25/11/2025
Reem Al Mubarak
Before the Grains Could Settle
150 cm x 100 cm
UAE sand and audio installation
deep study and work on classical horsemanship in relation to her Emirati roots and is an integral part of our exhibition Furusiyya: The Noble Connection Between Horse & Man. It was a joy to be able to have learnt from Reem’s practice during her journey over the nearly last two years on this installation. Her work captures the power of human interaction and emotions aiming to convey an experience and evoke positive, subjective involvement from the viewer.
In the artist Reem Al Mubaraks words:
This sculptural series captures my interpretation of the fleeting precision of classical horsemanship, an art passed down through centuries of tradition. Each piece holds the imprint of a single classical movement: the Spanish Walk, the Pirouette, the Piaffe, and the Canter.
The sculptures are made entirely from sand I collected from five terrains across the UAE, in colors ranging from pink and red to white, black, and yellow. Just as every classical school has its own arena sand mixed with local fibers, here the UAE’s landscapes become part of the work. The sand witnesses everything, every imprint and every movement, yet when the arena is reset, it is smoothed over as if nothing ever happened.
I draw on this knowledge to root my work in both craft and heritage. What appears delicate is in fact built with intention and control. Each imprint is pressed just as the surface sets, holding a breath of movement before it vanishes, and revealing a tension between presence and absence, form and formlessness.
By preserving these hoof imprints, I capture a breath of motion before it vanishes. What seems fragile is in fact built with intention and control, reflecting the harmony between horse and rider, strength and lightness held together in a single grain.
On display .ae
Exhibition: Furusiyya: The Noble Connection Between Horse Between Horse and Man
