresses, places of worship and other civic architecture with ornamental motifs that spoke to both spiritual and\u00a0communal life.\u00a0Many such original works\u00a0have been\u00a0destroyed\u00a0by conflict,\u00a0but her works re-examine lost worlds through the lens of\u00a0Islamic and Eastern sacred\u00a0geometry, a discipline that, for the artist, offers analytical precision and a universal visual language.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI first studied contemporary art and later trained at the Prince\u2019s School of Traditional Arts, where I developed a deeper understanding of these geometric traditions,\u201d she says.\u202fThe motifs she works with come from traditions that date back centuries, drawn from architecture, textiles, and stone carving across the Islamic world.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBy involving\u00a0displaced\u00a0artisans, now mostly based in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the project highlights ancient skills that might otherwise be lost due to war or migration. Awartani presents stone carving as an evolving practice and one that can speak directly to present conditions of displacement and reconstruction,\u00a0rather than a stoic remnant of history.\u202fShe\u00a0invites us to view\u00a0heritage as a living continuum: fragile but enduring across borders and generations.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Detail from ‘When the Dust of Conflict Settles. ‘ (Supplied)\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cStone\u00a0carries a profound sense of permanence.\u202fIt\u00a0comes directly from the land and holds millions of years within it, carrying the geological memory, or even the DNA, of a place,\u201d she says. \u201cMy work responds to this by focusing on the continuity of cultural heritage in the face of\u00a0disruption, and the living knowledge embedded in traditional craftsmanship.\u202fBy drawing from the ancient practice of stone carving in the Levant and working with displaced stonemasons now based in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, my work becomes a conversation between past and present.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCollaborating with the stonemasons was humbling. They brought a depth of understanding of stone that I could never have achieved alone,\u201d she continues.\u00a0\u201cThey brought an incredible level of precision, patience, and knowledge of the material that shaped the work in meaningful ways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tHearing\u00a0their\u00a0stories of displacement also made the project feel like a shared act of preservation.\u202fIn an era of AI and rapid machine-made production, Awartani still focuses on slow, manual craftsmanship.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe human connection between\u00a0maker\u00a0and material is often lost in digital production,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery mark carries the hand of the maker, along with their intention and skill. This is something no algorithm or machine can truly replicate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn that sense,\u00a0\u201cWhen the Dust of Conflict Settles\u201d\u00a0becomes as much about process and relationships as it is about the\u00a0final\u00a0work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tGrowing up in Jeddah, and working on this and other projects in\u00a0AlUla, has\u00a0had a profound impact on\u00a0Awartani\u2019s\u00a0work.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIn Jeddah, I\u2019m inspired by its openness and connection to global exchange,\u201d she says. \u201cIn\u00a0AlUla, I\u2019m reminded that heritage can be a living, evolving presence, something that inspires contemporary art while remaining firmly rooted in Saudi tradition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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